Hint/Tip Considerations about subscriptions?

[Laura S.]

It seems that the world is going the way of subscriptions, not just streaming exercise sites, but all kinds of things online and even in the real world.

• How do you decide what is worth paying something every month and what is not?
  
• How much is too much (to pay)?
  
• Do you pay monthly or go for prices breaks with yearly subscriptions?
  
• What types of things do you enjoy involving yourself in?
  
• What keeps you in a plan? How do you know when to cancel?

And, I'm sure there are other questions.

[Laura S.]

OK. I'll answer my own questions:

How do you decide what is worth paying something every month and what is not? If it is something I will use regularly, I will consider it. I also need to be able to figure out what I will get out of it for it to seem worth it. That can mean that I will have a plan for how I will use the site and have a way of committing to it.

How much is too much (to pay)? I have signed up for some sites that have been as high as $20 - $30 a month. They haven't been exercise sites, but sites off which I could take classes on fitness/health topics from a Christian perspective. I guess if it is specialized content I can see the value in and that is put out by an individual I feel has my best interests at heart, I'm more likely to subscribe than with a generic site by a big company. I still prefer paying for content on a one-shot deal rather than an ongoing basis. And free is always best!

Do you pay monthly or go for prices breaks with yearly subscriptions? I usually start out by paying a month to see how it goes and if I'm actually going to use it and then go for the price break once I've proven it's worth it.

What types of things do you enjoy involving yourself in?

I've subscribed to both Cathy Morenzie's Weight Loss God's Way and Faithful Workouts. I followed both for awhile and then moved on.

I do creative journaling type activities and have enjoyed the Reset Girl community. I've done her summer camp twice. I think she's going to come out with a subscription and that I probably would do. She tries to keep prices as low as possible and that's nice.

I've seen physical boxes that small companies send out for journalers and have considered that. But, I like to buy the stuff I want for my stash and that doesn't feel like enough control for me. I'd probably buy less and save money if I did this, but not sure it's good for me.

In reading VF, I've considered a lot of streaming exercise options, but for now I'm going to the gym. If I ever get back to exercising at home, I'll likely try to do my DVDs. If I did a streaming exercise site, it would probably be KCM's site as she's one of my 1-3 favorite instructors.

[dmlarue1]

How do you decide if it's worth paying for?
It has to be something I like enough to be doing multiple times a week. I have to feel like I am getting my money's worth

How much is too much?
20.00 is really my limit. I would like to try barre 3 but it is over my limit

Monthly or yearly?
I usually like monthly as I can cancel anytime. I did do yearly to the balanced life because it w as cheaper


How do you know when yo cancel?
For me I try to be frugal so if i am not using something enough i cancel. That being said i have been a balanced life member for 2 years because i use it

[bubbles76]

How do you decide what is worth paying something every month and what is not?

As for exercising, I haven't found anything that is worth paying for every month . There are so many free options on youtube with instructors I like that I have not felt the need to subscribe. Plus, I have a huge collection, and still buying. If I were to subscribe it would have to be with a site that had multiple instructors that I liked, multiple workout types (pilates, barre, heavy weights, cardio, etc.), who offered workout rotations for a reasonable price.

Non exercise related, my friend gave me a six month Sipsby subscription. I received my first box, and the teas are lovely! It's nice receiving teas from all over. I am considering continuing the subscription, but we'll see. I buy a lot of tea anyway, but don't get a chance to get out to try every tea brand, or to frequent tea shops as much as I used to. So this is a nice way to try different teas.

How much is too much (to pay)?

If I wasn't still buying dvds, I would say $20 a month is my limit.


Do you pay monthly or go for prices breaks with yearly subscriptions?

Monthly, I want to be able to get out of it if I can.


What types of things do you enjoy involving yourself in?

Still trying to figure that out . When I had more time, I has involved in Toastmasters, tea rooms, and belly dance. I also volunteered. All that seems to have taken a back seat to my job and Tiny Bubble.


What keeps you in a plan? How do you know when to cancel?

If I'm still getting a use out of it and the price doesn't keep going up exponentially.

[JackieB]

Bottom line for me is I have to love the site and use it. I also want to keep my total monthly subscriptions to less than what dh pays for a gym membership.

Costs....definitely under $20/month. I guess if I really loved a site, and knew I'd use it daily I'd consider paying more...maybe.

I like when a site I love offers a discount on annual subscriptions. But if I'm just trying it out, I don't want that committment!

[marki64]

What Bubbles said. So much free quality workouts on YT, I wouldn't feel the need to pay. I am overwhelmed by the choices on You Tube. I like the variety of different instructors and different workouts. My playlists are getting too long. No time to do it all.

[prettyinpink]

How do you decide what is worth paying something every month and what is not
I really appreciate free trials. If something doesn’t even have a free trial for even a few days or a week, I am extremely unlikely to subscribe. Sometimes a few free workouts to see the style might be enough. But then I still need to know how much material they have and the variety, either on the site or from another source like VF.

And then I need to be convinced that it is something I will use several times per week, for at least a month.

How much is too much (to pay)?
The most I have paid is $20 per month (for Physique 57) so that is about the max. I have subscribed to others that are a more at the monthly rate, but I paid less than $20 because of a sale or annual price. But it depends what it is. Some I have seen have so little content or for whatever reason I know I would not use quite as much, that I wouldn’t be willing to pay more than about $10.

I try to keep my total monthly below a certain amount. It is more than I would pay for the least expensive gym, but when I have had gym membership I get tired of driving there and of the atmosphere after a few months. I’m not at a place in life where I could manage that well now, anyway.

Do you pay monthly or go for prices breaks with yearly subscriptions?
I prefer a year if I really like something. Other sites I just wanted something different for a month or two and I knew I wouldn’t want it for a year.

I do think there is a risk to an annual subscription with any site. Sites that are active sometimes stop adding content. Or they could just disappear. It’s a bigger risk when it is a single person providing the content. The business could go under, they could get sick and not be able to put new stuff up, or they could totally change their focus and it might not be what you like anymore. Or they could just abandon ship but you’ve already paid and are stuck.

What keeps you in a plan? How do you know when to cancel?
It’s pretty simple: if I like it and use it, I keep it. If I don’t, I cancel.

I really dislike sales tactics of raising prices and grandfathering in lower ones, to try to get people to keep something longer that they aren’t using. Even worse are the ones that only open membership at certain times. I’m not only talking about fitness sites here, because I’ve seen it with sites for other interests, too. Another dislike is the ones that make you commit to a minimum subscription of 2 or 3 or 6 months that you pay for up front and can’t get out of, and there isn’t a price break or any other option.

[prettyinpink]

And I wanted to add, I use some free workouts on YouTube, too. But part of the reason I prefer a subscription is because, like someone else just said, I do get overwhelmed by all that is out there. When I do go to YouTube I tend to focus on one or two instructors. I don’t want to spend much time deciding what to do or searching through playlists when it’s time to exercise.

[tytbody]

Originally Posted by Laura S.

I

• How do you decide what is worth paying something every month and what is not?
  My income tells me. If you really like a certain style of exercise, for that person, it's worth it.
  
  
• How much is too much (to pay)?
  nothing is too much if you will use it.
  
  
• Do you pay monthly or go for prices breaks with yearly subscriptions?
  I won't pay monthly, if I did that I'd go get a gym membership
  
  
• What types of things do you enjoy involving yourself in?
  sewing, (haven't done in years) Cooking, watching movies on Amazon and Netflix.
  
• What keeps you in a plan? How do you know when to cancel?

not busting a gun to get it done. I burn out
I'd cancel when it did not suit my needs.
And, I'm sure there are other questions.

be a minimalist instead of a consumer.

[Dorothy J]

How do you decide what is worth paying something every month and what is not? What Laura said: It has to be something I know I'll use regularly. And obviously I have to consider the cost to be worth the value, a subjective call.

How much is too much (to pay)? As almost everyone here has said, I think $20 would be my monthly limit for any one site. I pay $12.99/month for Peloton and I've already decided that if/when they raise their prices, I would go as high as $19.99 for that site because I it so much.

Do you pay monthly or go for prices breaks with yearly subscriptions? What Laura said: I usually start out by paying a month to see how it goes and if I'm actually going to use it and then go for the price break once I've proven it's worth it.

What types of things do you enjoy involving yourself in?
I currently have 3 subscriptions: Peloton ($12.99/month), KCM RAW***($6.99/month) and Headspace (I think it's $71 and change annually). I was thisclose to subscribing to Walking Online Workouts ($9.99/month or $99/year) but I only do walking workouts once a week and I have so many Jessica & Leslie dvds + all the free YT content from those wonderful gals that I just couldn't justify the expense even though I really enjoyed the free WOW workouts I tried. Possibly if it had been $6.99/month, I might have pulled the trigger.

***BTW, Kelly recently announced on her Coffeyfit Facebook group that she is developing an app to be released this fall for access to her RAW workouts. She didn't say how much it would cost.