The Questions I Asked Before Deciding What to Keep
After writing down every subscription I pay for, I did not cancel anything right away. I paused instead. Not to decide what to remove, but to decide what to question.
Most subscriptions are not bad choices. The problem is that the reasons for keeping them rarely get revisited. So I started by writing a few questions next to each one.
1) Re-purchase test
Would I sign up for this again today at this price?
That question alone filtered more than I expected. Services that once felt obvious suddenly felt harder to justify. Nothing had changed about the product. What changed was how well it fit my life now.
2) Usage test
How often did I actually use this in the last 30 days?
There is a difference between something you occasionally open and something that is part of your routine. Some subscriptions felt familiar, but when I thought about the last time I used them, the answer was unclear.
3) Alternatives test
Do I really need this specific service to solve this problem?
In some cases, I already had overlapping tools. In others, the paid version was solving something that no longer mattered. Looking at each subscription in isolation hides this. Looking at them together reveals it.
4) Friction test
Am I keeping this because it matters, or because canceling feels annoying?
This question exposed how much friction influences decisions. Several subscriptions were still active not because they were valuable, but because doing nothing felt easier.
5) Original intent test
What problem was this subscription originally meant to solve?
Most of the time, there was a clear answer. The issue was that the problem itself had changed or disappeared, while the payment stayed the same.
Try this in 60 seconds (preview)
Pick ONE subscription in your head. Answer quickly. No debating.
- Re-purchase: Would I sign up again today at this price? [ Yes / No ]
- Usage: Used in the last 30 days? [ Yes / No ]
- Alternatives: Do I need this exact service? [ Yes / No ]
- Friction: If canceling took 10 seconds, would I still keep it? [ Yes / No ]
- Intent: Do I still have the original problem it solved? [ Yes / No ]
If this already feels messy, that’s the point. The worksheet makes it clean and fast.
Answering these questions did not force immediate action. That was not the point. What it did was separate subscriptions I was actively choosing from those I was simply tolerating.
Reviewing subscriptions is not about cutting costs. It is about updating decisions. If you have never done this before, start with a few and write down your answers. Clarity comes before change.
Clarity comes before change.
These are the questions I used. What mattered was seeing how they actually played out.
Want the checklist and worksheet?
It’s designed to finish in 10 minutes and leave you with one clear cut. Enter your email and I’ll send it instantly (plus a few short decision checks). Unsubscribe anytime.
Next step: See what happens when you actually write everything down.
→ A Real Subscription Check: What I Found When I Wrote Everything Down