Is Disney+ Worth It?

How the latest from the entertainment giant has me questioning how many streaming services are too many?

Tuesday marked the release of the latest streaming service, Disney+. Disney became just the latest entertainment company to release a service emulated after Netflix's staple model. Being a huge Star Wars and Marvel nerd I found that trying out Disney+ was a must for me and.. HOLY COW IT IS NEAT! I spent the first hour perusing all of the titles available. After the trip down memory lane perusing old titles that I had completely forgotten about or didn't know Disney owned, I settled into the 

After cranking out the first episode of The Mandalorian, I started to think about exactly how many streaming services I currently pay for each month. I have always considered myself frugal when it came to my entertainment needs. Long ago I cut the cord from cable and relied solely on Netflix and Youtube, undoubtedly a cheaper alternative. But as the years have passed and I have continued to add streaming services to my monthly bill it has come time to question exactly how many do I need and what am I willing to spend each month for my at home evening entertainment. THIS CALLS FOR A SPREADSHEET!

A Look at the 2019 Streaming Services

Here's a quick side by side look at today's most popular streaming services available to purchase. Many of these are viewed as alternatives to cable. Each have their pros and cons.

                        So as you can see, having all the world's content and your fingertips is far from free. But where do you draw the line?

Take a look at all of those available options above. It's important to prioritize what streaming services serve you best. At an additional $100 per month for the basic level subscriptions to these streaming services it would almost be cheaper to get a basic cable plan. These pricing also have a way in creeping up from year to year increasing your annual expenses. And this does not take into consideration the opportunity cost of these monthly plans. Setting aside that money in the proper index funds means it is growing at 6-7% and generating dividends. So in reality, spending $1,000 per year on streaming services adds up. I enjoy Netflix as much as the next person but I've had that account for 8 years now, that's roughly $1,200 I've paid for one streaming service!  

Personally I don't seem myself getting rid of every single streaming service I am currently subscribed to. But the addition of Disney+ does make me stop and consider what I want to purchase moving forward. One way I've been able to keep cost down is sharing the service and pricing with other family members. Cutting your costs in half or in a third makes it easier to justify the spending. Still it's important to curb some of that spending. Do I really want to pay $15 a month for HBO now that game of thrones is over? Is watching march madness really worth the $6 a month for CBS all access. These are the frugality questions that we should be asking ourselves in all aspects in our lives not just entertainment.

Ultimately you need to decide what brings you joy and what that amount of joy is worth to you. I'll definitely be keeping Disney+ for the year but might reconsider in the future. Remember when deciding what to pay each month you are taking away from the pot of money that you could be saving for investments or for other aspects of life that bring you joy. For me paying hundreds per year to stream certain TV shows at night might just not be worth it. 

The choice is yours, prioritize your spending and as always

KEEP STACKIN!