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If you’re trying to save a bunch of money by ditching 3 $10-20 monthly services, you’re probably targeting the wrong thing. If $60/mo for the household prevent

by samtho 3y ago

If you’re trying to save a bunch of money by ditching 3 $10-20 monthly services, you’re probably targeting the wrong thing. If $60/mo for the household prevents even just two unplanned outings per month, (which the cost per each would likely start at $60) is that not a cost saving measure in itself? The biggest things besides housing that people often pay are car payments, insurance for your vehicles, and utilities. Where can you save there instead? If saving is important to you then maybe ditch the car payment and get something you can pay for in cash, replace the old furnace for a high efficiency heat pump, etc.

gnicholas 3y ago
As I mentioned in another reply, this isn’t just about saving money. Sure, I don’t want to throw money away if possible, but it’s also about educating our kids about tradeoffs and not spoiling them.
- paxys 3y ago
  To be honest reading all your replies it seems like you have spent too much time on HN and have convinced yourself that Netflix is the devil and you must get rid of it from your house to save your family. If you are paying $10-20 a month and your wife/kids are getting a couple hours of entertainment a day out of it then there really doesn't seem to be a problem. A decade or two ago you would be paying $200+ for cable TV for ads and much worse programming.
  - gnicholas 3y ago
    Haha I don’t think Netflix is the devil — I’ve been a subscriber for years, and have owned NFLX for almost as long.
- samtho 3y ago
  Everyone parents differently and I’m not trying to prescribe what you should do, but here is something that I’ve found works well. Set your entertainment budget for the household at whatever you are paying now for streaming services and when they inevitably want to add Paramount or Discovery onto the what is available in household, you say “that is fine, but we can only have 3 streaming services (or if the kids are older: we only have a budget of $x month for streaming), which means we have to cancel one in order to add this new one” Because it’s hard to claw back what they already are used to, you’re putting them in a position where they must consider opportunity cost. If they are clever, they will say, “let’s switch for 3 months so we can watch what we want and switch back to our original setup.” This way introduces scarcity without being the “bad guy” - after all, the budget is the budget. It also gives them choice but not the freedom to choose everything so they can take some agency and better prepares them for the challenges of the Real World(tm).
  - gnicholas 3y ago
    Yeah, I’m trying to find ways to introduce the concept of opportunity cost. You’re right that there’s a difference between clawing back and declining to add new services, even though it’s just a matter of framing. I’m all for letting people choose which ones they want, and you’re absolutely right that in an ideal world they will realize that they’d rather rotate than always have the same ones.

by samtho 3y ago

gnicholas 3y ago

As I mentioned in another reply, this isn’t just about saving money. Sure, I don’t want to throw money away if possible, but it’s also about educating our kids about tradeoffs and not spoiling them.

paxys 3y ago
To be honest reading all your replies it seems like you have spent too much time on HN and have convinced yourself that Netflix is the devil and you must get rid of it from your house to save your family. If you are paying $10-20 a month and your wife/kids are getting a couple hours of entertainment a day out of it then there really doesn't seem to be a problem. A decade or two ago you would be paying $200+ for cable TV for ads and much worse programming.
- gnicholas 3y ago
  Haha I don’t think Netflix is the devil — I’ve been a subscriber for years, and have owned NFLX for almost as long.
samtho 3y ago
Everyone parents differently and I’m not trying to prescribe what you should do, but here is something that I’ve found works well. Set your entertainment budget for the household at whatever you are paying now for streaming services and when they inevitably want to add Paramount or Discovery onto the what is available in household, you say “that is fine, but we can only have 3 streaming services (or if the kids are older: we only have a budget of $x month for streaming), which means we have to cancel one in order to add this new one” Because it’s hard to claw back what they already are used to, you’re putting them in a position where they must consider opportunity cost. If they are clever, they will say, “let’s switch for 3 months so we can watch what we want and switch back to our original setup.” This way introduces scarcity without being the “bad guy” - after all, the budget is the budget. It also gives them choice but not the freedom to choose everything so they can take some agency and better prepares them for the challenges of the Real World(tm).
- gnicholas 3y ago
  Yeah, I’m trying to find ways to introduce the concept of opportunity cost. You’re right that there’s a difference between clawing back and declining to add new services, even though it’s just a matter of framing. I’m all for letting people choose which ones they want, and you’re absolutely right that in an ideal world they will realize that they’d rather rotate than always have the same ones.