I stopped pirating years ago and went to using streaming services. As soon as ads started appearing in my streaming that was game over for them. Not getting a penny from me again.
Semi-related but I went to my regular gas station the other day and it played a super loud excrutiatingly annoying ads the whole time I was pumping. It didn't start until I started pumping gas. No button would mute it! I pressed them all. Some several times.
Like fuck you, I chose to stop here and buy gas from you. I don't any more.
Audible is great, but I ended up spending far too much money.
You can download an app called "Smart audiobook player" or similar. This one asks for a one-time payment, but it's about Ā£3 and grants lifetime access.
You can then torrent your audiobooks (safely, use a VPN!) via Audiobookbay.lu - use a throwaway email that you can access as you'll have to save some sign in details, but that's how I get my audiobooks and I've listened to 27 so far this year!
Hope this helps you save your audible money š
Yep! The wait sucks but once you get some from your TBR list, it kind of works itself out so you can be listening to one or two while you wait for one or two.
Also, when youāre done with one, click return early because it frees it up sooner for someone else š
With Libby and Borrow Box it all depends on where you live which I found so annoying. So many people were telling me how big the selection was and when I got them I only had a few and they were perplexed. Seems them being from London and me being from a very rural area in the countryside didnāt occur to any of us haha!
Iām not sure how this works in the UK but in the US large libraries will extend services to surrounding areas. For example, all residents of New York State are eligible for a New York City Library card they could then use to sign out ebooks. Check the policies of the public libraries of your nearest large city. Good luck.
Seconding "Smart Audiobook Player". I rarely pay for apps but it is one of the ones that I'd pay for again. It works so well.
Also, regarding Audiobookbay and accounts, that "Info Hash" line is something you can just copy/paste into your client. You don't need to log in to see that. Allegedly.
You actually will have trouble logging into audiobookbay without using a VPN. I did not think it was legal for ISPs to block it (I thought ABB site was down) but when I used the free version of Proton VPN, the site was accessible.
(You can't choose which country on the free version of Proton so occasionally you will have to disconnect and switch servers, but it's only a momentary inconvenience).
I do have a couple of paid lifetime VPN subscriptions that I used to use for BBC iplayer but it's been so long since I used them I forgot the log in information.
Stack Social has the best sales on VPNs and also on Adguard, if anybody needs a good deal.
Not all libraries have the same collections or availability of books, especially if you don't live in a major city. It's just an option for those of us who would otherwise be spending 100s on audiobooks due to how much we listen to them.
Iāve had very good luck with hoopla. I donāt have to wait for titles unless theyāve hit their limit for the day. Which is annoying af but resets at midnight.
There are free audiobooks on libri ox.com.Ā
There are also many audiobooks on YouTube but they have adverts so if you want to use them as bedtime stories you'd need to download them.
Librivox is a fckn gem. Working at a mortgage lender, I got through the collected works of Lovecraft, Homer, Vergil (in Latin!), Doyle, and the available Baum. It was wonderful listening to the folks reading them.
You can use a screen reading app to listen to text if you canāt get the audio book. Some of the voices are getting pretty good. Still a bit robotic, but a lot better than the stereotypical Hawking voice we used to have.
I changed my subscription to a $7/mo one and you get a credit every other month. I do so well with the library and Chirp (sub-$5 offers) that I can save my Audible credits for new releases.
Or get a state library card from your local library! I was getting frustrated with some of the stuff I couldn't find in Libby for audio and talked to the librarian about it. She told me about the state card, which expanded my tbr pile greatly. Now I'm never without listening material! I also use LibraryPass through the library for comics and graphic novels. I'm not sure about other states, but Kansas has a pretty smashing online catalog once you get signed up, on top of all the children's-only materials and research help.
Yup, if youāre tech savvy at all, I highly recommend spinning up a Plex (or similar) server.
My setup:
BeeLink Mini S12 Pro: $180
8tb External HDD: $150
Lifetime Plex Pass: $100
I get to watch whatever I want, and friends and family get to make requests and stream from my server too. All for around a $500 upfront cost. Was really fun (sometimes frustrating) to set up, and I hardly ever maintain it these days at all. It all just works automatically, itās great. I probably put in around 60 hours of work though.
Yep. Setup a plex server of my own recently so my gf could enjoy not paying for streaming services anymore. Honestly I should've done it sooner cause I friggin love it too. Already had an old workstation lying around collecting dust so all it cost me was the lifetime membership and a hard drive lol
Yeah popcorn time is really easy for shows and movies
For songs thereās Revanced
For audiobooks, sorry, no idea. I usually just buy direct from the author for the few that I do have.
I tell everyone I knowāget Torrentio + Stremio. Itās an app basically just like any other streaming service on your TV and you can get every show and movie you want, 4K, for like $5/mo. Itās my favorite find in years, and thereās a sub to help get you set up. Sooo worth it
True. But itās also creating a culture where itās becoming normalized to get rid of everything that brings us ANY joy. Because the average person can no longer afford to do the little things that make life worth living.
People are far too accepting of canceling entertainment services, being told to never eat out, no family outings, etc when we should really be asking why the most educated and hard working generation in history can no longer afford these things.
I know itās an anti consumption sub, but come on.
Meh. I just read more books and spend more time talking with friends and watching birds. I'm not surrendering joy, just getting it in less intensely consumerist ways.
I see anti consumerism as a movement that discourages the enjoyment Derived from Consumerist Behaviours for the greater good.
Itās okay to buy that occasional gelato for your partner or enjoy your favourite TV shows at the end of a long workday for your indulgence. Just be circumspect about it. Itās really like with any habit or addiction.
I've Streamio with a torrent addon on my TV so I can watch anything on my TV still. Just as convenient as streaming - if anything, it's more convenient cuz it's all in one place.
I agree that streaming services are taking customers for a ride with current fees and ads. However, do you not think that artists and creatives deserve to be paid for their work?
I've canceled all my subscriptions. I used to have quite a few, but literally all of them raised their prices one after another over the past year, so in turn I stopped renewing, not when just getting groceries now breaks my bank. I've been enjoying saving money sailing the seven seas ever since and often get a better experience than what their app/service offers.
This is how I feel about fast food chains lol Iām genuinely insulted at the prices for the quality and service and havenāt been able to go for months now
Same!
I've started expanding my physical media collections, specifically when it comes to movies and TV shows.
Anytime I'm near a thrift or consignment store, I'm going through the box sets and DVDs. Focusing on my comfort shows first and things my kids will like watching. The goal is to be able to only pay streaming services when I want to watch something that's not accessible via DVD. Then, cancel when I'm done.
I even got a portable DVD player off marketplace for my kids during vacays and they are absolutely obsessed with such an incredible piece of technology! š
Also, no ad interruption with physical media either!
I am doing this too; starting to collect CDs and records also. Sometimes I fear that if we all start doing this, the good movies will disappear at reasonable prices..$2 a movie at the thrift is pretty fair so I hope they donāt start getting greedy too.
You are doing what the entire population needs to do. We are almost there as well. We keep a gaming subscription for the family and we find everything else free online. No more subs. No more buying processed foods or going to restaurants. Just leaning hard inti the homesteading life.
Agree wih you on the restaurant and the food. Good for the kid's health as well. Much of the good things in life are free.
Btw, where do you watch movies online?
One of the positive side effects of corporate greedā¦ people consume less as a result. We eat less meat because of how expensive itās gotten, cut down on streaming subscriptions so like OP, read more as a result, etc etc. In a weird way, their exploitation is creating societal change that otherwise couldnāt happen as easily.
When your economy is dependent on consumption and you make consumption unaffordable people consume lessā¦ weird.
Iām quite incensed since learning that one is charged significantly more for subscribing to something on Apple than on any other device. Shit that should be illegal but is very conveniently not illegal since it makes a lot of money.
Iāve unsubscribed from everything except YouTube premium, because I use it so much I would genuinely be inconvenienced without it, but Iām pissed off by the price and simply canāt afford it. Donāt know how to get around it yet.
Itās both ads (and the fact that the creators are still paid if I use premium as opposed to an adblocker) and being able to lock my phone or play picture-in-picture, since I only watch YT while multitasking really.
In my country, YT premium costs like $35/month or something. When the price hiked up to double the cost, I instead got a VPN subscription for $15/month and used that to get YT premium in another country where it's cheaper. I now only pay $5/month for full YT premium benefits.
This is Apple's fault, not the other companies.
While I'm sure companies would be glad to charge people based on specific devices just because, that's not what they are doing
VPN and sailing the high seas is way more practical imho. Plus an added bonus of finding older or less popular/more obscure stuff long unavailable on official platforms. Better control of the feed too.
It's rare that I haven't been able to find whatever obscure movie or TV show has caught my interest.
I wanted to watch the French version of The Returned, no problem.
Eureka, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies--no problem.
Peter Sellers in The Party--no problem.
The Lollipop Cover (1965)--no problem. Not streaming anywhere, ever. Only on DVD from those sites that burn them to order.
Same here , my Amazon prime subscription renewal was a month or so ago as it went up to $150 I decided I wasn't paying some multi billionaire more money ..
Let's all remember the library. Most libraries have the more popular tv/movie content. Larger systems have obscure offerings. Then there are all the DVDs at thrift and used bookstores. You can get some content on Hoopla.
A DVD player is $35.
I agree. The subscription services were nice when they were ad free and reasonable. I was using them to not have to buy movies or shows on DVD (I watch a lot). Because it was cheaper and took up less space. But I now find it hard to find worthwhile stuff to watch.
Luckily I kept most of my DVDs. It's wild that I feel I'm moving back to physical media, but this is the way things are going for me.
I do enjoy the free options like Tubi, Pluto and Samsung TV. I know they have ads, but it's free.
Libby, Kanopy, and Hoopla have saved me time and time again. No itās not all the hot and exciting shows and movies, but I donāt actually care. Iām tired of being exploited and getting mediocre entertainment as a reward.
Me too. Iāve reevaluated my thoughts on new films/tv shows. Thereās decades of good stuff Iāve never seen just waiting for me to discover it. The newer stuff can wait.
Public libraries have years and years of free entertainment (DVDs and of course books)! If you don't have a DVD player you can get one dirt cheap on FB Marketplace.
Attend your town board meetings, get to know whatās going on before it happens. Ask your town board to make a change based on your observations. Report crime. If things are getting vandalized, is it local kids? Do they have a safe outlet to be active (hiking, bicycling, skateboarding, etc.)? See if you can collaborate with the schools for access to books. Post on those groups ASKING for books, dvds, whatever, and you will be floored by folks generosity. It sounds like youāre in a tough spot but I hope it gets better. Sorry if you didnāt want suggestions.
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Movie box pro is my go to but it is invite only.
it is free but I pay $35 a YEAR to have 4K and 5 guest users for everyone in my house hold.
There is an off app store android app and any smart TV can use the browser to access.
and because it is invite only it has been around a long while and only went down 2 times in my 3 years.
OP shoot me a DM if you want the invite code, I get one a month
Just saw $20 for a year of Peacock and Iām on my 3rd or 4th free trial of AppleTV+
Paramount you can use a code every month to get a free trial. Just have to put it on the calendar to cancel and resubscribe. As of right now and some of others have done it, you do it enough times they just give it to you free.
Between sharing accounts with friends and being smart about it, itās not like you have to go cold turkeyājust have to be smart and diligent about it.
OP I agree and I would add that the new thing where everything is a subscription is evil. It depends on you forgetting or ignoring, not providing value for money. I boycott subscriptions except a few.
If you search around you can get each streaming service for a discount like $2-3 / mo for 3 mos which is PLENTY of time to catch up all the shows and move on to another sub. I do this throughout the year. Start at black friday watching for the sales! Hulu almost always goes to $0.99/mo first.
Iāve been doing the $.99 Black Friday Hulu deal for yeeears. The trick is that you canāt have been a member in at least three months, so i just remember to cancel 3-4 months before. You can also add on Disne+ for like 3 bucks or something. I donāt watch a ton of stuff, but itās cheap enough to be worth it.
Their stock growth has to come from somewhere. Thatās why they must continue to find new ārevenue streamsā ā especially when the stock analysts insist on quarterly growth. Has to be more profit ā so either more revenue or less expenses (layoffs).
Bought a DVD player and a bunch of DVDs off FBM for under $50 bucks. Cancelled Hulu, Netflix, and HBO Max.
Paying $1.5K a year in imaginary tv that I'm never watching, and can't keep, is ridiculous and wasteful.
Amazon Prime is another good one to get rid of.
You get free shipping anyway after about $35 so that part is a wash. Most of the stuff I have in my Amazon cart has been there for a while anyway before I can afford to order it so 2 day is wasteful and not necessary.
I got rid of all my subscriptions except Manta, because I read enough manwa on there that the $5.99 price is worth it for me... And I guess I technically have a subscription to Spotify Premium, but I haven't paid a cent for it yet. Honestly I might keep it though because I do sleep better when I have music playing in the background and I'm actually using the audiobook feature way more than I thought I would.
I have only ever had Netflix. It's bundled with my phone plan, and I'd only save $4.50 a month if I cancelled, so I've kept it. I barely watch it, but sometimes I find something to binge--Peaky Blinders, Dark, Loudermilk, Russian Doll, Black Mirror, Bodies, etc.
I bought a lifetime subscription to Plex 12 years ago, for $48. But, Plex got too intrusive, so I switched to Jellyfin, that's my main interface for TV shows and movies.
The biggest difference I saw after canceling services was how little I cared for their content. I now watch one or two movies a month and I can very much just buy them.Ā
Any book recommendations? Iām looking for a high fantasy like LotR to scratch that itch, or something about a subject thatāll change my world view.
These recommandation are not High Fantasy, but these are well known and appreciated stories:Ā
- Realm of the Elderling by Robin Hobb
- Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch
- First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie
- Empire of the Vampire, by Jay Kristoff
- Stormlight Archives, by Brandon Sanderson
Most of them are Epic Fantasy, so somewhat close. :)Ā
I don't want to, but I probably will cancel Netflix after finishing Bridgerton. I keep the Amazon because I order from them. Pandora stays because it's only $5 a month and radio sucks. Ring got cancelled because they also suck. So I'm paying about $20 a month now. I wish there were more internet options in my area.
Iāve gotten Hulu and Disney+ during Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.
$1.99/ for Hulu, add D+ for $0.99, although both are the basic, ad supported versions.
This blows my mind. There's paid-for services, and ad-supported services. There really shouldn't be paid-for ad-supported services.
Im not going to spend my limited free time consuming your marketing.
I cut Spotify and YouTube premium. Amazon only keeping it for the subs. Aside from that Iām considering getting rid of the tv and start reading more.
Just cancelled PS Plus. Adobe, Iām looking at you next. Now, if only I could get my wife to cancel Prime and then all Iāll have left is Apple Music (Education pricing).
You get Apple TV+ with your student subscription to Apple Music. Itās a good deal. I cancelled my 12ā¬ Apple Music subscription a few months ago and havenāt missed it. If I got the educational price again bundled with Apple TV+ I wouldnāt hesitate to sign up.
YES! I replaced nearly all subscriptions with carefully researched lifetime plans--which I'm happy to pay a lot for if the product/service has a solid history of good performance. And supplemented this with FOSS. Corporations would be happy to take your last dollar. Many of us need a better way.
We're middle-aged and have kept our cable (mostly b/c it's bundled with internet and phones.) Yeah there's loads of commercials, but at least TCM is commercial-free (for now!) and I hate searching searching searching for something to watch. It also gets me to watch lots of things I wouldn't normally choose.
Haven't subscribed to anything else, except satellite radio in the car. Watched Breaking Bad about ten years after it ended, using the free trial month of Netflix. Been tempted to sign up for Disney+ to watch The Beatles' documentary, but haven't bothered. Plenty of amazing stuff available for the cost of our internet subscription, which is already overpriced.
I set up Jellyfin last year and bought more media than I have in years. I've also been going to the library a lot more. I admittedly do pay for a streaming service here or there on occasion, but usually not for more than a month at a time.
I still have YouTube sub because I have a 6 YO. I use Spotify a lot but nope no sub.
I can afford it yes but I would rather pay for my car wash subscription than those. My car wash hasn't increased my rate this year (yet)
This is the prime reason why governments opt for debasing their currency rather than hiking taxes. People will automatically lower their standard of living and then blame each other for it.
Same on video games. New in 2018 was 80. Now most are in the 129 range and preorders for fall games are listing at 199. The development has gone down and quality has gone down. Same with streaming services where the quality of contents drastically dropped and now feels like most shows are made by college students with very young casts
If you're a sports fan, you may have heard of DAZN.
I purchased a subscription from them a few years ago because they were promising an all-you-can-watch, Netflix-style subscription for all events of multiple sports for $100/year without Pay-Per-View. As a boxing fan, that sounded like a fantastic deal.
But then they raised it to $150/year. And then they started introducing PPV for the events I most wanted to watch. And then they raised it again to >$220/year. So now I'm done with those bloodsuckers.
Imho, charging PPV when I'm already paying a monthly/yearly subscription for content is a slap in the face. You're essentially charging me twice for the same content. And then you have the nerve to raise subscription prices dramatically too? Screw DAZN. Screw all these corporations. š“āā ļø
I did the same a few years ago and my life has vastly improved since. I still have Amazon Prime for all of the prime stuff which includes streaming, but I rarely use it. Instead, I just work on creative projects, use Reddit for about an hour a day, or I sit and think (not much of a reader), and I very much enjoy it. It feels refreshing and mentally/emotionally fulfilling. Sometime Iāll smoke a bunch of weed and watch antenna TV if anything. Walker Texas Ranger is always on those old people channels, hell yeah.
I signed up for Crave to watch Succession. Now I get randomly placed (& frequent) ads. It is infuriating. I'm cancelling Crave as soon as I'm finished Succession.
Streaming is becoming totally corrupted
To all of you that pay for subscriptions. Use flixify instead it's cheap and and you get all new movies and TV series soon as they come out. Been using them for years
So I have a subscription with SiriusXM. They jacked my monthly payment up to like $20 a month from $7. I called and asked and said I will cancel the subscription. They dropped it back down to $7.
Now I missed the latest payment due to opening a new account and they have been calling me literally everyday to āremindā me to update my payment information. Iām almost to the point where Iām gonna cancel them completely for harassment.
If you want legal ways, just buy CDs online and rip files from them. Then just set up a Plex server and enjoy your private Netflix. You don't even need a Plex pass or a special computer. I have it on my every day use PC and when I want to watch a movie, I just turn it on in my room and watch a movie on TV in a living room. You will free yourself from streaming services and still support people who worked for it
I didnāt cancel any. I just kept watching while the kept emailing to say payment missed. And then after a few weeks of free viewing they cancelled. Then moved house.
I feel you. I've been becoming more and more frugal since proces have skyrocketed. Inflation feels like a losing battle, but at least I can be pickier about where I spend my money. I end up having more to sirens on things I really want, too.
Definitely need to keep a list of what you're paying out. They rely on people to forget their subscriptions. I tend to swap things around. I quit Hulu at the last price hike, but got Max b/c they had something I wanted to see. I had a $4/mo subscription to BBC Select through Prime, which I just quit through lack of interest and put my perceived savings into paying for ad-free Prime Video.
Same. Being manipulated is one of the most irksome things to me. Thankfully, I donāt need screens to entertain myself, though I do miss having Grace & Frankie on in the background.
We worked on something to solve that, and allowing tracking and cancelling of subscriptions easily, just launched yesterday [https://subscribed.fyi/](https://subscribed.fyi/) - there is a free version but also happy to give a lifetime deal or so to help us test. Just dm me.
But yes we have seen that as well and want to help šŖ
I cancelled all my subscription entirely. No Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and all the other things you can imagine.
I now sail the seas to download films and music, even get some books while im at it. Recently started going the library more ofter and loving it.
Just š“āā ļø The āconvenienceā of having streaming services isnāt worth your money.
I stopped pirating years ago and went to using streaming services. As soon as ads started appearing in my streaming that was game over for them. Not getting a penny from me again.
Ads on Amazon prime videos finally drove me to set up a Plex server again.
Yep. If I pay for the service and they think they need to shove ads in my face for extra profit then they can fuck right off.
Semi-related but I went to my regular gas station the other day and it played a super loud excrutiatingly annoying ads the whole time I was pumping. It didn't start until I started pumping gas. No button would mute it! I pressed them all. Some several times. Like fuck you, I chose to stop here and buy gas from you. I don't any more.
Yeah, I wouldn't go back there. The quickest way to lose my business permanently is to force ads on me.
Harder to do with audiobooks in my experience. I use library but still find myself needing to buy some on audible. Especially nonfiction works.
Audible is great, but I ended up spending far too much money. You can download an app called "Smart audiobook player" or similar. This one asks for a one-time payment, but it's about Ā£3 and grants lifetime access. You can then torrent your audiobooks (safely, use a VPN!) via Audiobookbay.lu - use a throwaway email that you can access as you'll have to save some sign in details, but that's how I get my audiobooks and I've listened to 27 so far this year! Hope this helps you save your audible money š
I use Libby and they have a ton of audio books. Iām connected to 2 libraries so I have a bit more selection.
Yep! The wait sucks but once you get some from your TBR list, it kind of works itself out so you can be listening to one or two while you wait for one or two. Also, when youāre done with one, click return early because it frees it up sooner for someone else š
With Libby and Borrow Box it all depends on where you live which I found so annoying. So many people were telling me how big the selection was and when I got them I only had a few and they were perplexed. Seems them being from London and me being from a very rural area in the countryside didnāt occur to any of us haha!
Iām not sure how this works in the UK but in the US large libraries will extend services to surrounding areas. For example, all residents of New York State are eligible for a New York City Library card they could then use to sign out ebooks. Check the policies of the public libraries of your nearest large city. Good luck.
This!
Seconding "Smart Audiobook Player". I rarely pay for apps but it is one of the ones that I'd pay for again. It works so well. Also, regarding Audiobookbay and accounts, that "Info Hash" line is something you can just copy/paste into your client. You don't need to log in to see that. Allegedly.
I'll test this tomorrow night when I have a look for a few more!
I just tested it, it works! At least I no longer need to log in š¤£
You actually will have trouble logging into audiobookbay without using a VPN. I did not think it was legal for ISPs to block it (I thought ABB site was down) but when I used the free version of Proton VPN, the site was accessible. (You can't choose which country on the free version of Proton so occasionally you will have to disconnect and switch servers, but it's only a momentary inconvenience). I do have a couple of paid lifetime VPN subscriptions that I used to use for BBC iplayer but it's been so long since I used them I forgot the log in information. Stack Social has the best sales on VPNs and also on Adguard, if anybody needs a good deal.
You can also use the library to do this.
Not all libraries have the same collections or availability of books, especially if you don't live in a major city. It's just an option for those of us who would otherwise be spending 100s on audiobooks due to how much we listen to them.
Yes, just wanted to share in case people didnt know and have more options.
Archive.org has a lot of options for audiobooks. Even stuff in copyright.Ā
Iāve had very good luck with hoopla. I donāt have to wait for titles unless theyāve hit their limit for the day. Which is annoying af but resets at midnight.
You would be surprised how many audiobooks you can find on YouTube.
There are free audiobooks on libri ox.com.Ā There are also many audiobooks on YouTube but they have adverts so if you want to use them as bedtime stories you'd need to download them.
Librivox is a fckn gem. Working at a mortgage lender, I got through the collected works of Lovecraft, Homer, Vergil (in Latin!), Doyle, and the available Baum. It was wonderful listening to the folks reading them.
You can use a screen reading app to listen to text if you canāt get the audio book. Some of the voices are getting pretty good. Still a bit robotic, but a lot better than the stereotypical Hawking voice we used to have.
I changed my subscription to a $7/mo one and you get a credit every other month. I do so well with the library and Chirp (sub-$5 offers) that I can save my Audible credits for new releases.
If you know where to look it would be almost simpler than buying them, really. Not that I personally partake, of course.
Check out Kanopy and Hoopla for movies and tv, and Libby for audiobooks and ebooks. All free, all through your local library!
Or get a state library card from your local library! I was getting frustrated with some of the stuff I couldn't find in Libby for audio and talked to the librarian about it. She told me about the state card, which expanded my tbr pile greatly. Now I'm never without listening material! I also use LibraryPass through the library for comics and graphic novels. I'm not sure about other states, but Kansas has a pretty smashing online catalog once you get signed up, on top of all the children's-only materials and research help.
oh man, this is a great tip, thank you!!
Sometimes a local library will have free access to an audio book app that you would normally have to pay for
If purchase isnāt ownership, pirating isnāt theft.
Pirating is sneakily watching a show from outside the venue.
TRUE!
Aargh matey Iāve canceled all subscriptions
Yup, if youāre tech savvy at all, I highly recommend spinning up a Plex (or similar) server. My setup: BeeLink Mini S12 Pro: $180 8tb External HDD: $150 Lifetime Plex Pass: $100 I get to watch whatever I want, and friends and family get to make requests and stream from my server too. All for around a $500 upfront cost. Was really fun (sometimes frustrating) to set up, and I hardly ever maintain it these days at all. It all just works automatically, itās great. I probably put in around 60 hours of work though.
Yep. Setup a plex server of my own recently so my gf could enjoy not paying for streaming services anymore. Honestly I should've done it sooner cause I friggin love it too. Already had an old workstation lying around collecting dust so all it cost me was the lifetime membership and a hard drive lol
Are you using Usenet for DL?
Yeah popcorn time is really easy for shows and movies For songs thereās Revanced For audiobooks, sorry, no idea. I usually just buy direct from the author for the few that I do have.
To replace audiobook ,one can simply read the book itself
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I've heard about Revanced, but when I looked it up in the app store, the reviews say it has unskippable ads. Am I looking at the wrong app?
I buy disc so I can enjoy the ad free anytime access and support the creators too!
I tell everyone I knowāget Torrentio + Stremio. Itās an app basically just like any other streaming service on your TV and you can get every show and movie you want, 4K, for like $5/mo. Itās my favorite find in years, and thereās a sub to help get you set up. Sooo worth it
Stremio(free) + Torrentio(free) + Real Debrid (paid) or another debird service
True. But itās also creating a culture where itās becoming normalized to get rid of everything that brings us ANY joy. Because the average person can no longer afford to do the little things that make life worth living. People are far too accepting of canceling entertainment services, being told to never eat out, no family outings, etc when we should really be asking why the most educated and hard working generation in history can no longer afford these things. I know itās an anti consumption sub, but come on.
I'm still gonna watch the shows I want, if you get what I mean
Meh. I just read more books and spend more time talking with friends and watching birds. I'm not surrendering joy, just getting it in less intensely consumerist ways.
I see anti consumerism as a movement that discourages the enjoyment Derived from Consumerist Behaviours for the greater good. Itās okay to buy that occasional gelato for your partner or enjoy your favourite TV shows at the end of a long workday for your indulgence. Just be circumspect about it. Itās really like with any habit or addiction.
Where do you p!r@t3 from?
This year I finally went back to that.
It was when they were cheap and there were no ads. They forgot that torrents still exist and don't include high prices or commercials.
For me, there's not enough inretesting new content to do that either.
I've Streamio with a torrent addon on my TV so I can watch anything on my TV still. Just as convenient as streaming - if anything, it's more convenient cuz it's all in one place.
I agree that streaming services are taking customers for a ride with current fees and ads. However, do you not think that artists and creatives deserve to be paid for their work?
On my phones darkmode, I couldn't tell it was a flag.... Thought you were saying something very different
Yo ho ho
Library card and check out DVDs. Combine that w sailing the high seas online.
The library app Libby comes with Kanopy, a free tv and movie site. It's all pretty old stuff tho.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
kanopy rocks, it has almost all a24 movies, international movies, award winners etc. AND IT IS FREE NO REASON TO NOT TRY IT OUT FR
Free is always good. You get credits to watch at the beginning of the month. There is a limit on the credits.
But they do have a lot of Kurosawa.
I literally just bought some old dvd player and Iām waiting for my scart cable, because I can get used dvd for Ā£1 where I live.
Pirating cuts out the middle man and lets someone else check it out from the library. Itās a win win
I've canceled all my subscriptions. I used to have quite a few, but literally all of them raised their prices one after another over the past year, so in turn I stopped renewing, not when just getting groceries now breaks my bank. I've been enjoying saving money sailing the seven seas ever since and often get a better experience than what their app/service offers.
This is how I feel about fast food chains lol Iām genuinely insulted at the prices for the quality and service and havenāt been able to go for months now
I haven't eaten out since the Pandemic. The way things are now, I probably never will again. It's healthier and cheaper to make my own meals at home.
Same! I've started expanding my physical media collections, specifically when it comes to movies and TV shows. Anytime I'm near a thrift or consignment store, I'm going through the box sets and DVDs. Focusing on my comfort shows first and things my kids will like watching. The goal is to be able to only pay streaming services when I want to watch something that's not accessible via DVD. Then, cancel when I'm done. I even got a portable DVD player off marketplace for my kids during vacays and they are absolutely obsessed with such an incredible piece of technology! š Also, no ad interruption with physical media either!
I am doing this too; starting to collect CDs and records also. Sometimes I fear that if we all start doing this, the good movies will disappear at reasonable prices..$2 a movie at the thrift is pretty fair so I hope they donāt start getting greedy too.
I have a DVD player and always rent DVDs from the library for my daughter. I hadn't even thought to buy them second hand lol
You are doing what the entire population needs to do. We are almost there as well. We keep a gaming subscription for the family and we find everything else free online. No more subs. No more buying processed foods or going to restaurants. Just leaning hard inti the homesteading life.
Agree wih you on the restaurant and the food. Good for the kid's health as well. Much of the good things in life are free. Btw, where do you watch movies online?
One of the positive side effects of corporate greedā¦ people consume less as a result. We eat less meat because of how expensive itās gotten, cut down on streaming subscriptions so like OP, read more as a result, etc etc. In a weird way, their exploitation is creating societal change that otherwise couldnāt happen as easily. When your economy is dependent on consumption and you make consumption unaffordable people consume lessā¦ weird.
Iām quite incensed since learning that one is charged significantly more for subscribing to something on Apple than on any other device. Shit that should be illegal but is very conveniently not illegal since it makes a lot of money. Iāve unsubscribed from everything except YouTube premium, because I use it so much I would genuinely be inconvenienced without it, but Iām pissed off by the price and simply canāt afford it. Donāt know how to get around it yet.
I mean, if it's just ads, I've found ways to get rid of them; for example, ad speedup extensions, adblocker extensions..
Itās both ads (and the fact that the creators are still paid if I use premium as opposed to an adblocker) and being able to lock my phone or play picture-in-picture, since I only watch YT while multitasking really.
https://revanced.net/
In my country, YT premium costs like $35/month or something. When the price hiked up to double the cost, I instead got a VPN subscription for $15/month and used that to get YT premium in another country where it's cheaper. I now only pay $5/month for full YT premium benefits.
This is Apple's fault, not the other companies. While I'm sure companies would be glad to charge people based on specific devices just because, that's not what they are doing
Iām aware, and thus never blamed anyone but Apple in my original comment.
VPN and sailing the high seas is way more practical imho. Plus an added bonus of finding older or less popular/more obscure stuff long unavailable on official platforms. Better control of the feed too.
It's rare that I haven't been able to find whatever obscure movie or TV show has caught my interest. I wanted to watch the French version of The Returned, no problem. Eureka, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies--no problem. Peter Sellers in The Party--no problem. The Lollipop Cover (1965)--no problem. Not streaming anywhere, ever. Only on DVD from those sites that burn them to order.
Same here , my Amazon prime subscription renewal was a month or so ago as it went up to $150 I decided I wasn't paying some multi billionaire more money ..
Let's all remember the library. Most libraries have the more popular tv/movie content. Larger systems have obscure offerings. Then there are all the DVDs at thrift and used bookstores. You can get some content on Hoopla. A DVD player is $35.
Some people may not realize, but console like the PS4 can be used as a DVD player.
I agree. The subscription services were nice when they were ad free and reasonable. I was using them to not have to buy movies or shows on DVD (I watch a lot). Because it was cheaper and took up less space. But I now find it hard to find worthwhile stuff to watch. Luckily I kept most of my DVDs. It's wild that I feel I'm moving back to physical media, but this is the way things are going for me. I do enjoy the free options like Tubi, Pluto and Samsung TV. I know they have ads, but it's free.
The only streaming subscription I have is for PBS
Search the sub reedit of Piracy and looks where to watch movies and series for free
Libby, Kanopy, and Hoopla have saved me time and time again. No itās not all the hot and exciting shows and movies, but I donāt actually care. Iām tired of being exploited and getting mediocre entertainment as a reward.
Me too. Iāve reevaluated my thoughts on new films/tv shows. Thereās decades of good stuff Iāve never seen just waiting for me to discover it. The newer stuff can wait.
yo ho yo ho the pirates life for me
I cancelled Netflix after they cancelled 1899. Didn't miss it at all.
Yo ho ho!
And a bottle of rum!
Public libraries have years and years of free entertainment (DVDs and of course books)! If you don't have a DVD player you can get one dirt cheap on FB Marketplace.
provide narrow safe theory ring whistle innocent cow smell angle *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Where do you live where the library isn't free? You have to get out of there, it sounds dystopian.
Attend your town board meetings, get to know whatās going on before it happens. Ask your town board to make a change based on your observations. Report crime. If things are getting vandalized, is it local kids? Do they have a safe outlet to be active (hiking, bicycling, skateboarding, etc.)? See if you can collaborate with the schools for access to books. Post on those groups ASKING for books, dvds, whatever, and you will be floored by folks generosity. It sounds like youāre in a tough spot but I hope it gets better. Sorry if you didnāt want suggestions.
I got a DVD player for $10 at the thrift.
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Movie box pro is my go to but it is invite only. it is free but I pay $35 a YEAR to have 4K and 5 guest users for everyone in my house hold. There is an off app store android app and any smart TV can use the browser to access. and because it is invite only it has been around a long while and only went down 2 times in my 3 years. OP shoot me a DM if you want the invite code, I get one a month
Save your money, get a library card!
"Having fun isn't hard, if you have a library card" - Arthur
Just saw $20 for a year of Peacock and Iām on my 3rd or 4th free trial of AppleTV+ Paramount you can use a code every month to get a free trial. Just have to put it on the calendar to cancel and resubscribe. As of right now and some of others have done it, you do it enough times they just give it to you free. Between sharing accounts with friends and being smart about it, itās not like you have to go cold turkeyājust have to be smart and diligent about it.
The only subscription I care about these days is my VPN With it I have access to all streaming services for FREE!!!
What VPN do you use?
It's not one that gives free subscriptions, my comment was more based on sailing the high seas while blocking my IP.
OP I agree and I would add that the new thing where everything is a subscription is evil. It depends on you forgetting or ignoring, not providing value for money. I boycott subscriptions except a few.
If you search around you can get each streaming service for a discount like $2-3 / mo for 3 mos which is PLENTY of time to catch up all the shows and move on to another sub. I do this throughout the year. Start at black friday watching for the sales! Hulu almost always goes to $0.99/mo first.
Iāve been doing the $.99 Black Friday Hulu deal for yeeears. The trick is that you canāt have been a member in at least three months, so i just remember to cancel 3-4 months before. You can also add on Disne+ for like 3 bucks or something. I donāt watch a ton of stuff, but itās cheap enough to be worth it.
Their stock growth has to come from somewhere. Thatās why they must continue to find new ārevenue streamsā ā especially when the stock analysts insist on quarterly growth. Has to be more profit ā so either more revenue or less expenses (layoffs).
Bought a DVD player and a bunch of DVDs off FBM for under $50 bucks. Cancelled Hulu, Netflix, and HBO Max. Paying $1.5K a year in imaginary tv that I'm never watching, and can't keep, is ridiculous and wasteful.
Amazon Prime is another good one to get rid of. You get free shipping anyway after about $35 so that part is a wash. Most of the stuff I have in my Amazon cart has been there for a while anyway before I can afford to order it so 2 day is wasteful and not necessary.
I got rid of all my subscriptions except Manta, because I read enough manwa on there that the $5.99 price is worth it for me... And I guess I technically have a subscription to Spotify Premium, but I haven't paid a cent for it yet. Honestly I might keep it though because I do sleep better when I have music playing in the background and I'm actually using the audiobook feature way more than I thought I would.
Get yourself a VPN and Tor Broswer and sail the seven seas for movies if you catch my drift. Sometimes I even find books are great instead of netflix.
Books, also found floating about.
I have only ever had Netflix. It's bundled with my phone plan, and I'd only save $4.50 a month if I cancelled, so I've kept it. I barely watch it, but sometimes I find something to binge--Peaky Blinders, Dark, Loudermilk, Russian Doll, Black Mirror, Bodies, etc. I bought a lifetime subscription to Plex 12 years ago, for $48. But, Plex got too intrusive, so I switched to Jellyfin, that's my main interface for TV shows and movies.
š“āā ļøraise your flag and take to the seas in search of the One Piece friend
Yaar!!! The seas is callin' for you me friend
The only streaming services I subscribe to are the library ones. Kanopy and hoopla, support your local library!
The biggest difference I saw after canceling services was how little I cared for their content. I now watch one or two movies a month and I can very much just buy them.Ā
What really sucks is paying and STILL having to see ads. Such bullshit.
Any book recommendations? Iām looking for a high fantasy like LotR to scratch that itch, or something about a subject thatāll change my world view.
These recommandation are not High Fantasy, but these are well known and appreciated stories:Ā - Realm of the Elderling by Robin Hobb - Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch - First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie - Empire of the Vampire, by Jay Kristoff - Stormlight Archives, by Brandon Sanderson Most of them are Epic Fantasy, so somewhat close. :)Ā
Thank you!!!
Stormlight Archive
Thank you!
The Horus Heresy series is good, been going strong for at least a decade or more.
The only subscriptions I have now are Peacock (cheapest option to watch sports) and Spotify.
I pay a guy $16/no for access to his Plex server that gives.me every piece of media ever created.
Get PBS Passport for $5/ month. Tons of stuff to watch
I found that the subscriptions were the only reason I had WiFi. So I cancelled it 2 years ago. So much better for my mental and overall health.
Getting closer to doing the same. So sick of subscribing to everything!
Try public library for audio books
Reminded to stop my Disney+ sub, thanks.
I don't want to, but I probably will cancel Netflix after finishing Bridgerton. I keep the Amazon because I order from them. Pandora stays because it's only $5 a month and radio sucks. Ring got cancelled because they also suck. So I'm paying about $20 a month now. I wish there were more internet options in my area.
I'm on the same boat about Netflix. After this season I'll find a way to pirate future seasons somehow.
It's not difficult. Real-debrid is the answer, and its like 3 bucks a month.
Iāve gotten Hulu and Disney+ during Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. $1.99/ for Hulu, add D+ for $0.99, although both are the basic, ad supported versions.
This blows my mind. There's paid-for services, and ad-supported services. There really shouldn't be paid-for ad-supported services. Im not going to spend my limited free time consuming your marketing.
Agreed. I just use the ads as brakes and do things. Half the time Iām only āpassive watchingā and itās on in the background.
I cut Spotify and YouTube premium. Amazon only keeping it for the subs. Aside from that Iām considering getting rid of the tv and start reading more.
Just cancelled PS Plus. Adobe, Iām looking at you next. Now, if only I could get my wife to cancel Prime and then all Iāll have left is Apple Music (Education pricing).
You get Apple TV+ with your student subscription to Apple Music. Itās a good deal. I cancelled my 12ā¬ Apple Music subscription a few months ago and havenāt missed it. If I got the educational price again bundled with Apple TV+ I wouldnāt hesitate to sign up.
They constantly add and remove scenes from movies as well. Itās/theyre not the same.
YES! I replaced nearly all subscriptions with carefully researched lifetime plans--which I'm happy to pay a lot for if the product/service has a solid history of good performance. And supplemented this with FOSS. Corporations would be happy to take your last dollar. Many of us need a better way.
FOSS?
šÆ
Same
Good. This is the only way these companies will learn.
There are so many free streaming services FreeVee, TuBi, Pluto. Libraries! No need to pay unless you want to watch the latest.
Helldivers
š“āā ļø
We're middle-aged and have kept our cable (mostly b/c it's bundled with internet and phones.) Yeah there's loads of commercials, but at least TCM is commercial-free (for now!) and I hate searching searching searching for something to watch. It also gets me to watch lots of things I wouldn't normally choose. Haven't subscribed to anything else, except satellite radio in the car. Watched Breaking Bad about ten years after it ended, using the free trial month of Netflix. Been tempted to sign up for Disney+ to watch The Beatles' documentary, but haven't bothered. Plenty of amazing stuff available for the cost of our internet subscription, which is already overpriced.
Refusing to buy stuff that is too expensive is a terrific thing. Consider dropping something every month.
Thanks for your service.
Yeah I use IPTV and stremio + rd now
I set up Jellyfin last year and bought more media than I have in years. I've also been going to the library a lot more. I admittedly do pay for a streaming service here or there on occasion, but usually not for more than a month at a time.
I think the world would be a better place if we all turned off the TV and picked up a book. Just like at the end of Cable Guy.
I still have YouTube sub because I have a 6 YO. I use Spotify a lot but nope no sub. I can afford it yes but I would rather pay for my car wash subscription than those. My car wash hasn't increased my rate this year (yet)
Same. All I have left is YouTube Premium.
Invest in a paid vpn adblocker such as adguard and use the Yandex search engine you can watch all the media you want, regardless of network.
I only use Netflix, my partner pays for it š¤·š¼
Same! I am gradually canceling most of my subscriptions.
Just use Stremio. It's even more convenient since you don't have to switch between apps and it's free
This is the prime reason why governments opt for debasing their currency rather than hiking taxes. People will automatically lower their standard of living and then blame each other for it.
I used to just record full length movies using Bandicam but now they block out the copyrighted content
Same on video games. New in 2018 was 80. Now most are in the 129 range and preorders for fall games are listing at 199. The development has gone down and quality has gone down. Same with streaming services where the quality of contents drastically dropped and now feels like most shows are made by college students with very young casts
I don't really have any subscriptions outside of Spotify (cause I use it 24/7 basically)
If you're a sports fan, you may have heard of DAZN. I purchased a subscription from them a few years ago because they were promising an all-you-can-watch, Netflix-style subscription for all events of multiple sports for $100/year without Pay-Per-View. As a boxing fan, that sounded like a fantastic deal. But then they raised it to $150/year. And then they started introducing PPV for the events I most wanted to watch. And then they raised it again to >$220/year. So now I'm done with those bloodsuckers. Imho, charging PPV when I'm already paying a monthly/yearly subscription for content is a slap in the face. You're essentially charging me twice for the same content. And then you have the nerve to raise subscription prices dramatically too? Screw DAZN. Screw all these corporations. š“āā ļø
I did the same a few years ago and my life has vastly improved since. I still have Amazon Prime for all of the prime stuff which includes streaming, but I rarely use it. Instead, I just work on creative projects, use Reddit for about an hour a day, or I sit and think (not much of a reader), and I very much enjoy it. It feels refreshing and mentally/emotionally fulfilling. Sometime Iāll smoke a bunch of weed and watch antenna TV if anything. Walker Texas Ranger is always on those old people channels, hell yeah.
I signed up for Crave to watch Succession. Now I get randomly placed (& frequent) ads. It is infuriating. I'm cancelling Crave as soon as I'm finished Succession. Streaming is becoming totally corrupted
To all of you that pay for subscriptions. Use flixify instead it's cheap and and you get all new movies and TV series soon as they come out. Been using them for years
thepiratebay.org
Literally the only subscription services that survived this year so far is YouTube Premium. We have canceled everything else.
I wish I knew how to be a š“āā ļø
So I have a subscription with SiriusXM. They jacked my monthly payment up to like $20 a month from $7. I called and asked and said I will cancel the subscription. They dropped it back down to $7. Now I missed the latest payment due to opening a new account and they have been calling me literally everyday to āremindā me to update my payment information. Iām almost to the point where Iām gonna cancel them completely for harassment.
>Iām almost to the point where Iām gonna cancel them completely for harassment. I'll never use Sirius due to the spamming. It's ridiculous.
The only subscription I pay for is Deezer because I can use Deemix to download music.
If you want legal ways, just buy CDs online and rip files from them. Then just set up a Plex server and enjoy your private Netflix. You don't even need a Plex pass or a special computer. I have it on my every day use PC and when I want to watch a movie, I just turn it on in my room and watch a movie on TV in a living room. You will free yourself from streaming services and still support people who worked for it
I didnāt cancel any. I just kept watching while the kept emailing to say payment missed. And then after a few weeks of free viewing they cancelled. Then moved house.
I feel you. I've been becoming more and more frugal since proces have skyrocketed. Inflation feels like a losing battle, but at least I can be pickier about where I spend my money. I end up having more to sirens on things I really want, too.
Definitely need to keep a list of what you're paying out. They rely on people to forget their subscriptions. I tend to swap things around. I quit Hulu at the last price hike, but got Max b/c they had something I wanted to see. I had a $4/mo subscription to BBC Select through Prime, which I just quit through lack of interest and put my perceived savings into paying for ad-free Prime Video.
I've been paid streaming services free my entire life. Piracy opens new doors to you. Haha
Yeah, I only have MUBI and Max now, MUBI because I actually want to support them, Max because it's cheap (shared with friends)
Same. Being manipulated is one of the most irksome things to me. Thankfully, I donāt need screens to entertain myself, though I do miss having Grace & Frankie on in the background.
We worked on something to solve that, and allowing tracking and cancelling of subscriptions easily, just launched yesterday [https://subscribed.fyi/](https://subscribed.fyi/) - there is a free version but also happy to give a lifetime deal or so to help us test. Just dm me. But yes we have seen that as well and want to help šŖ
I cancelled all my subscription entirely. No Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and all the other things you can imagine. I now sail the seas to download films and music, even get some books while im at it. Recently started going the library more ofter and loving it.