Money Memes

Every once in a while, everyone has a “get stuff done” day, a day where you are ACCOMPLISHING ALL THE THINGS. 

H/T to this Hyperbole and a Half post.

I’ve had several of those over the course of the summer, compacting all my usefulness into maybe a week’s worth of days in order to spend the rest of my days in a state of abject laziness. This past Sunday was one of those days, but most of my accomplishing happened within the confines of my computer. In the most staggering and exciting of news, I booked my flight to Edinburgh! Less than a month, my friends. Less than a month. 

After the flight booking and some substantial reading of move-in checklists, I sat down with my budget. I’m a big fan of budgeting, though only recently. It came about when I had to pay the rent and utilities each month and had to be sure there was always a two-thousand dollar buffer in my checking account in case one bank cleared checks faster than another. But ceasing to have a steady income and moving to another country before the loans even come in has changed the budgeting strategy a little bit. Namely, it has forced me into panic mode. SAVE EVERY CENT. CANCEL ALL THE THINGS! 

Because this.

Through that panic-induced haze, I realized all the little luxuries I had been sending money to monthly. Maybe you’re doing the same thing? Maybe you’re wondering how your savings account remains so anemic? Maybe you just want to see a list of the ridiculous things I had to figure out how to cancel? Well, if any of those maybes apply to you, read on, ‘cause that’s what the rest of this post is about! 

And memes. Apparently we're talking about memes today. 

HBO NOW, the only service to yell at me every time I glance at my phone.
$14.99 per month
Yeah, yeah, I know, who feels bad about pirating Game of Thrones? But I’ve been wanting to watch The Wire and maybe rewatch The Newsroom when I signed up, there were only like three episodes left in the season and my friend with her fiancé’s parents’ HBO GO account password moved out of town. But for $16.11 after taxes, I’ll pass on this one, thanks.

Hulu Plus, the streaming service I never understood paying for.
$7.99 per month
I got Hulu Plus in college, maybe, and my roommates used it much more often once it was set up on the TV in the common area, but I rarely did. And now that I’m off it, I’m finding that Netflix is missing a couple of things, but honestly, the hole left in my life by the forced departure of Hulu Plus can be filled with all the other shows I want to watch, a US IP address, and patience. It’s all going to end up on Netflix anyway and I’m too busy bingeing the latest season of Doctor Who to care.

Audible, the website that allowed me to legally read books while driving.
$14.95 per month
This one isn’t all that bad, when you get down to it. I’d probably spend at least that much per month on books anyway if there was a bookstore closer to me. But now that I’m going to have to buy textbooks again, I’m going to want all my words in print. Wonderful, highlightable print. 

Amazon Prime, where I go to find shows that I can’t find anywhere else. 

$99 per year

Okay, so I haven’t actually cancelled this one yet, but that’s because the renewal doesn’t come around until next July and there’s a good plenty of benefits. If I can swing it next year too, I might just keep it. 

UNC-TV donation

$15 per month

What can I say? There was a Downton special and I finally had enough money to throw some of it at a local organization and somehow, that organization wasn’t NPR. Damn you, Crawleys, and your addictive class-based drama! 

NCPIRG donation 

$15 per month

I honestly don’t know how I got signed up for this or how they continued to get my money, but I have a vague recollection of some poor soul standing out in the cold and shivering and in need of like five more petition signatures and somehow, it happened. They were very nice about canceling it, though, which makes me feel bad, but currently I need my money more than North Carolina lobbying groups. 

Well, now that I have it in a list, it looks like a lot less, but that right there was nearly $90 a month that just disappeared from my life and I’m definitely going to need that money… well, now, actually. It changes the budget. Also, if you don’t go line-by-line on your credit card statements, it’s hard to remember exactly where all your money is going to. Small charges each month slip by. 

Now, before you go guffawing away, laughing at the silly little girl who had to cancel subscription services she forgot she had, go check your accounts. See if there’s any money that doesn’t say goodbye on its way out the door. At least iTunes sent me a receipt every time HBO took my money. 

NOT ANYMORE, JERKS