You may have cut the cable cord to save money.
But are your streaming TV bills now still stacking up?
Between Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, YouTube TV, and other services, there are so many content platforms now, your living room can literally become an endless stream.
And many of them have been raising rates in 2023, with more rate hikes to come in 2024.
Subscribers debate dropping services
Lori Pieper is getting tired of streaming TV price hikes, and wonders if it is time to drop a service or two.
She is debating what to do with Disney Plus, which started at a very affordable $7 a month, but recently jumped to $14 for the ad-free version.
"It went up $4," she said, and that really surprised me," she said.
Other services are up too, she says.
"Netflix which is over $16, " she said, "and then I have Prime."
She dropped her cable package five years ago to save money, but now she is paying almost the same price again, once she factors in high speed internet.
"I remember when cable was like 80 dollars," she said. "I said I am not paying that kind of money for TV, and here I am again."
Pieper isn't alone in this.
Average bills now $73 a month ... on top of internet
Statista reports more than 182 million Americans now use streaming services.
That's more than half of the US population, now shelling out an average of $73 a month (for services like Netflix, plus a streaming package like YouTubeTV, Sling TV, or Hulu Live Plus).
Those costs add up fast.
Marie Rossiter, who writes for Simplemost and Don't Waste Your Money.com, has been researching streaming fatigue and recently wrote a report on ways to save money.
"All of a sudden you're looking at your bill," she said, "and you say where's all of my money going? Are you aware of what services you're using?"
The first thing to do, Rossiter says, is take a look at what you subscribe to and what you watch.
Cancel what you don't use, sign up for free services
After you take an audit, she suggests you cancel the services you barely use.
Next on the savings playlist, she says, is to "take advantage of free streaming services."
Ad-supported services that offer content at no charge include:
Consider ad-supported versions, free streamers
Pieper says one more price hike, and she'll probably drop a service.
"It's crazy," she said of the recent increases.
Rossiter says if you want to keep a platform but cut costs, "downgrade to the ad supported. That's a good time to go grab a snack."
Rossiter also suggests looking into bundling options, such as putting Disney Plus together with ESPN and Hulu, even if it seems like a lot of research.
"Your budget is worth investing that time," she said.
That way you don't waste your money.
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