SHOPPING + STREAMING · JUNE 2026
Is Amazon Prime Worth It in 2026?
Prime costs $17.99/month once you add ad-free video — a 26% effective hike since January 2024. Here's who still gets their money's worth and who should cancel.
Read · 7 min
STREAMING VALUE CHECK · JUNE 2026
Is Apple TV+ Worth It in 2026?
$12.99/month for ~200 originals and an exclusive F1 deal. The smart move is to subscribe per season, not year-round. Here's the math on both approaches.
Read · 7 min
STREAMING VALUE CHECK · JUNE 2026
Is Hulu Worth It in 2026?
Hulu is merging into Disney+ by year's end. At $7.99/month it's still one of the better streaming deals — if you actually watch current-season network TV or FX originals.
Read · 7 min
GAMING SUBSCRIPTIONS · JUNE 2026
Is Xbox Game Pass Worth It in 2026?
Game Pass Ultimate dropped $7/month to $22.99. The Essential tier still doesn't include day-one first-party releases. Here's which tier is worth paying for and when to skip entirely.
Read · 7 min
SUBSCRIPTION AUDIT · MAY 2026
Every Subscription That Raised Prices in 2026
Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, PS Plus, Paramount+, Crunchyroll, Starz, AMC+, and more all raised prices this year. Full list with before/after prices and what to do about each one.
Read · 8 min
GAMING VALUE CHECK · MAY 2026
Is PlayStation Plus Worth It in 2026?
Sony raised prices May 20 and removed PS4 games from the Essential tier. Here's who should keep it, who should cancel, and why the annual plan is the only smart way to buy it.
Read · 7 min
STREAMING VALUE CHECK · MAY 2026
Is Disney Plus Worth It in 2026? Honest Review
Disney+ is now $18.99/month ad-free, a 172% increase from its $6.99 launch price. Here's who should keep it, who should cancel, and when the bundle actually makes sense.
Read · 7 min
SOFTWARE VALUE CHECK · MAY 2026
Is Microsoft 365 Worth It in 2026? Honest Review
$99.99/year for Personal. Commercial plans rising 20% on July 1. Here's who actually needs the full Office suite and who should switch to free alternatives before that deadline hits.
Read · 7 min
SECURITY VALUE CHECK
Is NordVPN Worth It in 2026? Honest Review
NordVPN costs $3.99–$12.99/month. Here's who actually needs it, who is wasting money on it, and the best free alternatives including Proton VPN free tier.
Read · 8 min
VALUE CHECK
Is YouTube Premium Worth It in 2026?
$13.99/month, or $0 with uBlock Origin on desktop. Here's the honest breakdown of who should pay and who can skip it entirely.
Read · 7 min
CANCEL GUIDE
How to Cancel Adobe Creative Cloud (And Save $600/Year)
Step-by-step cancellation guide, including how to avoid the 50% early termination fee and the best free tools to replace every Adobe app.
Read · 7 min
AI VALUE CHECK
Is Claude Pro Worth $20/Month in 2026?
Claude Pro vs. free Claude vs. ChatGPT Plus: at the same $20/month price point, here is exactly who should pay and who should stay on free.
Read · 8 min
AI VALUE CHECK
Is Midjourney Worth It in 2026?
Midjourney starts at $10/month with no free trial. Adobe Firefly, Leonardo.ai, and Ideogram are free and closing the quality gap fast. Here is the honest breakdown.
Read · 8 min
MUSIC VALUE CHECK
Is Spotify Worth It in 2026?
Spotify raised its price to $11.99/month. Free YouTube Music and SoundCloud cover 80% of what most people actually use. Here is when it is worth keeping.
Read · 7 min
FOUNDATION
How Much Does the Average American Spend on Subscriptions in 2026?
Multiple 2024–2025 surveys peg average American subscription spending between $219 and $273 a month, and it's still climbing. Here's the full breakdown by category, age, and income.
Read · 7 min
CANCEL THESE
10 Subscriptions Not Worth the Money in 2026
The services with the highest "waste share," meaning the highest percentage of paying users who barely use them. Plus the free or cheaper alternative for each.
Read · 9 min
FREE PICKS
Best Free Alternatives to Netflix in 2026
Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, library-card streaming, and a couple of services you probably forgot you already had. Tested in April 2026.
Read · 6 min
AI VALUE CHECK
Is ChatGPT Plus Worth $20/Month in 2026?
Honest 2026 answer: for most casual users, no. Free Claude, free Gemini, and free Perplexity collectively cover 90% of what Plus subscribers actually use.
Read · 8 min
MUSIC PICKS
Best Free Spotify Alternatives in 2026
YouTube Music free, Spotify Free, and the streaming bundles you may already have without realizing it.
Read · 6 min
ADOBE EXIT
Adobe Creative Cloud Alternatives in 2026: Free and One-Time-Purchase
Free Photopea, free Figma, free DaVinci Resolve, and one-time-purchase Affinity that pays for itself in 5 weeks.
Read · 8 min
VPN GUIDE
Best Free VPN in 2026: No Data Caps, No Logging, Audited Code
Proton VPN's unlimited free tier wins. Plus the free VPNs that sell your data, and when paid VPN is actually worth it.
Read · 6 min
HIDDEN BILLS
The Hidden Cost of Streaming Bundles in 2026
Apple One, Disney Bundle, T-Mobile and Verizon perks: when they save you money, and when they hide a subscription you don't need.
Read · 7 min
GYM MATH
The Real ROI of an Average American Gym Membership in 2026
Average attendance is 6.4 visits/month. The math, the seasonal pattern, and the home setups that beat the gym for less.
Read · 6 min
More posts published monthly. Curated for American readers, works for everyone.