Are We Renting Our Own Lives?

Welcome to the Era of "Rent Everything"

Once upon a time, you bought something, and it was yours. No fine print, no auto-renewals, no unexpected deductions from your bank account at 2 AM. Those were the good ol’ days. 

Today? 

Congratulations, you’re now the proud renter of your own existence.

Your music? Subscription. Your car? Subscription. Your software? Subscription. Your clothes? Subscription. Your magazines? Subscription. Heck, even friendships have subscription models—shoutout to Patreon supporters who get “exclusive access” to their own best friends.

Gone are the days when ownership meant control. Now, it means a monthly fee, an account dashboard, and a Terms of Service agreement you never actually read.

What’s Next? A Subscription to Your Own Fridge?

Picture this: You walk into your kitchen at 8 AM, still half-asleep. You grab the fridge handle, only to be met with a beep and a message:

"Your access to ‘Cold Storage Premium’ has expired. Please renew your subscription to retrieve your eggs and milk."

That’s when it hits you—modern life is one giant paywall. You might as well start budgeting for “Basic Air” and “Oxygen Plus.” The way things are going, we’re a decade away from a "Pay-Per-Breath" plan, where breathing beyond your free daily quota costs an extra $5.99/month.

From Convenience to Financial Quicksand

Now, let's get serious (but not too serious—we’re not trying to ruin your mood here).

Subscriptions were designed to make life easier. Who wants to buy every single song when Spotify exists? Or worry about software updates when Microsoft 365 handles it all? But here’s the catch—subscriptions are sneaky little money-suckers. They will force you to subscribe and put you on auto payment, but will never remind to review every once in a while so that you could change your mind and cancel the subscription.

A few harmless $9.99 charges here and there, and suddenly, your monthly expenses look like a government budget proposal.

That “affordable” streaming bundle? Add-ons made it triple the price.
Your gym membership? Still charging you, even though you haven’t gone in six months.
That meditation app? You forgot to cancel, but at least now you’re at peace with losing money.

I bought a paid subscription for Amazon kindle fire 8 years ago when my daughter was six years old. She stopped using the device 3 years back, but I forgot to cancel the subscription. Today I just found out that all these years I was paying the monthly subscription fee which was on autopay. Heck Yes! I cancelled today. Finally.

The Cost of Never Owning Anything

There’s a hidden emotional toll in this model. When you own something, it’s yours—you control it. But when you rent? You’re at the mercy of price hikes, policy changes, and the almighty algorithm that decides if you still qualify for “premium benefits.”

Remember when Adobe switched to a subscription model? Designers worldwide cried into their expired Photoshop trials. What about car subscriptions? The idea of paying a monthly fee for the right to drive a car that still isn’t yours feels like a futuristic dystopia—but it’s already here.

Can We Ever Escape This Loop?

Is there a way out? 

Sure. Start owning things again. Buy the software outright. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions. Buy magazines you want to read, don't subscribe. Read the fine print before subscribing to something you’ll forget about in a week.

But let’s be real—corporations have made this incredibly difficult. Some companies don’t even let you buy products outright anymore (looking at you, Adobe and BMW heated seats). The best we can do is be aware of the game and play smart.

So, here’s a challenge:

• Audit your subscriptions, including all the magazines and digital apps.

• Cancel at least one today.

• Ask yourself—do you really need all of them?

Or, you know, just embrace the future where your house locks you out unless you renew your “Living Space Plus” plan.

This is what I think: Are We Just Paying to Exist?

The subscription economy was supposed to make life better, not turn us into modern-day serfs. Yet here we are, paying monthly for things we once owned outright. Maybe it’s time to take back control—before we’re charged a recurring fee just to sit on our own couch.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a fridge subscription to cancel before breakfast.

Would You Pay for a Subscription-Free Life?
Let me know in the comments: What’s the most ridiculous subscription you’ve come across?