KILL LIST — Complete Cost-Cutting Plan
Alton V. Wells | March 2026 Goal: Eliminate everything that isn't absolutely essential.
The Bottom Line
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Current monthly burn (cards only) | ~$4,184 |
| Projected annual burn | ~$50,200 |
| Recurring subscriptions alone | ~$1,350+/mo |
| Target monthly savings | ~$2,400+/mo |
| Target annual savings | ~$28,800+/yr |
SUBSCRIPTIONS TO CANCEL IMMEDIATELY
Streaming & Entertainment — CUT ALL (~$161/mo saved)
- Netflix — $24.99/mo → CANCEL. Resub for a month when there's something specific to watch.
- Disney+ — $29.99/mo → CANCEL. Same strategy — resub quarterly if needed.
- Spotify — $20.15/mo → DOWNGRADE to free tier. Ads aren't that bad.
- YouTube Premium — $15.19/mo → CANCEL. Use a browser adblocker.
- Audible — $14.95/mo → CANCEL. Use Libby (free library app) instead.
- Sirius XM — $25.99/mo → CANCEL. You have free Spotify + podcasts.
- PlayStation Network — $9.99/mo → CANCEL. Buy individual games if needed.
- CapCut — ~$10-15/mo → CANCEL. Use DaVinci Resolve (free) or free CapCut tier.
- Midjourney — ~$10-30/mo → CANCEL. Use free image gen alternatives or go without.
Software & SaaS — GUT IT (~$480+/mo saved)
- LinkedIn Premium — $119.99/mo → CANCEL. Free LinkedIn works fine for networking.
- Mastra Software — $99.00/mo → CANCEL. Are you actively shipping with this? If not, gone.
- Figma — $80.00/mo → CANCEL or downgrade to free tier (3 projects).
- Clay Software — ~$50-150/mo → CANCEL. ⚠️ CHECK FOR DOUBLE BILLING — request refund for duplicate charges.
- Adobe — $29.99/mo → CANCEL. Use Canva (free) or Photopea (free).
- Repo Prompt — ~$10-20/mo → CANCEL.
- Amplify — ~$20-50/mo → CANCEL.
- Vercel — $20.00/mo → DOWNGRADE to hobby tier (free).
- TechLockdown — $14.99/mo → CANCEL. Use built-in iOS Screen Time.
- Namecheap (3 domain charges) — ~$40/mo avg → AUDIT every domain. Drop all you aren't actively using. Keep only 1-2 max.
- Fly.io — $5.00/mo → KEEP only if actively hosting something. Otherwise cancel.
Info Services & Subscriptions — CUT ALL (~$149/mo saved)
- WSJ — $44.99/mo → CANCEL. Read free news sources, use incognito for paywalls.
- Function Health — 30.42/mo) → CANCEL auto-renew. Get bloodwork through your doctor.
- Experian Credit Report — $22.98/mo (2 charges) → CANCEL BOTH. Use Credit Karma or annualcreditreport.com (free).
- Amazon Prime — $16.28/mo → CANCEL. Batch orders, wait for shipping.
- Point.me — $12.00/mo → CANCEL. Use Google Flights.
- Sam Harris / Waking Up — 8.33/mo) → CANCEL. Tons of free meditation apps (Insight Timer).
- Oura Ring subscription — $5.99/mo → CANCEL. Basic ring data works without the sub.
- Instacart+ — 8.25/mo) → CANCEL. Shop in person.
Apple Subscriptions — AUDIT & GUT (~$30/mo saved)
- Apple subscriptions (multiple charges) — ~$45/mo → Go into Settings > Subscriptions and cancel EVERYTHING except the cheapest iCloud storage tier. Likely includes Apple Music (redundant with Spotify), Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud upgrades, etc.
Insurance — SHOP AGGRESSIVELY (~$80/mo saved)
- Lemonade Insurance — $244.11/mo → GET QUOTES THIS WEEK from 3+ competitors. This is extremely high.
- GEICO Auto — $162.10/mo → QUOTE Progressive, State Farm, USAA. Bundle if possible.
Legal & Other — CUT (~$30/mo saved)
- LegalZoom / ECM — $29.80/mo → CANCEL if you no longer need registered agent service or whatever this covers.
⚠️ ACTION ITEM: REFUND REQUESTS
- Clay Software — Double billing. Log into Clay, check billing history. If you see duplicate charges, email support@clay.com immediately requesting a refund for all duplicate months. Screenshot the charges first. Dispute through Amex if they don't respond within 7 days.
LIFESTYLE SPENDING CUTS
Dining & Drinks — 200/mo (~$692/mo saved)
- Locale — 4 visits @ 442. Limit to 1x/month MAX.
- Fine dining (Reposado 173) — $378 on two meals. Limit to 1 nice dinner per QUARTER.
- Bar Darling, Apres Ski, Poke — ~$58. Cut casual dining out. Cook instead.
- McDonald's — $13.60. Even fast food adds up. Meal prep.
- Set a hard $200/mo dining budget in your banking app.
Coffee & Cafes — 50/mo (~$168/mo saved)
- Saint Frank Coffee — 12 visits in 30 days. You're a regular. Time to break up.
- Philz Coffee — 3 visits.
- Starbucks — $50 in gift card loads. Stop.
- Three Babes, Peaches Patties — occasional visits adding up.
- BUY: A good drip coffee maker + grinder (~$80 one-time). Pays for itself in 10 days.
- Allow yourself 2 cafe visits per week max. That's it.
Groceries — 350/mo (~$234/mo saved)
- Stop daily shopping. 31 trips to Woodlands, Gabby's, Village Market in 30 days is insane.
- Switch to Trader Joe's or Costco — Woodlands and Gabby's are premium-priced SF markets.
- Meal plan on Sundays. Shop 2x per week. Stick to a list.
- Stop impulse deli/market grabs — those $3-8 charges happen almost daily.
Amazon / Online Shopping — 75/mo (~$206/mo saved)
- 30-day wishlist rule — Add to cart, wait 30 days. If you still want it, buy it.
- Remove saved payment methods from Amazon — add friction.
- Unsubscribe from deal emails and push notifications.
- March 8 alone was $123 in Amazon orders. That's impulse buying.
Other Shopping — 0
- SP Comfrt — $49.51. What is this? Audit.
- Fragile.co — $20.00. Audit.
FULL CANCELLATION CHECKLIST (DO IN ONE SITTING)
Open each of these, go to account/billing, and cancel:
| # | Service | Action | Est. Savings/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netflix | Cancel | $25.00 |
| 2 | Disney+ | Cancel | $29.99 |
| 3 | Spotify | Downgrade to free | $20.15 |
| 4 | YouTube Premium | Cancel | $15.19 |
| 5 | Audible | Cancel | $14.95 |
| 6 | Sirius XM | Cancel | $25.99 |
| 7 | PlayStation Network | Cancel | $9.99 |
| 8 | CapCut | Cancel | ~$12.00 |
| 9 | Midjourney | Cancel | ~$20.00 |
| 10 | LinkedIn Premium | Cancel | $119.99 |
| 11 | Mastra Software | Cancel | $99.00 |
| 12 | Figma | Cancel / free tier | $80.00 |
| 13 | Clay Software | Cancel + request refund | ~$100.00 |
| 14 | Adobe | Cancel | $29.99 |
| 15 | Repo Prompt | Cancel | ~$15.00 |
| 16 | Amplify | Cancel | ~$35.00 |
| 17 | Vercel | Downgrade to free | $20.00 |
| 18 | TechLockdown | Cancel | $14.99 |
| 19 | Namecheap | Drop unused domains | ~$20.00 |
| 20 | WSJ | Cancel | $44.99 |
| 21 | Function Health | Cancel auto-renew | $30.42 |
| 22 | Experian (both) | Cancel both charges | $22.98 |
| 23 | Amazon Prime | Cancel | $16.28 |
| 24 | Point.me | Cancel | $12.00 |
| 25 | Sam Harris / Waking Up | Cancel | $8.33 |
| 26 | Oura Ring sub | Cancel | $5.99 |
| 27 | Instacart+ | Cancel | $8.25 |
| 28 | Apple subs (audit all) | Cancel most | ~$30.00 |
| 29 | LegalZoom / ECM | Cancel | $29.80 |
| 30 | Lemonade Insurance | Shop + switch | ~$50.00 |
| 31 | GEICO Auto | Shop + switch | ~$30.00 |
| TOTAL SUBSCRIPTION SAVINGS | ~$1,045/mo |
Plus lifestyle changes:
| Category | Current | Target | Savings/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining & Drinks | $892 | $200 | $692 |
| Coffee | $218 | $50 | $168 |
| Groceries | $584 | $350 | $234 |
| Amazon / Shopping | $351 | $75 | $276 |
| Lifestyle Savings | ~$1,370/mo |
GRAND TOTAL
| Monthly | Annual | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription cuts | ~$1,045 | ~$12,540 |
| Lifestyle cuts | ~$1,370 | ~$16,440 |
| TOTAL SAVINGS | ~$2,415/mo | ~$28,980/yr |
THINGS YOU'RE KEEPING
- Claude.AI — $100/mo. Your primary AI tool. Worth it.
- Fly.io — $5/mo. Cheap hosting. Fine.
- iCloud (basic) — ~$3-10/mo. Need phone backups.
- Lemonade Insurance — keeping but at a lower rate after shopping around.
- GEICO Auto — keeping but at a lower rate after shopping around.
- Tesla Supercharging — ~$84/mo. Need to drive.
Generated from Amex transaction data, Feb 16 – Mar 15, 2026. Amounts for services not on the statements (Amplify, Repo Prompt, Clay, CapCut, Midjourney) are estimated — verify exact amounts in your billing.