Perception vs. Reality: Subscription Budgets

Five dollars here . . . ten dollars there . . . another twenty dollars there—subscriptions may seem like a cheap price to pay each month, but over time these costs can add up. This is especially true if you find yourself signing up for multiple services without taking a step back to look at the total amount you spend each month.

At Solitaired, we know that entertainment is our safe place. From the TV shows we binge to the games we play every day, many of us need these things to help us unwind after a long day. Sometimes these forms of entertainment can also be a way for us to socialize with others. Checking in with friends each week for their opinions on the latest episode of your favorite Netflix show or sharing your Spotify Wrapped to showcase your most replayed songs can create real bonds—but at what cost?

That’s what we set out to learn. We surveyed Americans in each state to gain insight into their estimated spending habits each month, and we walked them through multiple categories of subscription services to gain a true breakdown of their spending. We then calculated the average difference between the guestimated spending and the actual spending and ranked states from the highest to lowest differences. Read on to learn where the most people are spending more than they thought they budgeted for.

Key Takeaways

• The average American spends nearly $1,900 a year on subscriptions.
• The average American underestimates their monthly subscription spending by $51.49.
• Virginia residents spend $116.83 more on subscriptions on average each month than they expect, the most among Americans.
• Overall Americans spend the most on video/TV subscriptions each month on average.
• More than a third of Americans are surprised by how much they spend on video/TV subscriptions each month.

Where Americans Underestimate Their Subscription Spending Most

Signing up for online services is incredibly easy — perhaps too easy. Simply enter your card or bank information and poof you magically kiss money goodbye every month. For some, the convenience offered by certain services is well worth the money spent, but we can easily forget just how much we are spending as each subscription adds to the monthly bill.

To determine where Americans are underestimating their spending most, we first asked survey respondents to guestimate how much they spend each month. Then, we asked a variety of questions to gain a more true picture of their actual spending habits. Leading the way with the largest gap in perception versus reality are Virginia residents where the average person underestimates their spending by $116.83 a month. When considering that over the span of an entire year, that’s $1,401.96 more than they think they are spending on subscriptions.

New York follows closely behind as residents of the state underestimate by just 46 cents less than Virginia residents with an average difference in spending of $116.37 each month. California is up next, ranking third for the most underestimated spending with residents paying $98.03 more a month on average than they think.

While we determine that every state’s residents underestimate their spending, some states were much closer to their actual total. Up first for the closest guesstimate of spending is Oregon where the average resident is only spending $7.97 more a month than originally thought. Nebraska is next with an extra $9.68 coming out of their bank accounts each month, and Maine rounds out the top three with their average spending totaling to $13.38 more than they originally thought.

Overall, the average American underestimates their subscription spending by $51.49 each month. This comes out to about $618 more than people think they spend each year.

The Subscriptions People Pay the Most for Each Month

So what types of services have Americans overspending every month? We discovered that the subscriptions people spend the most on each month are video and TV services at an average of $50.15.

From Hulu and Netflix to Apple TV and ESPN+, a wide variety of streaming services offer multiple plan options, providing users with the choice to pay more and avoid ads while watching their favorite shows and movies. With many Americans choosing to cut the cord and watch streaming services over cable, it’s no surprise that it’s the biggest subscription spend across the country each month.

Up next are education and career subscriptions, for which Americans spend an average of $40.29 per month. This includes services such as Coursera, LinkedIn Premium, and Duolingo as people seek to grow their knowledge and/or professional skills. In third place for monthly spending are budgeting and investing subscriptions as Americans spend $40.17 a month on average.

Physical and mental health subscriptions follow closely behind in fourth place as the average person spends about $38.81 per month on the services. From Calm and Headspace to Apple Fitness and MyFitnessPal, many services are geared toward helping people focus on their overall wellbeing and providing them a place to keep track of their progress.

Rounding out the top five services are gaming subscriptions, including services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, for which the average American spends $29.85 each month.

Overall, we discovered that Americans were most surprised to learn how much they actually spend on video and TV subscriptions, with more than a third of people sharing their surprise. While some Americans were surprised to learn how much they spend each month on services, nearly 1 in 2 Americans are not surprised to learn how much they actually spend on their subscriptions.

Cut Subscription Costs with Solitaired’s Free Games

These days it seems like everything comes at a cost, so it’s only natural to occasionally find yourself looking for ways to cut down on spending. At Solitaired, we think gaming should be about having fun and that’s why we take the cost out of the equation by offering a variety of free games online.

So if you are seeking new forms of entertainment after cutting a few subscription services, try your hand at a game of Pyramid Solitaire or maybe even Mahjong. Before you know it, you’ll forget all about those services that were draining your account each month, and start saving while still indulging in guilt-free entertainment online.

Methodology

In this study, we set out to learn where Americans are spending the most on subscription services and where their perceptions of their spending are less than their actual spending habits. To do this, we surveyed residents of each state, first asking how much they think they spend on all their subscription services each month.

We then walked respondents through 11 different categories of subscriptions from video/TV to dating apps and asked how much they spend on each. To ensure we didn't miss anything, we added one final question for respondents to consider all their miscellaneous services that we didn't ask about and how much they spend on those. We then calculated the actual total spent across all categories and subtracted that number from their initial guestimate.

We then turned our attention to the difference in spending by state and calculated the average guestimate and actual amount residents of each state spend on subscriptions each month. Finally, we ranked those states from the highest to lowest differences to learn where Americans are spending more than they think and where people are spending less than they think.