Lesson 3 of 8 · 14 min

The subscription audit: a 30-minute method

A step-by-step method to review every subscription, decide what stays, and cancel the rest safely.

In this lesson you will

Find every subscription, including ones that bill yearly or through app stores
Decide keep, change or cancel using one clear question
Cancel safely without losing data or being charged again
Set up habits that stop subscriptions piling up again

Education, not advice. This lesson explains general ideas and does not consider your personal situation.

Why audit at all

Subscriptions are designed to be easy to start and easy to forget. Over time most people collect services they no longer use, plans they have outgrown and duplicates that do the same job. This is subscription creep: each decision was reasonable, but together they cost more than you would choose today.

An audit is a short, deliberate review that resets the list. It takes about 30 minutes the first time and less after that.

Step 1: Find everything (10 minutes)

Check three sources, because each one catches things the others miss:

Bank and card statements, last three months. Repeating charges stand out.
App store subscriptions. iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions. Android: Google Play → profile → Payments and subscriptions.
Email. Search "receipt", "renewal", "your plan", "trial". This finds yearly plans that have not charged recently.

Record each one with name, price, billing cycle, next renewal date and who uses it.

Level 1: Money Foundations

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Budash Academy and the Budash blog are for general education only. They are not financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and they do not take your personal circumstances into account. For advice, speak to a qualified, regulated professional.