💰How to save money on streaming services

Whoo, it’s Saturday, {{first_name | friend}}. Ever hear about a tech trend that mooooved from farms to fitness trackers? No, seriously, turns out one of today’s most popular wearables was originally developed for cows. Udderly wild, right?

🐮 Take a guess which gadget went from tracking bovine behavior to watching human hearts race (and sleep stats soar). Was it the … A) Fitbit, B) Apple Watch, C) WHOOP band or D) Oura Ring? The answer’s grazing at the end. 

🎁 Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card! I’ve hidden a question below. Find it, answer it correctly and you could score a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Hint: The question lives in today’s Deep Dive on streaming. Good luck! — Kim

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On my national radio show, I mentioned that the average American spends $110 a month on streaming subscriptions. Add in $80+ for decent internet, and suddenly cable doesn’t look so evil.

My inbox exploded: “Kim, how do I lower my streaming bill?”

The short answer: You’re paying for stuff you’re not even watching. Let’s fix that.

How many of these are you signed up for right now? Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Peacock, Prime Video ... and maybe a couple of sneaky ones like BritBox or Discovery+ you forgot about after a “free trial.”

Step 1: Check your bank or card statement for charges:

Step 2: Open your smart TV or phone. Which apps are collecting digital dust? If it’s been more than a month since you watched something, unsubscribe. Most services save your watch history, so you can pick up where you left off.

You’d be shocked how good free streaming is these days. Yeah, there are ads, but you don’t get a bill.

Which day of the week do people stream the most TV shows in the U.S.?

Think you know the answer? Click here to enter to win with your name, email address and your guess. It takes less than a minute, and you’ll be in the running to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card just for playing!

I’ll randomly choose 10 winners from all correct entries. If it’s you, that gift card could be in your inbox by this time next week. So don’t wait, get your answer in now!

Enjoy nature without turning your home into a campsite.

🐤 Smart bird feeder (44% off): Watch feathered friends in 2K day or night. The built-in AI IDs 10,000+ species for you.

Electric flyswatter (33% off): Rechargeable and fitted with a purple light that draws pests in. Way easier than clapping at thin air.

🚪 Magnetic screen door (15% off): Fresh air in, bugs out. Double-stitched mesh with 52 magnets snaps shut instantly.

Filtrete air filters (29% off, six-pack): Certified to help with asthma and allergies. Basically, a bouncer for your sinuses.

🫣 Portable blackout curtain (13% off): Blocks 100% light and UV rays. Comes with a travel bag to beat jet lag.

🏠 Click, shop, conquer: From cleaning supplies to DIY tools, check out my updated home helpers page on my Amazon storefront. 

🔑 You can’t predict the market, but you can protect your savings. I keep a portion of my own retirement in real gold and silver with Goldco. Right now, get up to 10% back in FREE silver when you open a qualified account.*

🕵️ Watch out for the AI scam surge: Phony apps are multiplying like gremlins. Triple on iOS, six-fold on Android. They mimic legit apps, steal logins, fake traffic and drown stores in bot-written reviews. Using AI, anyone with Wi-Fi and bad intentions can cook up a scam app. PSA: Only download apps that you know come from a legit source.

Chrome’s hungry upgrade: With Gemini baked in, Chrome grabs more mobile info than any other browser: name, location, purchases, your search history, etc. If you don’t like Google snooping, go to Activity controls and turn off “Web & App Activity.” Then, in Chrome Settings (three-dot menu) > You and Google > Sync and Google services, and disable the “Help improve Chrome’s features and performance” switch. I did.

🎰 Hacker hits the house: In 2023, a hacker group called Scattered Spider phished MGM’s IT desk on LinkedIn, then nuked slot machines, room keys and reservations from the inside. MGM lost over $100M refusing ransom. Caesars paid $15M. One of the hackers just turned himself in and, drumroll ... he’s a teenager! He’s facing six felony charges. 

Sell your data: A startup called Vana wants you to treat your personal data (Spotify plays, Netflix binges, LinkedIn stalking) as an asset you actually own. Their app acts like a wallet where you pool it with others, license it for AI training and get a cut. I say pass on this one.

☢️ Watts up? OpenAI locked in a deal with Nvidia to build AI infrastructure running on 10 gigawatts of GPUs. That’s about 10 nuclear reactors. Nvidia’s dropping up to $100B on the project going live in 2026.

🪐 Out of this world: NASA confirmed its 6,000th planet beyond our solar system. Lava worlds, Jupiter-size gas giants and even double-sun planets are straight out of Star Wars. Another 8,000 are waiting in line, and scientists think that within a decade, we’ll spot Earth-like worlds that could support life. Who knows, maybe even one with a Chili’s.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Windows folks, Ctrl + Shift + Esc. This instantly opens Task Manager, skipping that annoying Ctrl + Alt + Delete screen. Use it to see what’s hogging your system or to shut down frozen apps faster than you can say, “Why is Chrome using 2GB of RAM?”

📱 Fix misbehaving Android apps: If something keeps freezing or crashing, clearing its cache usually helps. Go to Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Storage & cache (or Storage), and tap Clear cache. Careful though: Don’t hit Clear data. That wipes your settings, logs you out and resets the app completely. Nice.

Hackers and data leaks are everywhere, and I don’t take chances. That’s why I use NordProtect. Shield your identity with dark web monitoring, browser protection and up to $1M in coverage for only $5.22/month. I switched from LifeLock and am saving over $200 a year!*

📦 Don’t let old gadgets collect dust: Amazon will happily take your old tablets, phones and smart speakers. Tell them the condition, and you get a gift card in return. Sweetener? Trade in Amazon gear like a Ring Camera and score 20% off a new device. Hoarding problem solved.

📵 Manage blocked contacts on iPhone: In iOS 26, find blocked numbers and emails in a new area. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Blocked Contacts for your full list. Tap any name to unblock, or Add Blocked Contact to type in a phone number or email address.

💾 Free up space on Windows: Low on storage? Clear out temporary files. Go to Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files, check what you don’t need, then hit Remove files. You might gain back a few gigabytes. FYI: Look inside your Downloads folder first. There might be something important in there.

Title theft is rising: Crooks can steal your home or equity in minutes with only a forged signature. I trust Home Title Lock to protect my property. Right now, get a FREE Title History Report plus a 14-day trial.*  

A note from me: Tech comes at you fast. Scams, hacks, AI, you name it. That’s why every week on my super radio show, I sift through the noise and pick the stories that matter most. The ones you need to know about. On this week’s show:

🎶 Yep, I’m singing on air: Roger Love, vocal coach to stars like Selena Gomez, Steve Carell and Bradley Cooper, takes me on as his project. No joke, I actually sing. Judge my pipes yourself (no Simon Cowell required). P.S. And he’s giving you a $50 coupon if you don’t like your voice. Check it out!

😱 Scary new scam warning: Ghost tapping. It lets thieves charge your card or phone while it’s still in your pocket. Watch my viral video before it happens to you. 

The airlines sold you out: Joseph Cox from 404 Media reveals how carriers handed 5 billion passenger records to the feds. No warrant required. Seriously, some great info you can’t miss in this podcast. 

💬 I want to speak with you. Got a burning tech question? Make an appointment to speak with me, and you could be featured on the show. Book your spot now.

Missed the show? No worries. Catch me here now. 

Meet the Furi Labs FLX1s. It’s a $550 Linux-powered smartphone that comes with three hardware kill switches. 

Flip one and the mic goes dark, flip another and both cameras are dead, flip the third and the modem/GPS goes offline entirely. 

It’s got all the stuff privacy hardos dream of, but the kicker is … it’s made in Hong Kong by a Hong Kong-based company. So yes, you can kill the mic, but can you kill the trust issues? Talk about a privacy paradox.

The answer: A) Fitbit. That’s right, its early tech was originally tested on dairy cows to monitor their health. So basically, your step goals? Straight from the pasture.
Moo-vement, indeed. Fitbit said, “If it works on Bessie, it’ll work on Becky.”

🤠 Just because… What do you call cows that have a sense of humor? Laughing stock. (lol, like me!)

This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the United States. Tomorrow you cannot afford to miss this. I’m giving you the keys to streamline your emotional over-functioning with GPT.

✌️ Remember, tech changes fast, but kindness, curiosity and doing your best never go out of style. You got this! — Kim

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Photo credit(s): ChatGPT, Furi Labs

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This newsletter and its content are intended for informational purposes only. They are provided without warranty of any kind. You shouldn’t construe anything provided here as legal, health, medical, technical, tax, investment, financial or any other kind of advice.

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