As you know, we are all about The Micropurge this year. But if you haven't committed to a one hour per week mini-clean schedule, why not tackle something that is far more costly and annoying? Subscriptions! Read on, because you'll be amazed at how much useless stuff you are subscribed to and how to let it all go!
January is a time of resolutions. I will lose weight. I will join a gym. I'm going vegan. I'm going to practice self care. I'm going to read more books. I'm done with gluten. The list goes on and on. Most resolutions require commitment and ongoing work. Which is probably why most new year resolutions ultimately fail. How about making a resolution to STOP COMMITTING and to stop the ongoing noise in your life? Ask yourself - what am I subscribing to? How about unsubscribing as a resolution? When you simply take inventory and then unsubscribe, you can clear some of the relentless noise from your life like junk email and snail mail, telemarketing calls, unread print media, podcasts, and costly apps. Here are some hints and tips.
Junk Email. I don't know about you, but I wake up to at least thirty five or more emails that are, for the most part, junk. The junk e-mail clogs up my account and I find my self swiping to delete over and over every single day, all day long. And the worst is when I receive the SAME junk email more than once because I have subscribed to a list serve with my different email addresses. One day I had finally had enough and I began the painstaking work of opening those emails, scrolling down to the "manage subscription" or "unsubscribe" link and going through the process of saying goodbye. I did this every morning for one week. And in one tiny week (15 minutes per day) I cleared out years of list serve subscriptions that I never read, information from sites I rarely used, sales notices, shopping invitations, and everything else that was just clogging up my inbox. Now, I wake up to emails from retailers and websites that I actually want to hear from. Bliss! And it was only a one week commitment.
Apps. I had no idea that there was a simple way to find what apps you are subscribing to. Recently I followed some simple steps on my iPhone only to discover that, unbeknownst to me, I was paying nearly $25 per month for apps I had subscribed to and never even used. Most of these apps were trial subscriptions I signed up for, tried, never used again, and forgot to cancel before the trial period ended. Another was an app that I just don't really need anymore. A few taps here and there, and I eliminated $25 per month in subscriptions that were being billed through my iTunes account, just like that! Here's how: go to Settings> iTunes & App store. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen. Select View Apple ID and log in. Then tap Subscriptions. Tap on and open each subscription and it will instantly tell you if you're paying, and how much.
Magazines. I finally had to face facts. I subscribe to several magazines, and only read a couple. And by read I mean I flip through the photos and leave the magazine to collect dust on my end table. Magazines are fascinating because they can sometimes act a lot like the stickers people place on the back windows of their cars. I love Mac products (nerdy Apple sticker); I am bohemian and cooler than you (Patagonia sticker); I am a [enter sports team name here] fan, etc. (As an aside, I have absolutely no stickers or vanity plates on my ride.) Which magazines you subscribe to, for some, communicate identity. Sometimes, we want those magazines displayed in our homes and flats for just that purpose. (As if to say: Hello, I am a Town & Country and Vanity Fair girl. Yes, I subscribe to Architectural Digest. Of course I read The New Yorker. I've subscribed to Vogue for years.) But do you read them? I mean REALLY read them? If you don't mind paying the money (and killing the trees) to have certain magazines in your home to communicate your aesthetic, more power to you. But if, like me, you subscribed with the best of intentions to read them, but it hasn't really panned out, then it's time to pull the plug.
And don't forget about your daily newspapers. I'm a huge fan of newspapers, but I was subscribing to two paper deliveries and I was only honestly only reading one. If you don't read it, leave it, and opt for the online version or limit your subscription to weekends only.
Junk Snail Mail. I receive a ton of junk snail mail. There are several websites out there that claim they can help. Useful information can be found at ecocycle.org/junkmail which has links to remove your address from mailing lists, credit card solicitations, phone books (seriously?), catalog subscriptions, and more. Save a tree and yourself from endless trips to the recycling bin.
Products. I've never subscribed to monthly or seasonal box subscriptions like FabFitFun or Birchbox, but my friends have. Some are in love, some are not. If you are over the moon for a beauty box subscription, email us because we would love to hear which one and why! But if you're less than thrilled, evaluate what you're paying for and what you're getting. Same goes for meal subscriptions. Another product subscription that can become overwhelming is the "subscribe and save" feature on Amazon. If you've subscribed to save money, find out what you're really saving. Is it worth it? And check the subscription settings to make sure you are not receiving shipments too early or too frequently. And if you're over a product, click yourself right out of that subscription.
Social Media/Tech. Treat yourself by unsubscribing to annoying YouTube pages that you really don't want to watch but receive endless notifications for. How about the podcasts that keep downloading to your phone and you know you're never going to listen. Dare I say it...try deleting people from your social media feeds? Don't hyperventilate, hear me out. Most of the time people won't know you've deleted them and if they call you out, just fib and say that's so weird, I have no idea what happened! Or just hide their content from your feed if you can. I'm over negative posters and that goes both ways. People who post negativity on their own pages and feeds, and those who dare to post it on mine. Positive vibes only. While you're at it, check out your privacy settings and consider limiting old posts on sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and others. It never hurts to look.
TV/Streaming. Some of us have cut the cable cord completely. Others have cable and Netflix and that's about it. But in the ever-expanding world of streaming services like Hulu, Prime Video, Netflix, Sling, Fubo, and others, things can get a bit confusing (and expensive). I had 4 streaming services, and I really only watched 2. I also have the mega cable package. So I said goodbye to 2 streaming services, and haven't even noticed (other than the charges are no longer on my credit card bill!) I also called my cable provider and laid down the law. I was paying too much and wanted everything I already have, just cheaper. Long story short, they reduced my bill by $50 per month and nothing else changed.
Calls/Texts. Most of us have already registered, but it doesn't hurt to do it again. Stop annoying telemarketers and robocalls by entering your telephone numbers (including cell) on the National Do Not Call Registry and ditch the sales calls. When I receive an annoying solicitation text, I simply respond STOP and it has helped to cut them down.
I spent a grand total of about one hour of my life to unsubscribe to these categories (other than the email because that was a week-long project that took about 15 minutes each morning). One little hour and I felt cleansed. Less junk mail, less emails, no more notifications that a certain "Real" Housewife has a new YouTube video, countless podcasts deleted, no more unopened magazines to give me guilt, and fewer telemarketers ringing me up or texting. And when I told some of my ladies about The Micropurge and the easy unsubscribe week, they all had lightbulb moments and joined in the fun! I loved hearing about all of the senseless noise they removed from their lives!
Now we'd love to hear from you. What have you unsubscribed to?
Cheers, Pearl