Things Our Family Subscribe To
Yes, Netflix is one of them, just like millions of other people do on this planet, haha.
Just like how your bank makes your life easier by offering automatic bill payments, subscriptions make it easy to have things that you need on a regular basis, without interruptions. After some trial and error, here are what we settle on:
For the kids: Get Epic and The Week Junior subscriptions
Get Epic is basically your library on a constant supply of Energizer batteries powered by your Visa payments. I started my kids about two years ago and they read so much in addition to the physical books we get at the library and the occasional book splurge at Barnes & Noble. They offer a free basic subscription with one book access daily, but who are we kidding? Can a kid stop after reading just one fascinating book? This is a smart way to get parents to buy the annual subscription at $80 per year. I think it’s money very well spent. Book reading for kids = always a yes.
The kids read almost everything they see, particularly my older one. We like this magazine, which covers various topics suitable for kids, and adults too! I read it every week as well and gain new knowledge. Who knew that in some parts of the world, elephant dung is used to create paper?
For me: Rakuten Viki subscription.
For Asian drama lovers, though Netflix collection is growingly expanding, it’s essential to get the Rakuten Viki subscription. Drama and films not on Netflix usually can be found here.
For hubby: ESPN+
Do I need to say more? He’s usually happy crashing on the couch with a can of beer.
Other paid subscriptions for the family: Disney+, New York Times, Simply Piano, and Chess.com
Simply Piano is a great way to unwind and actually feel accomplished at the same time. It makes learning piano easier for everybody. Astonishingly, kids learn much faster and easier than adults. My older one actually prefers using regular sheet music books, but it’s fun to learn new songs with the app.
Chess.com is an easy way to improve your chess skills at home anytime. My older one has been using the app for the past year and he’s enjoying it. He recently got second place in his chess club!
Free subscriptions: Lego magazine and our local libraries
The kids get Lego magazine delivered five times a year free of charge, though I know that this is a smart marketing move by the giant Lego corporation to get kids to play more Lego. Our kids have been playing Lego since they were two years old, starting with the big blocks, then on to Lego Duplo. Now they’re into the small pieces of bricks with complicated mechanisms, gadgets, and bots with technical parts. I’m not complaining. They are already better engineers at their age now than me at my age.
