How Subscription Costs Add Up

Every subscription is normalized to a yearly figure — monthly cost × 12, or the yearly cost as-is — and summed. The monthly average, 5-year, and 10-year projections are simple multiples of that annual total, making "subscription creep" visible in hard numbers.

Worked Example

Netflix ($15.99/mo), Spotify ($10.99/mo), and Amazon Prime ($139/yr) come to $462.76/year — $38.56/month. Over 10 years that's $4,627.60, enough to fund a vacation or a small portfolio.

The Opportunity Cost

That $462/year is not just spent — it is money that never compounds. Invested at a 7% average return for 10 years, the same monthly amount grows to roughly $6,600. The 10-year projection here shows the raw cost; the real price of subscription creep is what the money could have become.