Chronic illness can suck the joy out of life, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can still enjoy your life; you just need to tweak things a little to accommodate your needs. Although this may not apply to everyone with chronic illness, many people dealing with health conditions are managing tight budgets due to an inability to take on a full-time job or work in a high-paying, high-stress position. Regardless of your situation, learning how to enjoy your life on a budget is a valuable skill.
As the new year approaches, I’ve been thinking about my goals and what I want to change in my life. One common theme I found: stress and overwhelm. Can you relate?
When my mind goes into problem-solving mode, I notice that feelings of inadequacy regarding money, time, and energy tend to trigger stress and overwhelm. The next step is to figure out how to address these concerns.
Most financial gurus will tell you to ask for a raise at your job, look for a higher-paying job, or start a side hustle. That’s all good and well, but if you have a chronic illness that leaves you feeling fatigued all the time, it can be more challenging to take on additional work, and many lucrative jobs tend to be more mentally or physically draining. I understand the logic in this advice, but I also find it frustrating because it doesn’t always account for the limitations some people experience with chronic illness.
So, what can you do if earning more money doesn’t seem likely at this time? The first thing I tackle: my budget. I know it doesn’t sound fun, but it’s better than digging yourself into a deep hole of debt. If you’d like some budgeting 101 inspiration, check out my post Living on a Tight Budget with Chronic Illness.
Even when budgeting on a smaller-than-desired income, you still need to allow for enjoyment. Eliminating everything that brings you pleasure can lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression. It’s important to find balance instead. This is where having fun on a budget comes in. I’ve made it my mission to find more affordable ways to increase my quality of life regardless of whether my income changes and help others do the same.
There are so many areas of your life that you can makeover with a bit of black belt budgeting, so I’ll focus on just one area in this post for now. Let’s start with using memberships and subscriptions wisely.
Nowadays, many businesses offer memberships or subscriptions, and it can be tempting to sign up for everything that comes your way. They entice you with a list of all the benefits of signing up, offer a discount for the first year, and allow you to save more money over the long term.
However, these memberships can quickly add up over time. I’m sure many of you have experienced that with streaming services or apps. But like potato chips, you can’t have just one. You see a good deal for another service and figure it can’t hurt to sign up. Then another one and another one, and eventually, you’ll be dishing out a hefty sum each month.
Sure, these services can add value to your life, but when you’re on a smaller budget, you need to be more strategic about your purchases. Here are some tips for managing your memberships and subscriptions to get the most value for your lifestyle while keeping the costs within your budget:
Create a Joy List
The idea behind a joy list is to figure out what matters most to you so you can be more intentional about how you live your life. Think about the things that really make you happy, big or small. Give yourself some time to complete this list, even if it takes a few days or even a week. Also, consider it a living document that evolves over time—just keep building on to the list as you think of things that make you happy.
Once your list starts growing, take note of any patterns you see. Do your pleasures revolve around certain things like time with loved ones, alone time, being creative, or being around animals or nature? Noticing the themes in your pleasures can help you curate your life so that you spend more time on things that bring you joy rather than those that don’t.
Too often, we waste away our time on things that don’t matter. Of course, some things have to be taken care of that you may not love doing. I hate cleaning, but I don’t want my house to look like a wreck so I try to do a little each day.
The “time sucks” I’m talking about are things like watching too much TV or spending too much time on social media. If you’ve ever wondered where hours of your time went and why you don’t ever seem to have the time to do the things you want, there’s a good chance you’ll find your lost time when you look at your media consumption.
Being more intentional with your time means prioritizing the things from your joy list so the time sucks don’t monopolize your free time.
Match Your Memberships and Subscriptions with the Things That Bring You Joy
Do all of those streaming channels really make you happy? How often do you watch each of them? Are they taking you away from the things that truly bring you joy? Sometimes, we might watch too much TV because we want to get the most for our money when purchasing streaming services. However, as mentioned before, this can take you away from the things on your joy list. Go through your streaming services, subscriptions, and other memberships to see which don’t align with your joy list. Be ruthless and cut whatever gets in the way of living a life that makes you feel good.
(This is a good time to mention that each person with chronic illness experiences their condition to a different severity. If you are bedbound or have extreme mobility limitations, you may spend the majority of your time at home. If this is the case, you likely spend more time on activities that don’t expend much energy, such as watching TV or scrolling social media on your phone. I understand it can be frustrating living with limitations like this, but it’s still a good idea to assess your media consumption and consider how much joy you can get out of what you are physically able to do.)
Think about how you feel while viewing media on streaming services or social media channels. If it puts you in a bad mood or makes you feel worse about yourself, consider whether you really need it. Think about what you can replace it with that will bring more value and happiness into your life.
For example, ditch streaming channels that don’t have your absolute favorite shows or movies and consider spending less time watching TV and more time listening to content that provides value like podcasts or audiobooks. You can choose a paid subscription for these services if you find them valuable, like Audible, or you can access free audiobooks through your library using services like Hoopla and Libby.
Sign Up for an Annual Plan If You Can Afford to Pay for a Year Up Front
Almost every membership or subscription service offers a discount if you pay annually rather than monthly. Of course, this involves putting out more money at one time, but when you divide the annual cost by twelve months, you’ll see that you pay less each month. It may not seem like much at the time, but it really does add up.
If you need a little more motivation, just think about something you’d like to purchase that could be covered by the amount you save. One personal example, although not a fun membership by any means, is my car insurance. If I pay monthly, they add an extra fee each month. If I pay annually, there is no extra fee, and I end up paying less. If I’m feeling particularly irritated about shelling out the lump sum for car insurance, I look at the amount saved and think about something more enjoyable I could do with that money instead of handing it over to the car insurance company.
If you’re in a situation where you really shouldn’t be spending that savings on extracurricular stuff, you can also think about it as a means of building your emergency fund. It’s usually recommended that your emergency fund covers three to six months’ worth of expenses. So, if you save $123 a year on your car insurance by paying it annually instead of monthly, that brings you $123 closer to fully funding your emergency fund.
Take Inventory of Your Memberships and Subscriptions Regularly
Once you’ve signed up for a service that automatically bills you each month or year, it’s easy to forget about it. And if you’re not using that service, it’s needlessly costing you extra money. It’s a good idea to check your credit card bills every month to stay on top of these services so you can evaluate whether they’re worthwhile for you.
Keep in mind that your interests will change over time. A service you used daily when you first got it may no longer fit your lifestyle, so if you find yourself no longer using a certain membership or subscription or find it a chore to do so, go ahead and cancel.
You can also schedule a designated time to review your subscriptions and consider which ones you may want to cancel or stop auto-renewing. I like to do this seasonally because it’s easier to remember to do it during the change of seasons than on a random date.
Here’s What I Did
By taking a regular inventory of my memberships and subscriptions, I’ve been able to cancel quite a few as my lifestyle changed, preventing me from wasting money that wasn’t adding any enjoyment to my life.
For example, when I lost my job during COVID and started freelancing, I canceled my gym and monthly massage memberships. When I worked out of the house, I stopped by these locations on my way home to release some of the stress and tension of the day. But now that I work from home, I find it a chore to leave the house to go to these places rather than a pleasure.
Since going to the gym or spa felt like a chore, it was wise to cancel the memberships and find a way to reduce stress that worked better for my WFH lifestyle. Personally, I prefer exercising at home using YouTube videos, so I subscribe to YouTube Premium to eliminate the ads. The monthly cost is lower than my gym dues, so that was a win.
My husband bought me one of those portable massage chairs you plug in and put on the couch, a massage gun, and a neck massager, so I can still enjoy a massage without the cost and time of going to a spa. Of course, it’s not quite the same, but it does the job!
I also canceled Netflix and switched to AMC+ with Shudder because I’m a huge horror buff and found that I could access more content I enjoyed there instead.
When we moved to our condo, we decided to sign up for a Six Flags membership since the nearest park was only twenty minutes away. They were offering a great deal for monthly memberships with a dining plan, which is perfect for a cheap date night. We head to the theme park to get a little exercise, fresh air, dinner and dessert, then maybe go on a few rides or see some shows. The price has gone up a little since we first signed up in 2020, but it’s still worthwhile since we visit the park at least four times a year, and our membership includes admission at any Six Flags park in the country so we can use it on road trips.
Another membership I hold dear is for Longwood Gardens, a botanical garden in Pennsylvania that was rated the most beautiful botanical garden in the world. It’s only two hours away, so it’s good for a day or overnight trip. The membership pays for itself as long as I visit at least four times a year. As an added bonus, it includes a 10% discount at the cafe. It’s one of my favorite places to go, so I will keep this membership.
Curate Your Memberships and Subscriptions for Your Most Satisfying Life on a Budget
The changes I made won’t apply to everyone. Some people really like going to the gym, so I wouldn’t suggest canceling your membership if you find it fulfilling. For others, going to the spa once a month might be the only alone time they get, so it could be better to keep the membership.
If you’re not into theme parks or botanical gardens or cannot visit often enough, purchasing memberships would not be cost-effective. It all depends on you, your life, and your budget. The goal isn’t to eliminate every paid service from your life but to be more mindful of your spending and ensure you get the most value for your money.
I hope you found this helpful and inspiring! I’d love to hear about the memberships and subscriptions that you find most valuable for your life. Be sure to keep a lookout for future blog posts about enjoying life on a budget with chronic illness!
