Best Of

We could start a whole thread on streaming, internet, security, cloud services, music streaming, delivery apps, and cell phones... it honestly is mind blowing the amount things that ding your CC each month.

Either included with other stuff or subscribed on it's own we have the following:

YT Live TV
Netflix
Disney +
Hulu
Paramount+
Peacock
HBO whatever it is called now
Apple Music
Pandora Premium
Prime
Kindle whatever.. the book thing
Apple Cloud 2TB
Xfinity Internet / Security
Xfinity Internet only at the shore
Some app for the cameras at the shore
AT&T wireless for 4 phones - 1 phone is on Xfinity mobile because they had free for a year promo
Walmart +

It is out of control.....

Icing on the cake, my wife wanted to watch a movie that NONE of the services had and we paid $3.99 to rent it

Rant over.. sorry

You aren't the only one. I can't stand the subscription based business model. Like you, I don't like my credit card being dinged constantly month after month. I used to do Disney Plus yearly, but then the price skyrocketed. I asked my kids if anybody watches it anymore & they all said no. My daughter came to me and said she wants to start watching something on Disney Plus. I go and have her subscribe to the monthly with the advertising. Now her and my son complain that the advertising makes the shows unbearable to watch.

I'm also going to go through my finances and credit card statements with a magnifying glass to see where I can spend less and maybe save. If anybody has a good budgeting spreadsheet I'd love to have a copy of it.

Well, @tjc78 , you could be the poster child for the costs of being connected. Connected, and then having something to actually use that for. I know it is different when you have a family with different tastes and tolerances for content. I am at the opposite extreme in that I have a very low appetite for very much of that stuff, considering most of it as junk.

My iPhone 15 was free to me and costs $43/mo for unlimited data (I think I was beneficiary of a mistake on their part but I’m not telling). The only one of the services you pay for that I have is Prime, and that is because the $10/mo or whatever is a good deal for the free shipping given the amount of stuff I buy from Amazon. The content which I seldom look at is a bonus. But that’s it. Sometimes it’s good to be an old retired guy.

If there are two subscriptions we use it's Amazon and Walmart. The ability for small order free shipping and unlimited grocery delivery fit our lifestyle.

@nyccarguy
I used to have a sheet but it was literally just a line item and cost... nothing fancy. I think most credit cards you can download the spend via an Excel file and then you can parse it from there to see where the spend is.

I know Amazon you can download all your orders and spend for the year. I was going to do that and my wife and I both said maybe it is better we don't know lol

We could start a whole thread on streaming, internet, security, cloud services, music streaming, delivery apps, and cell phones... it honestly is mind blowing the amount things that ding your CC each month.

Either included with other stuff or subscribed on it's own we have the following:

YT Live TV
Netflix
Disney +
Hulu
Paramount+
Peacock
HBO whatever it is called now
Apple Music
Pandora Premium
Prime
Kindle whatever.. the book thing
Apple Cloud 2TB
Xfinity Internet / Security
Xfinity Internet only at the shore
Some app for the cameras at the shore
AT&T wireless for 4 phones - 1 phone is on Xfinity mobile because they had free for a year promo
Walmart +

It is out of control.....

Icing on the cake, my wife wanted to watch a movie that NONE of the services had and we paid $3.99 to rent it

Rant over.. sorry

We have a lot of those too, but we divide them among 3 or more family households so one family isn’t paying for all of them.

I might as well get a bottle of the good stuff. It’s likely to last us a very long time. Unless my son and son in law get into it.

Blanton's is tough to get and is allocated and many times will sell above retail.

Similar bourbons to it are Eagle Rare (also allocated), 1792, Buffalo Trace and EH Taylor Small Batch. All are basically the same mash bill, but aged, stored, and produced differently. 1792 is the easiest to find of the bunch.

Some notable bottles (mid-level under $100) that are far easier to find in addition to @corvette solid suggestions -

Basil Hayden Toast
Russell's Reserve 10
Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond
Knob Creek 12
Angels Envy
Woodford Reserve Double-Oaked

There's a place near @kyfdx that has Blanton's regularly. It's called the Prohibition Bar and it's connected to newberrybroscoffee.com

I like your other suggestions.....especially that Basil Hayden Toast.

Toast is my wife's favorite, that and Weller Special Reserve (another one that is like hen's tooth here in NJ)