• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Comedy
  • Music
  • TV Recaps
  • Streamliner
  • Vulture Lists
  • Books
  • Theater
  • Art
  • The Gold Rush
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • About
  • How to Pitch
  • Newsletters
  • Games
  • Vulture Festival
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Subscribe Give A Gift
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Comedy
  • Music
  • TV Recaps
  • Streamliner
  • Vulture Lists
  • Books
  • Theater
  • Art
  • The Gold Rush
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • About
  • How to Pitch
  • Newsletters
  • Games
  • Vulture Festival
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
+Comments Leave a Comment
Advertiser Content from
This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.
Sponsored Sponsored
Mar. 4, 2021

It’s Time: How to Streamline Your Entertainment Services

Four easy ways to get more wiggle room in your budget.

Photo-Illustration: Lauren O’Connell
Photo-Illustration: Lauren O’Connell

If you’re like many people, you’ve probably spent the last year staying connected to the world (and sane) via streaming services. Americans now spend an estimated $1 billion dollars per month on streaming content, so your household isn’t the only one where bills are adding up. Cutting back on costs can be tricky — after all, you don’t want to sacrifice the pleasure of keeping up on the latest series, or connecting with your loved ones. That’s why, in partnership with Total Wireless, we’ve come up with clever ways you can streamline your digital services to find more wiggle room in your budget, without going full-on Luddite. Below are four ways to find savings where you wouldn’t expect.

Streamline your… movies and TV services

Long gone are the days where you just paid one cable bill. The wide variety of movie and television streaming options sounded like a delight at first, but you’ve probably realized by now that it’s hard to get away with paying for just one. Maybe you subscribed to a service because you had to check out a buzzy new show, and another because it kept your kids mercifully entertained on their 231st day of quarantine.

There are a few different strategies you can use to trim a ballooning entertainment budget. The easiest? Take a moment to look at your monthly recurring charges and simply drop the subscription you use the least. Or, plan around your family’s favorite shows: If you signed up for a streaming service for a single series that you binge-watched on a weekend, cancel it and resume your subscription when the show comes back — that can mean serious savings, as many series go a year between seasons.

Another savvy tip is to avoid those yearly subscriptions, even though they offer discounts for longer tenures. Subscribing “on demand” will likely save you more money in the long run. You can rotate between your TV streaming services so you always have an option to use (say, one in the fall and a different one in the spring).

Streamline your… wireless plan

For many of us, our face-to-face interactions these days are still limited to our curbside delivery guys. This past year we’ve seen just how important a role our devices play in helping us maintain relationships and stay connected with our loved ones. In light of everything, it’s been good enough, but Total Wireless is here to help turn those experiences from good to amazing. With an unlimited 4-line plan* now with nationwide 5G in more than 2,700 cities, you’ll spend less time buffering blurry video chats, and more time catching up with the people that matter to you most.

Total Wireless can save you up to $1,200 a year, compared to a four-line, postpaid plan from the leading carrier.** That’s money for bikes for the whole family, finally taking that camping trip, or it can go towards building that indoor treehouse for the kids (because, why not?). You can choose a new phone, or do amazing with more savings by hanging onto the one that’s already working for you.

Streamline your… apps

While we’re on the topic of making our phones work better for us, take this time to declutter your applications. Apps provide everything from news to educational entertainment for the kids to virtual workouts and everything in between. They make things convenient, productive, and more fun — but, it’s easy to lose track of which apps you’re subscribed to versus the ones that are free. It’s even more likely if you’ve signed up for a free trial and forgot to cancel.

Check your app store (there’s likely a “subscriptions” tab under your profile), or do an inbox search for “subscriptions” to look for any recurring payments. From there, purge any apps that you haven’t used in over a month or ones that accomplish the same thing as an app that’s free.

Streamline your… music

 Music helps us create memories, whether we’re working, playing, or learning the latest viral dance. If you’re the type who loves to purchase individual songs, consider loading up your online shopping cart and sitting on it for a week or two before you check out. It’ll prevent spur-of-the-moment purchases of songs you’ll end up listening to once or twice and never play again.

If you stream your music, check to see if there’s a non-premium tier that’s a better fit for your budget — maybe you can live with 20-second ads for half the cost. Lastly, you and the family can head to your local library. (Newsflash: It has more than just books.) If you have a library card, you can download free music from your local library that you can actually keep, not just borrow. It can be limited to a few songs per week depending on the library, but make it a fun family activity to pick out your weekly favorites. Meanwhile — if you don’t mind us getting a little nostalgic here — let someone else play DJ for a change and blast the radio at home. Especially during our times, the radio is not just a source of free entertainment, but even companionship… and these days we could all use a little bit more of that.

* First 100GB shared data at high speed then 2G.

** Savings claim: When compared to the monthly cost of comparable 4-line postpaid plans of the leading carrier. Excludes taxes, fees, autopay discounts, and limited time pricing. Source: Competitor Websites, February 2021.

This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.

Tags:

  • advertiser content
  • new york stories
  • tracfone
  • total wireless
  • guide
  • technology
  • More
+Comments Leave a Comment
How to Streamline YourEntertainment Services

Most Viewed Stories

  1. How Is Kim Doing After the ‘Waterworks’ Episode of Better Call Saul?
  2. Better Call Saul Recap: Getting Away With It
  3. The Making of Silent Bruce
  4. The Complete History of Ezra Miller’s Controversial Career
  5. Fred Savage Accused of ‘Erratic’ Misconduct by the Wonder Years Crew
  1. The Complete History of Ezra Miller’s Controversial Career
  2. Better Call Saul Recap: Getting Away With It
  3. How Is Kim Doing After the ‘Waterworks’ Episode of Better Call Saul?
  4. The Making of Silent Bruce
  5. Only Murders in the Building Recap: What Turns Up in the Dark

Editor’s Picks

  • exhibit a
    Making Sense of the Trump Raid Making Sense of the Trump Raid
  • what is elon musk?
    Elon’s Biggest Boondoggle Elon’s Biggest Boondoggle
  • the power trip
    What’s in Trump’s Safe the FBI Raided? What’s in Trump’s Safe the FBI Raided?

The Latest

in the courtroom Yesterday at 10:54 p.m.
Talib Kweli Sues Jezebel Over ‘Emotional Distress’ He cited a 2020 piece written about him.
overnights Yesterday at 10:35 p.m.
What We Do in the Shadows Recap: Wedding Bell Blues “Who comes first on the wedding night? I think Nandor might! On the wedding night!”
possible return Yesterday at 8:59 p.m.
Golden Globes May Return to NBC in 2023 NBC bowed out of airing the awards show last year.
karate adults Yesterday at 8:03 p.m.
Mike Barnes Will Make His Cobra Kai Debut The Karate Kid III’s Sean Kanan will reprise his role for the Netflix series.
in your area Yesterday at 6:42 p.m.
Blackpink Celebrates 6th Anniversary by Finally Dropping a Comeback Date Sink your teeth into “Pink Venom” on August 19.
who-ly matrimony Yesterday at 5:39 p.m.
Rita Waititi-Ora Has Changed Her Name for Love (Not a Rebrand) The singer reportedly married Marvel hitmaker Taika Waititi.
movie nights Yesterday at 5:24 p.m.
Noah Baumbach’s White Noise Will Open This Year’s New York Film Festival Laura Poitras’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed will join as the festival’s Centerpiece selection.
last night on late night Yesterday at 4:56 p.m.
Below Deck Med’s Natasha Webb Calls Dave White’s Behavior ‘Toxic’ and ‘Messy’ Reiterating they “were never in a relationship” on WWHL.
timelines Yesterday at 4:03 p.m.
The Complete History of Ezra Miller’s Controversial Career From kidnapping allegations to felony charges to a new film premiering at TIFF.
tiff 2022 Yesterday at 3:37 p.m.
TIFF, Feeling ‘White & Nerdy,’ Adds Weird: The Al Yankovic Story to Its Lineup Ezra Miller appears in the festival’s closing film, Dalíland, despite being omitted from the announcement.
trailer mix Yesterday at 3:07 p.m.
Triangle of Sadness Trailer Goes Overboard on the Rich Ruben Östlund’s gut-churning Palme d’Or winner stars boat captain Woody Harrelson.
deux plus Yesterday at 3:00 p.m.
The Latest Player in the Streaming Wars Is … Walmart? Meetings with different streamers are reportedly underway.
collabs Yesterday at 2:34 p.m.
Beyoncé Is the Girl to Make Ronald Isley & the Isley Brothers Say It Again “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” is out August 12.
trailer mix Yesterday at 2:16 p.m.
Take Your Shoes Off Before Watching the Trailer for Mo The Netflix series, created by and starring comedian Mo Amer, premieres August 24.
chat room Yesterday at 2:12 p.m.
Julia Lester Journeys to Theater Camp and Into the Woods As High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Ashlyn seeks her starring moment, the actress who plays her makes her own Broadway debut.
wild at heart Yesterday at 2:06 p.m.
A Little Help From Their Friends Backstage with Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, and Julien Baker on the must-see indie tour of the year.
By Justin Curto
the wonder years Yesterday at 1:45 p.m.
Fred Savage Accused of ‘Erratic’ Misconduct by the Wonder Years Crew Several women open up about their experiences with the ousted director-producer.
rip Yesterday at 1:42 p.m.
Lamont Dozier, Motown Songwriting Legend, Dead at 81 With Holland-Dozier-Holland, he wrote hits for the Supremes and the Four Tops.
emmys 2022 Yesterday at 12:16 p.m.
Kenan Thompson Will Kindly Host the 2022 Emmy Awards Even though he didn’t receive a nomination. What’s up with that, Emmy voters?
vulture 10x10 Yesterday at 12:00 p.m.
The Confessional Puzzle 25-Across, Three Letters: One of many in Sydney Sweeney’s collection.
More Stories
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Comedy
  • Music
  • What To Stream
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Trademark
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Accessibility
vulture is a Vox Media Network. © 2022 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.