Cutting the High Cost of Digital Living - Molly Wood

[rubor]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/10/technology/personaltech/cutting-the-high-cost-of-digital-living.html?_r=0

NY Times reporter realizes she is spending more than $3000 per year on digital services. The accompanying video made my jaw drop.

She thinks about getting rid of cable, but decides to keep it instead.
She realizes she needs Xbox Live Gold (?!) for $50 per year.
She decides to try to live for a month or two without Netflix because she has cable, uses iTunes, has HBO, Amazon Prime, and Xbox Live Gold (?! again)
She goes from $10 per month to $2 per month by switching online storage services.
She saves some money by switching her cellphone to T-Mobile.
She slaps her head when she realizes she is still paying for Microsoft Office 365 (??!!) which she apparently has never actually installed (???!!!)

I think she maybe gets it below $3000 per year by the end, but her article and video don't entirely match up.

Hey, did you know canceling a NY Times digital subscription saves you $20 per month?

[nordlead]

hmm... my cost of digital living.

$35+taxes/fees for internet
$30 for 2 smartphones and a house VoIP phone

so, ~$800/year.

If I include hardware and video game purchases it probably goes up to ~$1500/year, granted the hardware purchases only happen every 5 years or so for PCs, but I've had 2 cell phones break in the last 6 month (random deaths with no known cause, they just stopped turning on).

So, my digital yearly spending is probably ~$1500 or less.

[slugline]

Molly Wood's been a tech journalist for a while now. If you eat/sleep/breathe in a particular industry, there are expenses that look face-punch ridiculous from the outside, yet appear totally justifiable to you. It's terrible. :)

[PindyStache]

I hadn't watched the video, but I figured it would pop up in this subforum...

Our costs are similar to nordlead's:

$35/mo (including taxes/fees) for internet, 3mbps does all we need
~$200/year for pay-per-minute cell phone plan
$30 for a replacement phone I had to get after I lost mine...

= $650

I suppose you could count our monthly NYTimes subscription in this category too :)

[Quark]

I just wanted to see where my spendy self compares.

300 new smart phone (amortized over a minimum of 2 years) (yeah I know but I lurve smartphones)
18/mo Freedompop internet
29/mo Republic phone service
10/mo Spotify
3/mo 180degreehealth podcast subscription

I use my dad's Amazon prime video account and download or stream tv for FREE.

=$870 per year!!!!