Before you cut everything, keep in mind that you're still a human being and have psychological needs. If that streaming service brings you hours of joy, it might be cheaper to keep it than the bills for your mental health treatment down the line.

Don't just cut everything out of your life cold turkey. Keep something that brings you joy.

Having just basic internet and youtube can go a long way. So you can get creative during a crisis and learn to work with a bit less to get almost as much.

Even a deck of playing cards can kill plenty of time. Pencils and paper are cheap as well.

There are also a few free services. A lot of them (IMDB tv, tubi, etc) show alot of the same movies and shows, but Pluto TV is actually a very interesting service (features content from Viacom and "clip shows" from networks like CNN)

TV antenna is another option if you don't want to pay for land line internet

You can stream most movies and TV shows online for free if you are willing to spend the time looking for them!

Friendly reminder that there is nothing immoral about "piracy" of digital content. Culture should be free, so if you're not in a position to afford content, don't pay for it.

> Culture should be free,

Tell that to the artists who want to make a living making this stuff.

Reading fiction books is a great way to pass time

HBO is offering free streaming of some shows on hbonow.com No signups or credit card entry. Just click and watch.

pluto.tv and coursera are great free alternatives that can entertain and educate :)

A second for pluto.tv

The pirate bay is your friend.

In many cities Comcast and other ISPs are offering free or reduced internet plans - might be worth looking into. And with the libraries closed your point is valid, you do need some outlets.

FYI your local library may offer free streaming services. Mine does with Kanopy. It’s actually pretty good.

You can also rent/stream videos from the library!

Kanopy if your library offers it. Free streaming service, no ads. Lots of good stuff. Depending on one's tastes it might be better than Netflix—some major movies rotate through, lots of classics, quite a few Criterion movies at any given time. Surprisingly poor on the childrens' entertainment front, but that's what PBS is for.

> I'll shop for a cheaper phone plan.

May not apply to you, but if you're an Xfinity customer, their mobile service is a great value: runs on the Verizon network, and you only pay for data. I switched to it for a few months during a financial crisis I had. It wasn't good for tethering (that gets too expensive vs. a carrier like Verizon), but there were months my bill was only $12 or $24 due to minimal data use (I brought my iPhone from Verizon)

I was using Verizon on a 2 GiB shared plan with my wife. Neither of us use much data, so we always had plenty left over. Switched to Spectrum, which is also on Verizon. It requires Spectrum internet or TV. The bill dropped from about $80 fo the two of us to $28. The new plan is $14 per phone per gig, data is shared. The price includes all taxes. The only extra charges are for international calls or adding another gig.

Tracfone can be slightly cheaper, especially for light users. I’m on their cheapest smartphone plan at $10/month/phone. (You have to buy a year ahead to get this rate, but you can get to $12 with a two month purchase).

They work on the TMobile, Verizon and AT&T network, and you can bring your own unlocked phone.

You should have already put your gym on hold - see if they will freeze it. Presumably you have not been in at least 2 weeks.

Also if you are not driving you can perhaps get a discount for the mileage reduction. You might also just let them know you are laid off.

Your insurance will go up if you're unemployed don't bother telling them mate.

Second this, don't tell them - it will make life a pain in the butt.

You can cancel your online streaming, I got free slot on my accounts :) I'd be happy to share with you.

> I panic paid off my car insurance just in case things get worse.

Still shop as you will get a refund from your current insurer when you cancel. Just because you paid doesn't mean that money is gone!

Millions of people are filing for unemployment right now. Do this first. Like, reasearch over the weekend and get to filing first thing Monday morning.

Capitalism didn't give people an appetite for bat.

Ironically it did, if you are poor you will eat anything to survive imo?

As a result of china's partial capitalism adoption: https://ourworldindata.org/exports/size-poverty-gap-world_v2...