Clark Howard: Do you truly know how much you’re spending on streaming? Here’s how to reign it in

DAYTON — How much we spend on streaming services each month can add up fast. In some cases, you may not even be aware you are paying for a service.

News Center 7′s Consumer Advisor Clark Howard breaks down how to keep track of what you are spending and keep your costs down.

You all know these services that we subscribe to - before we know we are out of money, so Howard will show you ways to cut those charges down to size. With more than 200 streaming services worldwide, there is no shortage of content to choose from.

The average streamer spends anywhere from $35 to $55 each month for subscriptions. It can be hard to keep track of everything you are paying for.

David Glass is a self-proclaimed penny pincher and streamer. He said, “It took me eight months to realize we were paying for a music service.”

Howard asked Glass how he keeps streaming under control. He said, “Well, like you, I occasionally go in and look at my credit cards because it’s easy to put everything on auto-pay and forget about it.”

He said his family pays for Netflix, Disney Plus, and Prime, which is costing him around $55 a month.

Glass had fallen victim to what so many others do. One click on Amazon or Roku or Apple and you are automatically signed up for a channel.

Another way to lose track of money – free trials. If you do sign up for one, set an alarm on your phone to cancel the free trial when it ends.

If you aren’t sure what you are paying for, print out a paper copy of your credit card statement, go through line by line, and cancel what you don’t need or want.

If that’s too much work for you, Track My Subs and Rocket Money will review accounts and make cancellations for you. But make sure you know what the fees are before you sign up.

And check with your cellphone provider. It might offer free subscriptions based on your plan.

If you’ve got kids, both Amazon and Apple TV allow you to set up a PIN that will stop them from making unwanted purchases.

It’s your money and you need to protect it.

Howard said his favorite video content is what’s known as fast, free, ad-supported television. There are so many streaming services now that you pay absolutely nothing for. That’s right, no bill.

At all more content than your eyes could ever handle. He said he’s got a guide at clark.com that walks you through it and remember your local channel is available to you for free with an antenna.

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