Last week, I was inundated with offers from marketers, coaches, Appsumo, Youzign and a bunch more. Cha-Ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.

After reading marketing copy and checking reviews, I visualized spending all the $$$ money $$$ I’d intended to use for boarding fees for Spartacus, my lab, while recovering from surgery at the end of the month. This was going to be his “pamper vacation” away from me and our too familiar surroundings.

What really matters?

Oh the choices I’d have to make…buy a few codes of several Appsumo programs I really liked; an online course platform, personal branding course; hundreds of ready to use video clips and so much more. !Heavens to Besty!

Eye-popping revelations

Then I thought, do I need any of these to sustain or grow my business; or am I suffering from shiny object syndrome? I decided to evaluate my technology and subscriptions and maybe substitute some of the old for new. 

1.    I opened my online subscriptions and bank payments folders.

2.    Next, I jotted down every subscription, course or technology I am currently paying for and their costs.

3.    Finally, I ranked them under 3 categories:

a.    Currently use (and need)

b.    Infrequently use (seldom use and do not really need)

c.    Forgot I had (never use any more)

Believe me, it was an eye-opening experience. I have recurring subscriptions deducted that I’d forgotten as well as subscriptions for outdated programs I’d either updated to the new/better version or kept for nostalgia’s sake.

Lessons learned

Forget nostalgia, I conducted an evaluation of old vs new (and their features) to see if the subscriptions met my current needs as well as future plans…NOPE… poof, added to the ‘get rid of’ list.

I added up my savings, and it was a lot!

Next, the hardest part, evaluating what I currently use to see if any were duplicates or could serve dual purposes. If they didn’t fit the criteria…added to the ‘get rid of’ pile.

Trim the fat

After I was done, I took a final look, added up the savings, and started canceling subscriptions across the board. 

I then went back to today’s shiny object list and selected ONE item I knew I needed for future business growth.

Big savings

I wound up saving hundreds of dollars (per month) and can still afford to send Spartacus for his pamper vacation…don’t laugh…he needs it while I’m recovering. Plus, I won’t have to worry or pay someone to walk and feed him while I’m away and on the mend. 

And, I save money I was spending on useless subscriptions and technology I’d forgotten about or seldom use.

Do you still need/use them in your business? 

Bottom line: Check your shiny object purchases, especially those you bought a while ago.

Are they like your favorite old pair of shoes where you loved them and now hate to throw them away!

Hit reply and let me know.