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\title{Sufyaan's Website}
\author{Sufyaan's Website}
\date{}

\begin{document}
\maketitle

\section[The Subscription Trap]{The Subscription Trap}\label{the-subscription-trap}

\textbf{16 December 2023}

\textbf{Category: }Software \& Technology

We all have at least one subscription. They lure us with convenience and
the overwhelming amount of content. We cannot imagine life without them,
but in this article, I am going to show you how you can live without
them.

\hypertarget{monetary-hits}{%
\subsection{Monetary Hits}\label{monetary-hits}}

Subscriptions are cheap on the face value. \emph{"The price of a cup of
coffee per month? That sounds like a steal!"} However, these are simply
traps to get your money. The relative cheapness of subscriptions makes
our brains take a mental shortcut to the time we bought our first
subscription. This makes it trivial to keep subscribing to new services.

Humans are horrible at predicting and planning for the future. You may
need a subscription now. You predict that you need it in the future. For
most people, their prediction is wrong. The need for the subscription
fizzles out, but the cost remains.

Our memory is on par with our planning. We forget that we have a
subscription and have auto-pay enabled. Most of the time, we do not care
if companies charge us for one more month because we feel like the
amount is low anyways.

\hypertarget{time-lost}{%
\subsection{Time Lost}\label{time-lost}}

The prime merit of subscriptions can also be its negative. The amount of
content available on video streaming subscriptions like Netflix and
Amazon Prime Video causes you to spend more time scrolling than actually
watching content.

Also, have you ever felt the guilt of buying a subscription, only to
feel like you are not using it enough? How many hours have you wasted on
random movies and shows just to make it feel like you are getting your
money\textquotesingle s worth?

\hypertarget{prevention}{%
\subsection{Prevent, Don\textquotesingle t Cure}\label{prevention}}

If you really need a subscription this month, renew it and cancel it
immediately. That way, it will stop working the next month. If you need
it the next month, renew it again and so on. When doing this process,
really take the time to think if you need the subscription or not.
Perhaps you subscribed for a month to watch movies with your friends
during your holidays, which are now over.

\hypertarget{conclusion}{%
\subsection{Conclusion}\label{conclusion}}

All in all, I don\textquotesingle t like subscription-based products
which includes SaaS as well. They are massive money and time sinks. You
should try avoiding them as much as possible by assessing if you really
need them or not.

\end{document}
