The Money Trap No One Is Talking About (Worse Than Inflation)
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You feel like subscription prices are getting out of control? Well, you're not alone. 87% of consumers think their streaming bill is going up faster than ever before. And I don't know of anything else that 9 in 10 Americans agree on, aside from the fact that Southwest Airlines has lost its marbles. What are we doing, guys? Your snacks already weren't great. Customer service, eh, it was a low bar. And now you're charging me for my bag?

I need two bags, gimme two bags. If I can't carry my body weight and extra shoes and clothing, then what's the point of going anywhere? I have a lot of toiletries, so many loofahs, but I think those folks are right. Streamflation has outpaced actual inflation. And today we're gonna tackle this epidemic head on by breaking down just how bad it's gotten and try to figure out why it's so out of hand. And most importantly, you're gonna learn five strategies that you can use to fight back and potentially save hundreds of dollars each year.

But first be sure to hit like on this video, subscribe to the channel so that the YouTube overlords know that we've got some good stuff cooking over here. All right. If you're not quite tracking with the problem we're dealing with, this guy does a good overview. YouTube TV is raising its prices again, this time to $82.99 a month. Now I cut the cord with DirecTV in August of 2016, switched to YouTube TV. I think the price was like $35 a month at the time.

which was crazy cheap and a great deal considering I was paying $140 for direct. This is what I'm paying monthly now for TV. YouTube TV, $82.99. Netflix, $15.49. Apple, $9.99. Paramount, $7.99. Peacock, $7.99. Max, $16.99. Hulu, $9.99. Prime, $14.99. Disney, $9.99. Total,

of 166.42. I have nine apps, nine passwords, nine devs for my bank account. I thought the future was supposed to be better, easier, more convenient. Man, they got us with the bait and switch. - He's 100% right. Streaming services used to be the cheaper, cooler alternative to cable. But now a lot of cord cutters like the guy in that video are paying just as much before they ditch cable, if not more. And it's no wonder why, because the only thing these streaming providers have loved more than producing reboots that absolutely no one asked for is raising their prices.

Just last year, Disney+ jumped up to 16 bucks a month for their ad-free plan, Netflix's standard ad-free plan hopped up to $18, and Hulu's shot to 19 bucks. But the one that's getting all the buzz right now is YouTube TV, which jumped from $73 to $83 at the start of 2025. It's like all these companies are in a secret competition to see who can charge the most.

And my money is on Disney because no one milks American families for more money than Mickey. It's a shakedown and I'm sick of it. So why is this such a big deal? After all, everything else is getting more expensive these days. Eggs, gas, corned beef in a can. And that's just one meal. God bless Buc-ee's. The problem, like I mentioned earlier, is that streamflation is outpacing actual inflation. Let's look at an example.

In 2019, YouTube TV cost 50 bucks a month. If that price tag had grown at the rate of inflation, it would currently be sitting at 63 bucks, which is a 26% increase. But YouTube TV now costs 83 bucks, which is a 66% jump and more than double the rate of inflation. So obviously, this is a huge problem. But why is it happening? Is it corporate greed? Well, remember the days when Netflix started dropping a new original series every three hours? Another one. Another one. Another one.

Oh yeah, turns out that costs a lot of money. All for shows like Hemlock Grove and Gwyneth Paltrow's The Goop Lab. Real winners there, guys. Neither one cracked 40% on the tomato meter. And Netflix is not the only platform that overspent on new content. Pretty much all the big guys fell into that trap, in addition to shelling out billions for the rights to air live games from the NFL, NBA, and even pickleball leagues. Shout out to my favorite amateur pickleballer, Ken Coleman. That donk can dink.

To top it all off, a lot of these companies have been losing subscribers lately, which means they're seeing even more cash fly out the window. Want to take a wild guess as to who's paying for all that? That's right, you and me, the common folk, the peasants, if you will. Which brings us to an important question. Is there anything you can actually do about these skyrocketing streaming costs? We're all screwed.

I'm kidding, kind of. I've got five tips for fighting streamflation and lowering your bills so that you can keep watching Survivor Season 48 without busting your budget. Are we really on 48, guys? That feels like too many survivors. No, I'm not advocating that anyone not survive. I'm just saying, that's a lot.

How hard is it if 48 people have made it? Let's get to the tips. Tip number one, audit your subscriptions. One of the biggest problems with streaming services is how many there are, and it can be easy to forget which ones were even signed up for. After all, 42% of people have stopped using the subscription service but forgot they were still paying for it. So if you can't name all your streaming services off the top of your head, then it's time to cancel a few. Log into your bank account and take inventory of every streaming service you were charged for over the last month.

And ask yourself, do I actually use this? Is it worth the money? Do I even know what this is? And cancel any that don't pass the sniff test. And all those random Apple charges, $9.99, $12.99, go into your subscription settings on your phone and cancel them there. Tip number two, rotate your subscriptions.

My guess is that you're not watching more than one or two shows at any given time. And if you are, you might need to go outside once in a while and touch some grass. So try subscription rotation. This can save you hundreds. Here's how it works. Let's say you're deep into your fourth rewatch of The Office while your wife is in her seventh rewatch of Gilmore Girls. That means you could pay for Peacock and Netflix and put any other services on hold until you move on to some new shows.

Then you can cancel those services and switch to Hulu and Disney Plus when your wife moves on to Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and you start binging Bluey. Both will give you a good cry and teach you some valuable life lessons.

Now, over the course of a year, you could easily save over 300 bucks by only having two streaming services at a time instead of four. Tip number three, start a free trial. Now, most of the big name streaming services offer a free trial, whether it's for a week or 30 days. So if you're just looking to watch a particular movie or fly through a season of a show, signing up for a free trial could be the way to go. Now, the catches for most of these free trials

is they require you to enter a credit or debit card number. And I hope it's debit. Then when the trial's up, they automatically charge you for the full price of the subscription. And we've all fallen victim to self-loathing after completely forgetting about a free trial and getting hit with a random $12.99 charge in the background without even realizing it. Now, luckily, I've got a hack for avoiding this problem. And I'm not just talking about setting a reminder on your phone. I mean a way to not get charged, even if you forget or just get too lazy when the trial is up.

And I'll break it down in just a second. But first, let me tell you about something else that's happening in the background without you even realizing it. And that's shady websites on the internet selling your personal data to spammers and scammers. It's a real problem, and it's why I use Delete.me, one of the sponsors of today's video. Delete.me combs through thousands of data broker sites to clean up your digital footprint and make sure your personal info stays, you know, perfect.

personal. And then every few months, Delete Me will send you a custom report showing you exactly how they've worked their magic on your behalf. And right now, as a George Campbell fan, you'll get 20% off their annual plans by going to joindeleteme.com slash George or make it easy and click the link in the description below. Now, before we hop back into saving money on streaming, let's talk about where you should put all the money that you're saving.

I'm talking about a high-yield savings account with online bank Laurel Road, another sponsor of this video. Now look, you could put your money in a traditional savings account at a brick-and-mortar bank, making 0.01% interest, but that's dismal. That's sad. You can do better. With Laurel Road, you'll get competitive interest rates that will let your money grow much faster. There's also no minimum balance required to open an account, there's no monthly maintenance fees, and all of your deposits are FDIC-insured, meaning they're safe and

and secure. And you can get started today by going to laurelroad.com/george or click the link in the description below. All right, here's how to avoid finding yourself on the business end of a free trial. Instead of giving the company your actual debit card number, you can use a website like privacy.com to create a free virtual debit card. Then you can set limits for how much it'll let you spend. And if you get charged more than the limit, it will get declined.

And no, this is not an ad. I have no affiliation with privacy.com, hashtag not sponsored. It's just something that I've personally done several times, so I know it works and that it's totally safe. All right, my fourth tip for beating streamflation, use bundles.

Several streaming companies have partnered to offer bundles with all of their services. And some other subscription plans, like grocery memberships or cell phone plans, offer free streaming as part of their package. Now, here are some of the best options. For starters, the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle offers all three services with ads for just $17 a month. Then you've got Walmart+, which includes grocery delivery and access to Paramount+, for a total of $13 a month.

And Verizon customers can add $10 to their bill for Netflix and Max or the combo platter of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Are you not exhausted?

This is a lot. I can't do this anymore, man. Now remember, the whole goal here is to save money, not rack up as many services as possible. These bundles tend to work best if you're trying to reduce the cost of services you already use. So the bottom line: never spend money in order to save money. But if you play your cards right, these bundles could help you cut costs big time. Finally, tip number five: try a free streaming service.

Now, I will admit, there's a reason some of these are free. Looking at you, Popcorn Flix. What is that? But there are some legit good options out there, and here's some of the best. You got the Roku channel. This offers a large selection of movies and TV shows, and you don't need a Roku device or an account to watch. Then you've got Tubi. They have a huge content library and offer live news and sports. And it's how I watched the Super Bowl this year for free.

Shout out to Kendrick. And then you've got Hoopla. This lets you use your library card to stream movies, TV shows, and audiobooks with no ads. It's really similar to platforms like Kanopy and Libby. And of course, you can also watch YouTube videos for free all day, air day. So there's no need to stress about your budget while watching this channel, the Dr. John Bologna Show, Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman, or the GloZell Cinnamon Challenge for the 57th time. It's a lot, but I enjoy it. So that's how you wage war against streamflation.

And if there's one thing I hope you take away, it's that watching your favorite shows and movies shouldn't be a budget killer. If you audit your subscriptions, rotate your services, take advantage of bundles, and use free options, you can slash your streaming bill. And listen, the way I keep track of all of my subscriptions is with my every dollar budget. If you want to check it out, it's totally free. You can click the link in the description below. And let's be real. My guess is that your streaming isn't the only bill that's getting way too expensive.

And that's why I made this video breaking down how you can lower your internet and cell phone bills without canceling a thing. So keep watching to check it out or click the link in the description. As always, thanks for watching. Happy streaming. We'll see you next time.