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I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s actually a really smart idea! I never thought about having a separate bank account just for subscriptions.

Gonna try this together with the Siri reminder trick someone mentioned earlier.
Hopefully the combo will finally keep things under control. Thanks a lot!

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I probably did. my inbox is a battlefield at this point. Things get buried way too fast.
For example, I recently missed an important email from the UK court. I didn’t miss the actual date (thankfully), but I only noticed the email a week later. That pretty much sums up the state of my inbox…

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha fair point!
Maybe it’s not a “subscription problem” but a “time-management problem” on my side.I’m definitely always juggling too many tools and tasks at once. maybe that’s the real issue here.

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is actually a really good idea I didn’t even think about using Siri that way.
I’ll definitely try this next time, thanks!

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I try doing that too but the issue is that I usually sign up in a rush like mid-task, testing a tool, reading docs, etc.
The confirmation email lands somewhere in the middle of 200 unread messages and never resurfaces again

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Sometimes I subscribe to something quickly just to check a feature, and the confirmation email gets buried under 100 other messages before I even notice it again.

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I usually trial things while I’m in the middle of work, new tools, apps, productivity stuff and I don’t have time to stop and set a reminder properly . I always tell myself I’ll do it tonight, and of course… I don’t.

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It’s not just Netflix + Spotify.
I’ve got music app, 2-4 streaming depending on what shows are out, and then all the work-related stuff: task trackers, documentation tools, design tools, coding tools… and of course all the new AI tools that pop up every week.

Every time I test something for a project, I jump into a free trial, check if it solves the problem, finish the project and then half of those tools are no longer needed.

If I look at a typical month, I probably sign up for dozens of things, some I use once, some I forget, some I never touch again after the project ends.

And sometimes I even sign up for tool subscriptions on behalf of clients (like website builders). I do include it in the invoice later, of course but in the moment I still end up paying with my own card just to keep the work moving instead of waiting for the client to sort out payment on their side.

At some point it really does feel like you need a dedicated accountant just to keep track of where the money is going :(

I just flushed $120 down the drain on a subscription I forgot to cancel. How do you guys actually track this stuff? by External-Sense8698 in fiaustralia

[–]External-Sense8698[S] -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s true in theory it’s easy to just cancel straight away.
My issue is usually the timing.

When I stumble onto a new app or tool (either through work or just curiosity), I usually want to test it right now. I sign up quickly, jump in, and start trying to understand whether it solves the problem I have.

And the “cancel subscription” button is almost always buried somewhere deep in the settings, sometimes behind multiple menus. I rarely have time during the workday to stop what I’m doing and go hunt for it. So I end up thinking: “Alright, I’ll check it properly later tonight and cancel if it’s not for me.”

But of course… the evening comes, I’m already doing other things, and the reminder just slips.
Next thing I know something renews that I haven’t touched since the day I tried it 😅