Surveys regularly find people underestimate subscription spending by $100+ a month. Review your bank statement, cancel what you don’t use and rotate streaming services instead of keeping them all.
How to use the Subscription Waste Calculator
- Video streaming
- Music and podcasts
- Gym and fitness apps
- Software and cloud storage
- News and magazines
- Gaming
- Delivery and shopping memberships
- Other subscriptions
- Share you rarely use
- Investment return
- Years
Results update as you type, and every field accepts the units shown in its menu.
How it works
Enter what you pay each month for each type of subscription, the share you hardly use, and the return you could earn by investing the difference.
Tips
- Use your real spending from bank statements rather than guesses.
- Automate savings so they happen before you spend.
- Revisit your plan once a year or after any big life change.
- Keep an emergency fund before investing for long-term goals.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Underestimating irregular expenses such as car repairs, gifts and annual bills.
- Ignoring inflation for long-term goals.
- Taking on high-interest debt to fund wants.
Inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Video streaming | Amount in your currency |
| Music and podcasts | Amount in your currency |
| Gym and fitness apps | Amount in your currency |
| Software and cloud storage | Amount in your currency |
| News and magazines | Amount in your currency |
| Gaming | Amount in your currency |
| Delivery and shopping memberships | Amount in your currency |
| Other subscriptions | Amount in your currency |
| Share you rarely use | In % |
| Investment return | In % |
| Years | A number |
What each result means
- Monthly subscriptions = [Video streaming] + [Music and podcasts] + [Gym and fitness apps] + [Software and cloud storage] + [News and magazines] + [Gaming] + [Delivery and shopping memberships] + [Other subscriptions]
- Yearly cost = [Monthly subscriptions]×12
- Wasted per year = [Monthly subscriptions]×12×[Share you rarely use]÷100
- Wasted money invested over the period = fvc([Investment return]÷1200, [Years]×12, 0, [Monthly subscriptions]×[Share you rarely use]÷100)
- All subscriptions invested over the period = fvc([Investment return]÷1200, [Years]×12, 0, [Monthly subscriptions])
Example values
How the main result changes when Video streaming changes and everything else stays at the example values above:
| Video streaming | Yearly cost |
|---|---|
| 22.5 | 1,674 |
| 33.75 | 1,809 |
| 45 | 1,944 |
| 56.25 | 2,079 |
| 67.5 | 2,214 |
| 90 | 2,484 |
Formula
Monthly total = Σ subscriptionsYearly cost = monthly × 12Wasted = cost of subscriptions you rarely useInvested instead: FV = monthly waste × ((1 + i)^n − 1) ÷ iWorked example
Inputs — Video streaming: $45; Music and podcasts: $12; Gym and fitness apps: $40; Software and cloud storage: $15; News and magazines: $10; Gaming: $15; Delivery and shopping memberships: $15; Other subscriptions: $10; Share you rarely use: 30 %; Investment return: 7 %; Years: 10.
Results — Monthly subscriptions = $162.00; Yearly cost = $1,944.00; Wasted per year = $583.20; Wasted money invested over the period = $8,411.92; All subscriptions invested over the period = $28,039.74.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the average person spend on subscriptions?
Often $100–$250 a month in the U.S.
How do I find all my subscriptions?
Check bank and card statements and your app store subscriptions list.
Is it worth cancelling small subscriptions?
Yes – $15 a month invested at 7% grows to about $2,600 in 10 years.
What formula does the Subscription Waste Calculator use?
Monthly total = Σ subscriptions.