The "Ins and Outs" of 2025

Subscriptions, you’re done 📺

When I was fifteen, my family got Austar, the regional Victorian (Australia) version of what was then referred to as “Pay TV”, or “Cable” in the USA. This gave us access to a range of new television channels, which opened me up to a broader world of music, sport and entertainment.

We were lower-middle class (ish), so it was a luxury. And it wouldn’t have come to pass if not for my Dad “knowing a guy” that could change the frequency of the satellite dish to illegally receive an array of other stations normally not included in the basic package.

It was about six months before that loophole was closed, but by that stage I’d grown fond of Channel V, MTV and ESPN. I was most attached to Fox Sports though, as this was during the WWF (now WWE) Attitude Era. While he’d never admit it, my old was a closeted wrestling fan too, so we kept Pay TV on. Thank goodness.

At fifteen, going to school and discussing what Stone Cold Steve Austin had gotten up to on Raw was a big part of my life, and I didn’t want to lose that. But while I stopped watching the wrestling around 2004, my relationship with Pay / Cable TV only came to an end six months ago.

Austar was my introduction to subscriptions, and it also introduced me to the very real concept of loss aversion, something these monthly payment services so heavily rely upon. I wish I’d understood this sooner.

Since then I’ve signed up to an untold number of other subscriptions. I’ve tried to calculate them by scanning my existing direct debits and found 12, but I know I’m missing at least a couple. Anyway, now I’m sick of them and they’re out for 2025.

From the ever growing glut of film / TV, music and podcast streaming services, to software, transport, random apps and whatever else – I’m cutting back and vowing to not take on any new subscriptions without discontinuing another.

Here’s my full list of my Ins and Outs for the year:

Ins:

Digital Detoxes
I’m making a simple commitment. No scrolling on the toilet or while eating. And definitely don’t go to the toilet, eat and scroll at the same time. I’m also trying to be social media free between 9pm and 7am. 

Walks
Move your body. Clear your head. Solve current and future problems. What’s not to love?

Home Cooked / Prepared Meals
The best way to know what’s going into your body is by preparing food at home, point blank.

Morning Routines
Win the morning win the day… and all that jazz. But seriously, get up, get moving, and it’s all downhill (in a good way) from there.

Outs:

Subscriptions
Video killed the radio star… and streaming platforms killed the movie star.

Gift Cards
The clue is in the part where big companies love them. More on that next week.

Vaping
If you’re under 25, you’ve had your fun. If you’re over 25, grow up.

Celebrities
They used to be movie stars and sportspeople, and the best bit was, they were mysterious. We didn’t know what they ate for breakfast or how moronic they actually were. But not in 2025, where social media algorithms have platformed a lot of duds. So let’s stop revering them.

Lucky to survive:

Advertisements
We see about a trillion a day and it’s a bit much.

Pints
Too big. Too warm. Too much backwash.

Selfishness
We get it, you’re protecting your happiness, but see how selflessness works for it.

Men’s Office Attire
You try wearing slacks and a long sleeve shirt on your commute in the Australian summer.

ZP / NpG

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