Streaming prices hit new highs this week, and the forecast calls for even more price hikes. 

Disney ratcheted up the monthly price for ad-free Disney+ to $14 and ad-supported Disney+ to $8. 

The cost of Hulu leapt to $18 for the ad-free service and $8 for ad-supported.

What’s more, Netflix will likely raise the price of its ad-free streaming service after the Hollywood actors strike ends, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The current round of price increases signals once and for all that the era of cheap streaming has come to an end. 

Welcome to streaming inflation.

Consumer research group J.D. Power surveyed U.S. adults and found that 6 in 10 had at least four streaming services. The average household reported spending $54 a month on streaming in July 2022. That’s actually down from $55 in June 2021.

How can you keep a lid on your streaming budget? Here are some tricks to saving money.

Subscribe to fewer streaming services

Make a complete list of all the streaming services you subscribe to and eliminate any you are not watching. Get into the habit of taking stock of your streaming services each month to see if they are all still worth paying for. Keep your eyes peeled for price increases. 

Subscribe to ad-supported plans

If you don’t mind commercials, ad-supported plans are much cheaper. For example, Hulu with commercials is $8 a month vs. $18 a month.

Binge and purge

Watch one or two services at a time, binge away and then hop over to a new service or two.

Hunt for streaming deals

You may be eligible for free or discounted streaming subscriptions that are bundled with your other services. For example, many mobile carriers offer discounts on streaming services or give them away with some plans. 

Streaming services also make limited-time offers. Look out for those discounts, particularly around Black Friday. Also check out services like Rakuten that have cash-back offers.

Check out free streaming options

There are a number of free streaming services with commercials like Freevee, which is owned by Amazon, Pluto TV and Tubi. 

Share passwords and accounts with friends and family

The industry is starting to crack down but you can still share passwords on many services.

Take advantage of free trials

Streaming services usually have free trials where you can try out the service for seven days. 

Hook up an old-school antenna

Get an indoor antenna and feast on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC plus PBS, Telemundo and digital subchannels. 

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