I was going through my Wal-Mart+ subscription plan that I got for free and I saw their offers. One of which was EMeals, that was a 60-day trial. I thought that this was like Blue Apron or other meal delivery services so I thought I’d take a crack at it and hope that it would get me on a path to eat better.
Turns out, it’s just a meal planner. And it’s absurd to me why and how would anyone pay for something when there are countless and countless recipes and meal planners readily available for free. Who’d the fuck would want to pay for a planner? That’s like paying for a calendar app.
People pay for streaming and then complaining that their shows keep disappearing. Knowing full well that they are only allowed to watch the shows as long as the streaming service allows them to watch.
I truly don’t understand it. If they wanna do it go for it I’m not going to sit here and rip on them. I just don’t understand why. I say go by the disc so that way you own it. Then rip it to make your own digital file. Now with that digital file, you can do anything you want with it.
Completely agree. I’ll never pay for entertainment, with the sole exception of videogames and the rare content creator I want to support. Everything else, I’ll do everything in my power to have offline and backuped so I never lose access.
I get your point of view, and I personally use Jellyfin with my own library. But I have a different perspective about people complaining about shows disappearing from services.
People like complaining about things, it’s cathartic, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to do anything about it.
Imagine you have a favourite restaurant. One day you go in and that thing you really love isn’t in the menu anymore. You can grumble about it to the staff, complain to your friends, but you’ll just order a different item.
If next week your next favourite thing disappears from the menu, you’ll complain some more, or maybe just start going to a different restaurant. Yes, there is always the option to get the ingredients and make it yourself at home, but that’s a whole extra level of effort. For most people, the effort to complain a bit and choose a different thing from the menu is far less effort than making it yourself at home.
There are legit services where you can buy digital content and keep “forever.” No subscriptions. That’s how I prefer to consume my content. AFAIK I still have access to everything.
I’m not familiar with ones like that. Which ones allow you to download and keep it offline so it will still work if that company goes out of business.
Not trying to be a jerk I just haven’t heard of one that does that.
You’re not being a jerk :)
I use YouTube for this myself but I’m under the impression that Apple TV lets you do this too. The content is still hosted by them and I’m sure you can’t easily download the content and do whatever with it, but I’m under the impression that what I’ve paid for (the one time per piece of content) is the rights to stream it from them forever. Content has not disappeared for me like it has with Netflix (and what finally drove me away from it).
The only thing I’m trying to get across is that there are other streaming models present beside the subscription one everyone is doing. And this model that I’ve highlighted is the one I prefer.
Tax return filings in the US. There are free options provided by the paid companies… So that they can prevent real changes.
Kinda like pharmaceutical companies when the public demands cheaper prices. The pharmaceutical companies fight back with “what if instead of that we set up some programs that people can use for cheaper medicine! Win win! Then you don’t have to make any real changes that might hurt us?”
Same with taxes. The accounting software companies and advisors companies said “wait hold on, you don’t need to make taxes simpler and tank our business. Keep them complicated and well offer free alternatives that are just as easy as our paid services that people can pick if they don’t want to pay! Win win!”
Which obviously I think is a crap solution. However if you are paying for someone to do your taxes you should stop. There are a lot of easy free services out there that make it pretty much effortless. They are just as good as the paid services now.
This year I haven’t worked any traditional employment, but have done various projects for friends in exchange for money.
When I just had a typical job, taxes were almost fire-and-forget easy…but I’m a little worried about that whole process this year to be honest.
A lot of times the free one only covers that “I have a typical job” case…but anything different and they’re like “OH YOU NEED BUSINESS-OWNER PREMIUM PLUS” or something.
(I haven’t started a business and earned maybe 4 figures this year…) 😅
Tax return filings in the US. There are free options provided by the paid companies… So that they can prevent real changes.
https://directfile.irs.gov/ (Or Google “IRS Direct File” if you don’t trust links)
Directs File goes directly to IRS, without going through a third party company.
If your state doesn’t have direct file, then you’ll have to find a “IRS Partner” that gives a free option:
https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/browse-all-offers/ (Google “IRS Free File Trusted Partners”)
Remember: Government sites always ends in .gov
Gray market license keys for software. The money you’re paying for these will never make it to the developer, so you might as well pirate.
A lot of them don’t even lie about it as much if you read between the lines. GreenManGaming, HumbleBundle are the exceptions to that.
But places like CDKeys, G2A .etc yeah you can’t be assured that anything you buy from them is going back to the developer. If the developers so much even hears the existence of these kinds of sites, they’d be protesting to have them shut down.
On that same idea, camrips sold out of the back of a car. I knew someone who bragged about being able to get them and I always thought they looked like ass. They just liked acting like they had hood connections.
It’s more convenient to have a license. I only buy those when the developer is being scummy
Then there’s people paying for pirated software in CDs/DVDs
I’m still waiting for a proper excel replacement. No, google sheets and libre office don’t cut it. I literally have a copy of office 2019 that I have to finagle to install only that app and nothing else.
The funny thing is, after few years of using the Google Sheets, I can’t go back to Excel, because it has some weird behaviours and some shitty UX that drives me crazy.
Of course I am not saying that you can even do 1/3 of what Excel can do, but for basic uses I find it much easier to use.
Oh for sure. Excel is hot garbage when it comes to UI. I really want a replacement so I don’t have to rely on Microsoft. I use Libre Office for every other office app, and a more sane experience.
It doesn’t have the same level of formulas, VBA, and data set linking.
You still listen to the radio?
Rarely, yes. Mostly I listen to free podcasts and music that I’ve paid for or otherwise acquired once. I don’t understand paying a subscription for a lower quality version of that. Maybe there are a few live programs that are only available on SiriusXM, but that’s a tenuous value proposition.
I was surprised to hear that a coworker suscribes to one of the streaming services to stream shows from PBS. First of all, it’s free OTA. Second, I think they have an app.
The app is paid. It’s absurd to me that one would need to pay for a pbs subscription since the you’re paying for the original funding in the first place.
Ad-free internet stuff.
Computer Operating Systems
A lot of Software actually
Also quite a few great books in the public domain. Here is a website that curates, fixes up, and publishes free copies of classic public domain literature: https://standardebooks.org/
Not everyone has access to libraries. However anyone with internet access and a device capable of reading ebooks can read for free with libgen, zlib, and sci hub.
If you have access to the internet you’ll be able to get access to library ebooks. There are some libraries that’ll give non residents access.
Usually only available to citizens of the same country. I don’t actually know of any libraries that allow access to people who are neither residents nor citizens of the country, but there may be some.
Any examples?
Which country are you in? In the US, Harris County Public Library in Texas gives free access to basically anyone with an email address.
US. I looked, only found a link for $40/12m… nothing free unless a TX citizen.
It’s called the iKnow Digital access library card. Maybe they made it free to get during the pandemic?
Regardless, $40 seems to be a steal considering the cost of audible and other such services. Paid library cards being offered itself seems like a great service!
I researched last year and there were several libraries. Unfortunately I didn’t save my results. Check out Reddit heh.
I like owning my own stuff.
By that proxy you could also just rent your home instead of owning a living space.That’s a crazy comparison. If I could rent a home for free from the library I would feel like I’d won the lottery. I absolutely would do that. Is renting from the library not free where you are?
Depends. My local library is but the major library in the neighbouring city has a fee associated with being a member lending something. Entry is free though.
Books, though? If I had to buy every book I’ve read, I would be destitute and need a hundred storage units. Even with a concerted effort not to buy books I have a whole shelf of them.
Every book I try to check out has a 3 month to 3 year wait-list. Not exactly a convenient way to read.
Where are you? My wait here (mid size city in Florida) is usually 0-3weeks, unless they don’t have it at all, then I request and it can be 6 weeks to infinity. But they will send hard copy books around between libraries not even in our county, and the electronic collection is huge too.
I’ve been trying e-books, usually when I find something I want to read it will say something like you are 38th in line. Minnesota.
deleted by creator
Here when there is a big line like that, usually they will temporarily rent more licenses. So it will say 38th in line for one of 8 copies, not just 38th. If it’s a popular new book they do that. I read mostly sci fi and fantasy, occasionally smut, it’s been solid for those categories. Have found many enjoyable reads and those sorts of books are great to read on the device. Stories. Informational/resource books less so, for me it is easier to go back & forth with a paper book.
ETA I don’t know why someone would down vote you for sharing your experience, that’s silly.
Online subscription models, gacha and AAAA price tag games.
Not everyone wants to be a cybercriminal, god knows I’m one of them, but almost every person already has a backlog of games, an old classic that they want to experience again or community favourite that has gotten a lot of mods. Those are all free. And even if you want to spend money on something, why would you spend it on this year’s hyped up game when last year’s is still just as playable and at a discount?
That being said, I did buy Balatro full price, so I ought to know the answer.
Oh man. In-game currency and gacha stuff can get fucked.
I’m not a big gamer but I like having something on my phone to pass the time.
Happy to pay to install or for expansions or to remove advertising or whatever but paying for finite in-game stuff is just shit.
My problem is that I wait 20 years to late to play games and they cost more second hand than they originally did. GameCube fan problem
The Youtube channel “answer in progress” made a video about gacha and I still don’t get it. I hate collecting junk, even more when I can’t choose which junk I get.
I’ve never played any of those games myself, but here’s what I have gathered from a video essay:
You just begin to play it somehow, you get introduced to the Gacha mechanics, and then it’s one of 2 ways: Either you spend a lot of money in the game because they are literally designed like Casinos to fuel your gambling addiction, like clouding your judgement how much a round of gambling is actually worth with many in game currencies.
Or you spend time in the game to grind premium resources, and your brain rewards you for it with the thought “at least I’m not spending money”, not realizing that the
housedeveloper also wins if you do that. An example i giving rewards for players who write strategy guides, something they otherwise would have to pay real money to a developer for.We really have to hate more on those regulators who failed to protect gambling addicts from candy crush on crack.
Oh, you mean that video, about blind boxes and gachapon.
Seen that one as well, really absurd to see that channel promote “healing your inner child”, by buying into something that feels like an amalgam of lootboxes, that ruined online games, and Funko-pops, which cannibalised physical game stores. I read through the comments many times to maybe understand, but it seems few people actually care about the gambling addicts there as well.
So at my work the coffee is shit because it’s a fully automatic coffee machine and it is also not properly cleaned. I usually make my own at home and bring a thermos.
Really depends on the workplace. I will not drink coffee and I’m no longer drinking hot chocolate even from my work. Mainly because a lot of my co-workers are slobs and everything is unsanitized. I had just witnessed last night, someone from day maintenance, had their gloves still on (presumably from touch dirty trash bins, scrubbing toilets .etc) just go about touching some things before realizing he needed them off.
And I ended up vomiting last sunday because nobody checks expiration dates on what we have and I ended up drinking hot chocolate that might’ve been expired. So, it depends on the workplace.
It’s not that odd that they have a preference, even if it costs them. My work provides tea bags and milk, but I bring my own because I like them more.
I think the problem is that some Starbucks fans are pretentious. There are better and cheaper coffee everywhere but some of them will just choose the more expensive one and flash their premium membership card to you.
Yeah, but Dunkin for coffee??
It’s like the yuengling of coffee. Nothing special but it’s cheap and inoffensive.
If I worked at a restaurant I would take advantage of free espresso.
Streaming. OS’s, disposable shavers/ head, prime. Very few subscriptions are a good deal and if they are a good deal thats just them cornering the market to eventually close in.
The cheapy ones like bics? I’m using an old school de razor and the blades are stupidly cheap, minimal waste and no single corp locking me in.
Oh those. I meant the Gillette Fusion razor heads. They are supposed to be disposable, and I do eventually get rid of them, but I extend the lifespan by a lot with a squeeze bottle of alcohol on them to clean them. A head that should last weeks will end up lasting me months with just a little care.
Thats a pretty good idea tbf. More people need to stock up on IPA the stuff comes in handle
I agree but also you’d be surprised how many actually piggy backed off a friend. I know because in my circle of friends-acquaintances of about 60 people in high school only 1 other besides me was actually competent enough with technology to the point of trying to pirate. Everyone else just got burnt cds and usb sticks from us.
To this day when I meet other millennials there’s honestly more tech illiterate than not and I think it’s the small but vocal minority that exist on places like this and reddit that carry the stereotype that all millennials are good at technology.
I paid for my calendar app, cause it had a feature I needed no standard app had plus it’s pretty good in other regards. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m curious the feature.
I had a job with fixed days of a month shifts. And at least at the time, a lot of calendars couldn’t create repeating events for let’s say every fifth Saturday of a month. they all knew first, second, third or fourth but fifth, no luck. And aCalendar+ knew and knows that.
Bottled water to drink at home.
Even Los Angeles tap water isn’t safe to drink, as I understand it. Flynt, Michigan, too.
Ok, so: bottled water to drink at home in countries with safe drinking water.
I’ve showered with tap water when my shower was broken. I think it makes sense if it’s the only way they can shower.
Not every home in countries with safe tap water have safe tap water at home
And even if it does, it might taste horrible.
Not even every state, look at Flint, MI …
This drives me insane. The 5 gal jugs are so cheap to refill and keep using. I used one of those with a hand pump and a thin 1.5 gal jugs for my fridge for constant cold water when I lived where tap water wasn’t doable. It was like 10¢ a gallon to refill the jugs and I always had delicious cold water at the ready. There is absolutely no need to create so much waste
Becareful, because if you don’t clean the jugs, they will eventually not be safe to drink out of
When you put tap water in a bottle and put it in the freezer, so you’d have a cold bottle of water for an entire summer day, the water from the tap tastes “saltier” for some reason, while bottled “spring” water doesn’t. The “saltier” taste is kinda unpleasant 🤷♂️
Also my city has some chemical spill into the river where the city gets the water supply from, they gave out a emergency alert very late, and the city wasn’t really transparent about that whole ordeal, some people in my city are already doubting the safety of the tap water, reminds me of Flint, Michigan, so I kinda just don’t like the tap water 😖
There are good filtering systems you can get to add to your sink or water supply. At most you’re looking at a couple hundred for something that will last years. The water in plastic bottles is not immune to leeching things from the bottles as well, but I guess it’s a matter of weighing which you prefer.
Reverse osmosis filter, you can just get an under the sink one of you don’t plan on drinking your shower water. Kind of pricey up front, and you have to replace the filters every so often, but it gives good taste and peace of mind for filtering.
I am telling you from first hand viewing that bottled water plants use the same kind of filtering.
Undersink filter with a dedicated drinking water tap. Removes the chlorine taste that is probably what makes you think salty. You can get the whole setup for $75 and install it yourself. The filters are $40ish and last 6-12 months.
Some fridges have cold filtered water taps built in.
YouTube premium.
Just get uBlock or revanced.
The maintainance and unreliability is annoying
There is literally a discord, with a link here on Lemmy, with links in said discord to download sources. Plus there are help and troubleshooting threads.
And happen to need exactly none of that, thank you very much. I pay the fee and forget about it
Doesn’t work if you’re using a smart TV or console to view it.
Just solved this problem actually. Smart tube app. Download on your tv with a browser and sideload the apk. Dunno about console but I’m sure there’s some solution.
Seconded on Smart Tube TV. Frankly, it works better than ublock on Firefox most days as YT doesn’t go out of its way to slow it down.
Yeah, not watching it on console. /s
I have lots of ad blockers. But my father watches YouTube on the LG TV app. I don’t live there anymore and hearing the ads from the other room became offensive to the family.
It was easier to just buy a premium family plan and call it a day.
I’m at a point in my life where I’ll pay for the media I’ll watch. If I’m not willing to pay for it, I won’t watch it. I also don’t want to watch ads.
"Ah, yes I see I see, and that’s very understandable. Thank you for paying us by the way.
Now, since you’ve been so loyal for all these years…what about [slides agreement across the table] you pay for it…AND you watch ads?"
– Basically every streaming service hopping on the bandwagon at this point
Streaming services are raising prices because prestige television was expensive and are using ads as a way to reduce the bill.
And you don’t have to pay for streaming if you don’t find it too be worth it. I’ve cancelled subscriptions because the increased price wasn’t worth it.
Sidenote: Lol I’m getting downvotes for mocking streaming giants and ads on Lemmy. That’s different 🤔.
Honestly, I hear you. Media isn’t easy to make and takes a ton of talented people a lot of hours to accomplish. I also drop off of subscribing to stuff if it was really nice but “enshittified” into forcing ads into every interaction.
Something needs to change fundamentally though, because we’re once again on the cable-TV slope of “20 minutes of entertainment extended to 45 minutes by interrupting it with the exact same ad of a mega corporation pretending to be an underdog influencer.”
My personal take is that if your average person were paid fairly, they’d have the money to spend on entertainment where ad-pollution wouldn’t be necessary, and if the entertainment distributors/platforms/whatevs asked the fair amount required to pay everyone involved fairly, everyone would be happy.
Lol a guy can dream.
And I wish that kind of world existed where people could fund that kind of media landscape.
I’ve just been aware that, for over a decade, streaming prices weren’t sustainable because they were subsidized by cable and broadcast.
They tried making prestige TV first, not enough people bought it.
Okay, to preface I really hate giving Google money, but I hate ads more, and paying for Premium also removes ads on YouTube apps across platforms. It also in some minuscule way rewards the creators I watch, but real support comes from Patreon.
Yeah I pay because I get ad free videos and YT music, so I could cancel Spotify, which is almost the same price for only music.
Yeah I’m with you. I know there’s some way to block ads on any device if you are really dedicated but I don’t want to get a PHD in ad blocking just to not have ads on YT on my phone
On android the trick is to do the same as you would on desktop. So Firefox + unlock origin.
Install Revanced, it’s literally better than the vanilla youtube app because you can customize basically everything
No
I can’t find it on iOS
*you can’t find it in the app store / apple safe space. If you’re in Europe, you can sideload apps. Otherwise, you might need an upgrade
It also gives a “free” music service, and while it’s not excellent by any means, that keeps me from spending MORE money on another music service.
I just like that I can log in on my AppleTV and it works immediately with no ads or bullshit.
YouTube charges too much. It costs more than Netflix! They need like a $6/mo plan or something.
In Australia they offer premium lite for $9 AUD a month that removes ads on normal YouTube but still has it on shorts and music.
I mean, it depends on how much you use it, no? I use YouTube more than Netflix and the like (most of the time anyway). Not that I have YouTube premium but still.
As an American, Turbo Tax. I’ve been using FreeTaxUSA for almost 20 years with no problems, without paying for filing software.
But if I weren’t American, my answer would probably be: tax software.
How are they at dealing with investments?
For my simple needs (mortgage, 401k, couple different IRAs, and a managed investment account) it did great.
Sounds interesting. I’ll check it out.
It’s funny that the IRS has now been offering their own tax-free service. Intuit thought they could strong-arm people but even the IRS thought “no bruh, you’re crazy”.
I just never saw the appeal of paying for tax software/services, well maybe I can see it in services because there’s still a lot of people that have trouble with filing taxes and they may be in unique tax situations that they don’t understand.
But Tax Software makes it stupid easy to understand so it should not be something we pay for.
Do they do imports from like betterment and vanguard?
Most countries don’t have tax software.
They have a website usually. A free one, from the government. That calculates their taxes for them. You just have to check if it is correct from your side.
Right, that’s what I was getting at with my second part hah
