Nowadays, it seems like everywhere you look there’s another membership to buy or subscription to sign up for. While many of them are for awesome products and services, the cost can add up, especially when it’s an ongoing expense.
But what if you could split the cost with others? And make your money go further? Here are four memberships you can share, starting today.
Netflix
I absolutely love Netflix and can’t imagine ever cancelling my subscription. You see, for 5 years I didn’t have cable and relied mostly on Netflix for TV shows and movies. Not only do they carry tons of both, but they’re always updating their offerings and have some amazing original content like Stranger Things and Bloodline. (You can check out some of my favourites here!)
Plans start at just $8.99 per month. For $13.99, those on your membership can watch on up to 4 screens simultaneously. We have the 2 Screens + HD plan ($10.99/month) and we’ve never had any issues with people booting us off by already taking up the 2 screens.
The key to sharing Netflix effectively is to set up profiles. Each person/household can create their own profile which lets them keep track of what they’re watching, start back where they left off, and see personalized recommendations. This is how we’ve set it up for our families (who share the membership!) and it keeps things nice and organized.
Looking for some Netflix TV recommendations? Here are my top 15!
Costco
Another favourite of mine is Costco. (And if you’re in the U.S., Sam’s Club!) While we’re a household of only 2, we still love Costco. Great food, clothes, books, a loads of other stuff at reasonable prices. And you can always share items with friends or family. For example, my Mom and I recently bought a 2-pack of huge aluminum foil rolls so we split it and each took one. Also, we bought a deep freezer (also from Costco!) which is great for holding large hauls.
In Canada, a Costco membership is currently $60CAD for a year. Each membership includes a spouse card which should technically be a spouse or family member 18 years of age or older living at the same address. This works well if you live with your partner, a roommate, or a friend.
It’s a bit trickier if two or more households want to share it. To share a membership more easily, decide who’s in and then have one person sign up. You can then shop together and split the cost of the membership. Bonus: shopping time with friends! And you can split larger items if you’re shopping for smaller households.
Texture by Next Issue
For as long as I’ve known him, my fiancé has had a subscription to Texture by Next Issue. He loves reading, and that’s only intensified since his commute became longer. Now he reads magazines on his iPad through the Texture app every work day. They offer unlimited access to over 200 magazines, including back issues.
One of the best things about Texture is that both of their plans offer access on up to 5 devices per account. This means the account owner can give their login information to friends and family members. While I haven’t used it much recently, I definitely plan to! I love how I can use it to read a handful of articles from different publications without having to buy each magazine for the sake of a few pages.
Texture‘s Basic plan is $9.99CAD per month and their Premium plan is $14.99CAD per month. While the Basic plan offers unlimited access to monthly magazines, the extra $5 give you unlimited access to all weekly magazines as well.
Spotify
In our house, we love our music! While we normally listen to the country music station on the TV, that doesn’t help for music on road trips, commuting, or going for a walk. And while we can stream music through YouTube or other apps, it can drain your data.
Enter: Spotify. The music provider is great for many reasons. First, they have a great web player so both my fiancé and I can listen during the work day. Second, they have amazing playlists for when you don’t want to put together your own. And third, Spotify Premium provides ad-free music.
While Spotify currently costs $9.99CAD per month (after the trial, which we’re in!), it’s only $14.99CAD per month for a Family Plan. This covers up to 6 people which is a great deal.
There you have it: four awesome memberships you can share with others to save some dough. Looking for more money saving hacks? My post on how to save money on cable, internet, and phone has you covered!
Have you tried any of these memberships? Are there other memberships you use to save money? We’d love to hear about them! Leave a comment below.
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