Are Unused Subscriptions Draining Your Budget?
In this episode of Ask Ralph , we’re zeroing in on a sneaky budget buster: recurring charges for services you’re no longer using. From streaming platforms and fitness apps to forgotten free trials that quietly turned into monthly payments, the subscription economy makes it easy to sign up—but much harder to cancel. Ralph walks listeners through a simple but powerful action plan to review, evaluate, and eliminate these silent drains on your finances. If you’ve ever opened your bank statement and thought, Wait, what is this charge for? , this one’s for you. It’s time to stop unused subscriptions draining your hard-earned income.
Check out the full podcast episode here
Ralph offers a practical, faith-driven approach to taking back control—starting with one simple challenge: cancel at least one subscription today. With biblical encouragement and a clear step-by-step method, you’ll learn how to align your spending with your values and create more margin for what truly matters. Whether you’re looking to be a better steward or just free up extra cash, this episode offers clarity, motivation, and real financial impact.
Chapters:
- 00:12 - Finding Hidden Savings
- 02:03 - Understanding Subscription Creep
- 03:47 - Active Pruning: Evaluating Your Subscriptions
- 04:59 - Taking Charge of Your Finances: The Importance of Canceling Unused Services
- 06:33 - Managing Impulse Purchases
Takeaways:
- Have you ever noticed all those sneaky little subscriptions draining your bank account each month?
- It's super easy to forget about auto-renewed memberships, but they can really add up fast.
- Active pruning of your subscriptions can lead to serious savings without much effort at all.
- Take a moment to review your subscriptions and cancel the ones that just aren't worth it.
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00:00 - None
00:51 - None
01:04 - Finding Hidden Savings
02:55 - Understanding Subscription Creep
04:39 - Active Pruning: Evaluating Your Subscriptions
05:50 - Taking Charge of Your Finances: The Importance of Canceling Unused Services
07:25 - Managing Impulse Purchases
Speaker A
Hey, beyond the daily habits like coffee or lunch, do you ever wonder about those little charges that hit your account automatically each month?
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Those streamings, the apps, the memberships?
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Are you actually using all of them?
Speaker A
Well, today let's hunt down some easy money to save.
Speaker B
In a world where crushing debt keeps you trapped, where living paycheck to paycheck has become your new normal, and where the dream of retirement seems impossibly out of reach, there's hope.
Speaker B
Join financial evangelist Ralph Estepp Jr.
Speaker B
A man who's walked through the fire of financial failure and emerged stronger on the other side.
Speaker B
Welcome to Ask Ralph, the show where real world experience meets biblical truth.
Speaker B
To break the bondage of financial despair, get ready to take control of your money, break free from the financial stress, and align your resources with God's purpose for your life.
Speaker B
This is Ask Ralph with Ralph Estepp Jr.
Speaker A
Ask Foreign.
Speaker A
Hey there and welcome back to your daily Ask Ralph.
Speaker A
I'm Ralph.
Speaker A
Great to have you here.
Speaker A
As we continue our series the joy of living below your means, let's continue our pursuit of breaking that cycle of financial shame and doing it with confidence.
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Now, yesterday we looked at the power of packing lunch.
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Today, let's shift to those recurring monthly charges.
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So think about for a minute, your bank account or your credit card statement.
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Do you see a bunch of small recurring charges hitting month after month?
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Maybe multiple streaming services?
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Do you really watch them all?
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That gym membership you haven't used since January?
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Those various phone apps?
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Maybe a subscription box you forgot all about?
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Or a free trial that just auto renewed?
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It's so easy for these things to pile up.
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We sometimes call this subscription creep.
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Might feel like they're small amounts, but collectively they can add up to a significant chunk of money leaking out passively, maybe even without you fully realizing what they all are anymore.
Speaker A
That quiet, almost invisible drain on your finances from multiple recurring subscriptions or memberships that you don't actively use or value?
Speaker A
Well, that's the single issue we're tackling today.
Speaker A
Because here's the thing, companies make it incredibly easy to sign up for these things, often with automatic renewals.
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But sometimes it's a lot harder to cancel.
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I don't know if you've ever been down that road before, but that can be a huge hassle.
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And this really works against good stewardship.
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Being intentional with our resources means actively choosing where our money goes, not just letting it drift away on autopilot to services we aren't even using.
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It's kind of like leaving a small faucet dripping.
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And over time it wastes a lot of water.
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We need to be watchful stewards of all of our financial commitments, even the small automatic ones.
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So you might be asking, Ralph, what can we do?
Speaker A
How do we stop this passive drain and make sure our recurring charges align with our actual usage and our values?
Speaker A
Well, the single straightforward solution is to actively review all of your subscriptions and those memberships and cancel at least one that you're not truly using or getting value from.
Speaker A
Now, this requires a little bit of detective work, but the payoff is immediate and it'll be ongoing savings every single month.
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It all starts with that review.
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You need to know exactly what you're paying for.
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This is the time to evaluate.
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Be honest about your usage.
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Ask yourself, is this service worth the monthly cost to you right now?
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Then act on that.
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You got to act on it.
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You got to take the necessary steps to cancel the ones that don't make the cut.
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And yes, it might be a little bit annoying to do it, but finding and cutting just one or two of those unused $10 or $15 subscriptions and easily save you 100 to $300 per year with very little effort beyond that initial cancellation.
Speaker A
So the solution today is active pruning.
Speaker A
Review and cancel these unused subscriptions.
Speaker A
Okay, so here's your one action step for today, or maybe tackle it this evening when you have a few extra minutes.
Speaker A
The first thing I want you to do is gather your statements, pull your online bank and credit card statements from the last month or two, and then I want you to become that detective hunt for those recurring charges.
Speaker A
Scan.
Speaker A
Scan through the the statements, looking exactly for those monthly or annual subscription membership fees.
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And then I'm going to encourage you to list them all out.
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The Netflix, the Hulu, the Spotify, the Apple music, the gym, the subscription boxes, the software, the apps.
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You get the idea.
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And then I want you to take a honest assessment of each one.
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Look at your list and ask yourself honestly, for each item, ask yourself this question.
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How often do I actually use this?
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How often did I use it in last month?
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And is it providing value equal to its cost?
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And then here's the big thing I want you to do.
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I want you to choose one or maybe more, and identify at least one service on that list that you're barely using.
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Maybe you forgot you had it or just don't value much anymore.
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And here's my challenge for today.
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Cancel it today.
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Don't put it off.
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Go online, find that cancellation page, make that phone call, whatever it takes, and cancel that one service right now.
Speaker A
So now you may be asking Ralph, why does detective work and cancellation and here's why.
Speaker A
Because it directly stops that passive money drain from forgotten or unused services.
Speaker A
It's kind of like finding free money in your budget.
Speaker A
And see every month that that that charge doesn't hit your account is a win.
Speaker A
It frees up cash flow with no ongoing effort on your part and it makes you more intentional about your recurring commitments.
Speaker A
Well, how about we pray together?
Speaker A
Father God, thank you for the conveniences technology offers, but help us also to be wise and intentional with those things.
Speaker A
Lord Lord, grant my friend listening diligence as they review their recurring expenses today.
Speaker A
Lord, give them clarity to see what they truly use and what they truly value and the decisiveness to let go of what they don't.
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Help them to be good stewards even of those automatic payments and ensuring their resources align with their priorities and your purposes.
Speaker A
And may this simple act of pruning bring greater financial peace and greater financial margin.
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And we ask this in the powerful name of Jesus.
Speaker A
Amen.
Speaker A
All right, well go hunt down those hidden budget drainers, review those statements and cancel at least one thing today.
Speaker A
It feels good to stop paying for something you're not even using and I want to encourage you.
Speaker A
Keep up the good work.
Speaker A
So now we've talked about daily habits and those recurring charges.
Speaker A
What about those tempting one time purchases?
Speaker A
Well be sure to join me back here tomorrow on Ask Where We're Going to Ask.
Speaker A
Want to stop impulse buys?
Speaker A
Try this rule.
Speaker A
I've got a great episode planned for tomorrow and if this episode helped you find some easy savings, I want to encourage you to share it with somebody else.
Speaker A
You can find resources and links in the show notes@askralph.com so until tomorrow, be intentional with your subscriptions and and keep seeking him first.
Speaker A
And let's keep moving in our quest to be financially confident Christians.
Speaker A
So I encourage you to stay financially savvy and God bless you.
Speaker A
Have a great day today.
Speaker B
Thank you for joining us on the Ask Ralph show and with a simple click to subscribe, we'll invite you back to our next episode.
Speaker B
And remember, financial issues don't have to be complicated.
Speaker B
Just Ask Ralph.
Speaker B
The information contained in this episode of Ask Ralph, Ask Routh is based on data available as of the date of its release.
Speaker B
Saggio Accounting plus and Ask Routh Media, Inc.
Speaker B
Is under no obligation to update this content if changes occur.
Speaker B
Applying this information to your specific situation requires careful consideration of all facts and circumstances, and any information provided is not to be considered as financial, tax or legal advice, please consult your tax advisor or attorney before acting on any material covered.
