Monthly subscriptions have become commonplace for the majority of us these days. Especially amidst a year long lockdown growing need to keep fit and be entertained at home. There is a subscription service for almost anything: monthly vitamins, at home workouts, new razor blades, utility bill management and even your weekly food shop. These subscriptions bring us the convenience we search for, whilst giving us the opportunity to try new things with housemates, or explore new skills in the comfort of our rented apartment.
But of course, these don’t come without a price tag. Many young UK students and graduates are facing spiralling monthly costs, including forgotten ones through unwanted or unneeded subscriptions. We’ve all been there “Make a mental note to cancel NowTV when I get home” and woops, there we are another month later and £10.99 poorer. A recent report created by Citizens Advice Bureau noted that many of us have been paying out on average £160 a year on unwanted subscriptions. £160. A. Year.
Take Netflix as a prime example. Over 13 million households in the UK use Netflix to stream TV and films such as Bridgerton, Top Boy or Making a Murder. Netflix sets you back between £5.99-£129.99 a month. But some of the top shows aren’t on Netflix, so on top of that house-shares are splashing out on Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and Now TV. Not to mention other essentials such as Spotify, Youtube Premium and BT Sport.
Given the abundance of choice and the extreme screen-induced fatigue, our team at Resooma Bills have put together a list of all our favourite subscriptions and the ones we think you can cut to save a bit of extra cash.
Unless you live under a rock or don’t watch TV, then you need Netflix. It’s got more binge-worthy shows than any other site. You’ll get all the best high budget dramas, classic British sitcoms and the most addictive true crime series you could imagine – we’ve got to hand it to you Netflix, you really do have it all. Apart from Disney.
Living in shared housing or want to save on costs? Find out how you can save by getting a premium subscription and sharing this across the group.
Spotify Premium lets you stream unlimited music, podcasts and playlists without annoying advert interruptions that trigger your mates sarcastic “You don’t pay for Spotify?” comment. Although they’ve hiked their prices up in the past 18 months, it’s entirely necessary. We’re also in the camp that it beats Apple Music, sorry Apple but this is one war you’ve not won.
If you’re a student and struggling to down out the noise of your housemates whilst studying, we highly recommend listening to their concentration playlists.
You can call us impatient but in today’s world, anything less than next day simply won’t do. Next day deliveries are needed in 2021 and there’s no other company that’s able to deliver anything you might need within 24 hours. Let’s not forget all the extra content you get through the subscription. Prime Video has been cranked up a notch, with great series such as Little Fires Everywhere and movies such as Borat or Greenbook.
Championed by the likes of Binky Fealsted or The Proudlocks, the Fiit App is the UK’s number 1 rated home fitness app. Fiit has a great mix of different trainers that coach you in real time videos. They have over 500 classes, including HIIT, strength, stretch and even barre. It integrates with your TV too, making it perfect for group sessions in the living room. It even has low-impact to make your workouts neighbour friendly if you’re in a first floor flat.
If you’re a student, you can enjoy a 14 day free trial and 50% off with UniDays.
Perfect for easy recipes you can share. If convenience and big portion sizes is your thing, then HelloFresh is a Godsend for your kitchen. Choose your recipes for the week and they deliver everything you need to your door. They do amazing referral schemes too, so you can gift free boxes to friends and family – who can say no to £50 worth of free food? You can cancel your subscription any time and it’s really flexible if you want to skip a week or a month. And if you don’t fancy sharing it with your housemates, or you live on your own, why not get a plan for 2 and use the second portion for lunch.
Unlimited free delivery for your local food favourites is a definite must for your house share. At £11.49 a month, you only need to order an average of 4 Deliveroo’s a month (that’s 1 a week) for it to work out cheaper. And as much as we’d love to say we don’t eat that much take out – let’s not kid ourselves. This membership if for orders of a minimum £10, but Deliveroo will soon be launching a cheaper £3.49 subscription for families at the same address for orders over £25.
The subscription is monthly rolling, so if you change your mind you can cancel any time.
Okay, so maybe not an essential for lockdown as we’re all just living in loungewear. But ASOS Premier gives you 1 YEAR worth of next day delivery for a one-off payment of £9.99. We also probably shouldn’t say this, but it’s a good one to password share with friends or family as you can change your delivery address.
ASOS includes hundreds of brands and regularly offer site wide discounts. Students get 10% off year-round if you sign up via UniDays or directly with ASOS.
Many of us overspend on subscriptions that we just don’t use or serve the same purpose as ones we’ve already got.
Tried it and cancelled it. NowTV has its strengths and there are a few top class programs such as Game of Thrones and The Undoing. But we just don’t think it’s worth £10.99 a month when you’re paying for Netflix. If you do want to binge some of their classics, try watching them all in a month and then cancel it.
It’s great for big movie lovers or Disney damsels but in our opinion, it’s not worth the monthly outgoing just yet. Save your cash and your screen time.
We just don’t think it matches Spotify’s user experience and flexible plans for couples. Unless you want their lyrics feature, then we think Apple Music loses this war and there is no need for 2 streaming platforms.
Its standard features are enough for us.
Want to learn how to spend less on your monthly subscriptions? Read our 10 ways to save money on monthly subscription services as a shared house.
In a rental house with housemates? Find out how you can save money by sharing your subscriptions.
All your utility bills in one monthly payment, split between housemates
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All your utility bills in one monthly payment, split between housemates
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