I Cancelled Netflix Right Before Social Distancing Started, and I Don’t Regret It
I had been considering it for a few weeks, but one afternoon, about a week into my Florida beach vacation in the first days of March, I decided to bite the bullet and cancel Netflix.
I finally made the decision because, as my finances continue to fluctuate, mostly due to treatment costs for managing my chronic illness, I have been thinking about creative ways I can cut expenses.
I honestly don’t have a lot of options because I already live at home and don’t pay for rent or food, rarely (read: never) go out or spend money on entertainment, and basically just stick to the absolute essentials to get by and pay the bills I absolutely have to pay (car, health and dental insurance, small loan payments, older medical bills, gas, etc.)
I had fooled myself into thinking that Netflix was an essential expense because I relied on it so much last year when I was so sick that I could barely get up off the couch. Sometimes watching Queer Eye or One Day at a Time was the only thing that got me through the day.
But in the last few months, as I’ve started to shift my focus more on writing regularly, learning about freelancing, listening to podcasts, exercising more, and generally not being a couch potato as much as possible, I’ve hardly ever switched on Netflix.
And if I’m going to procrastinate, it’s probably going to be on YouTube, to be honest.
So it was bye bye Netflix, hello $13 extra dollars in my pocket each month. It’s not much, but it helps. And it made me feel like I was taking a little control back over my unruly financial situation.
And then before I knew it, I flew back to the frozen Midwest, and Coronavirus really started making itself known across the United States. In a week, my office mandated work from home, and I’ve basically been confined to the house ever since.
And yet, despite what looks like horrible timing, I don’t regret cancelling my Netflix subscription.
While no one is required to use this time to be productive, I am choosing to do so, by taking online courses, writing, reading, listening to podcasts, and kickstarting my freelance career.
If anything, this seemingly inopportune time to cancel Netflix has just reinforced the fact that I don’t need it in my life, or at least I don’t need to be spending money on it right now.
I think in many ways this pandemic is forcing us to reconsider what we absolutely need to live and what we value most in our daily lives.
And for now, I can definitely live without Netflix.
Have you had to cancel any subscriptions like Netflix due to your financial situation, C19 related or not? If you still have Netflix, do you think you can you live without it? Leave a comment!
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