It is commonly taught that budgeting should be planned in advance and that income should be allocated in order to achieve the desired goals. Such a budget is considered perfectly planned, when about half of the income is allocated to necessary taxes, loans, food, health, one third to pocket money, clothes, leisure time, and the remaining fifth of the total income to investments and savings. In a survey conducted by Citadele Bank, only 6 percent of respondents answered that they do not count how much they spend, because they have enough for everything, and these are mostly people whose income is more than 1,500 euros. It is no surprise that we are in the twelfth place among European countries spending the highest percentage of income on food – a study by Picodi indicates about 20.2% (about 218 euros per month). We are on par with Saudi Arabia (20.5%) and Lebanon (21%). So if roughly 20 percent of our income is spent on food, where does the rest of the income go?
Of course, taxes also take a fairly large part, but we can also attribute necessary expenses to them, such as a mobile subscription, an electronic multiple transport ticket or a subscription to TV3 play for entertainment or one of the most popular platforms in the world, Netflix. Meanwhile, various subscriptions are penetrating our lives more and more. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word subscription or subscription is a long-term commitment, a certain amount every month for a few months for a service, services or service package. On the one hand, we will not be able to do without some subscriptions, such as internet, mobile connection, and in some cases the subscription fee for gas or electricity, but even in those areas you can find some flexibility to choose. If not one plan, then another one that is more useful for us or more necessary if life conditions change. On the other hand, sometimes we really subscribe and forget to use the services. At the time, it seems necessary, and as the months go by, we keep paying in vain for the provision of a service we don’t use. We always promise to organize movie nights with friends or children on Fridays, but when the opportunity arises, we run away to nature to breathe fresh air or discover a never-before-seen corner of Lithuania or another corner of the world, running away from the routine and leading towards adventure, so the TV3 play or Netflix subscription keeps digging and digging, while in the meantime we would rather spend the money more usefully, save or invest. This can be classified as access subscriptions where individuals want access to certain platforms. We can also assign news portals and PREMIUM category articles to this category, and some news portals work only on a subscription basis. in 2018 according to the study, about 18% of subscribers chose such subscriptions.
On the third hand, there are services that really make our lives easier, and there are more and more of them. For example, a service that has already become popular in England and is just starting to become popular in Lithuania is home delivery. But not just any food, but weighed, prepared food products according to your choices. You want to lose weight, you want to gain weight, you need more protein, fat or carbohydrates, you live alone, for two, or maybe a whole family of three or four people – you can order food according to your needs. In this way, you will not throw away the food that is used, which is extremely welcome, when the average Lithuanian household has about 72 kg of food waste per year. You can also be sure that you will eat fresh home-made food every day and with less headache of “what to eat today”, “what would I like today”. So, the only pluses are the exact amount of money spent on food; a clear plan of what to eat, when to cook and what; all the food products needed for the recipes, together with the recipes, conveniently at hand. We can assign such services to the complement category and McKinsey 2018. according to the research conducted, about 32% of all subscriptions are chosen based on this type of motivation. You need them every day, so why bother to refill every time and think about what if you can get a full refill at home without extra effort and spend the saved time and money on improvement, hobby, family or friends.
Another of the motivations and types of subscriptions is the feeling of unboxing, the feeling of novelty, the joy, and that worked really well with the beauty boxes. One of the most popular is Stilius Box, although now there are also Eurovaistine and other beauty boxes. Undoubtedly, subscriptions related to such services require special attention to quality, breadth of assortment, customization to the user. Every time it is like a surprise, a gift. Such subscriptions accounted for about 50% of all subscriptions in 2018. It is worth remembering that COVID-19 has also had a huge impact on the rapidly growing e-commerce sector, which in turn has increased the ranks of such subscribers. In addition to the beauty box Stilius Box, which contains enough high-quality cosmetics for all the needs of a woman, we can also find boxes with treats and toys for our pets in the PetBox.
Well, there are no subscriptions in the world – monthly coloring, magazine or exercise sets are no longer surprising, but you would probably be surprised to hear about Apocabox – a box in which, when you open it every month, you will find the things you need to prepare for that special apocalypse day; or you can subscribe to the mystery series “Letters from dead people” for $225, where you solve a case from 1927-1928. files about the infamous 1920s psychic Mina Bird and her adventures in New Orleans. Experts from carone.app remind us about the not so long ago subscription of heated seats, other car manufacturers also offer similar safety or comfort services for a monthly fee. This subscription is similar to escape rooms, where you have to solve a bigger mystery from clues, and the clues are written by psychics.
Let’s also plan our subscriptions based on our needs and budget, because they are most useful when we are conscious of what we are doing. Maybe you have a bad habit of spending too much money on unnecessary food and you could order food delivery to your home instead of going to the store after work, tired and on an empty stomach, exhausted and still undecided about what to eat. In any case, it is worth paying attention to the subscription plans, planning responsibly, because it must serve you and your goals, so that there is an equal exchange and you feel relieved about your part.
