The Daily Valet. - 12/12/22, Monday
✔️ Do You Know How Many You Have?
Monday, December 12th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Is ‘White Lotus’ the closest thing we have to appointment viewing in the streaming era?
Today’s Big Story
Runaway Subscriptions
Consumers spend way more each month on subscriptions than they realize
Do you really know how many subscription services you use? Honestly, I tried to count them all up and it's a lot—everything from music and movie streaming to Substacks to my moisturizer and coffee is subscribed. And I'm sure I've forgotten a few.Because we all have a lot of them. According to the Wall Street Journal, while most consumer habits are reverting back to normal, spending on subscriptions has remained well above pre-pandemic times. Yes, it's because we enjoy them. But we also give into those tempting free trials, and then forget to cancel them. (Have you canceled your Lensa app trial, yet?)A recent survey found that Americans often (and sometimes severely) underestimate their monthly subscription spending. As of 2021, 100% of respondents were unaware of what they actually spent on subscriptions, with consumers actually spending 3.4 times more than what they guessed. Nearly 15% of respondents were off by more than $400 a month.Research by fintech startup Hiatus found more than 70% of consumers continued paying for unwanted subscriptions because they simply forget to cancel before the trial ended. About a fifth of people said they continued subscribing to things they didn't even want because it took too much effort to cancel the services.On the other hand, gyms—which are fundamentally subscription businesses—still haven't fully recovered. About a third of gym goers haven't returned since quitting during the pandemic. That illustrates the other side of the category's stickiness: Once you go to the trouble of cancelling, you don't often rush back.
FYI:
Want to get a better grip on how much you're spending? It's worth considering apps like Truebill or Mint, which allow you to track your subscriptions all in one place.
Major Winter Storm Threatens Much of U.S.
Bringing heavy snow, rain and wind that will slowly track across the country
A powerful winter storm crashed across the West on Sunday, bringing heavy snow and rain, battering ski lifts and closing mountain highways. The heaviest snow was in the Sierra Nevada and Northern California, where forecasters said snowfall rates of three inches per hour were expected to cause “nearly impossible travel” conditions.The storm will continue across the West while “developing into a possible blizzard” in the coming days, the National Weather Service warned. The system was forecast to sweep across a wide swath of the nation from Colorado to Minnesota on Monday through Wednesday, with driving snow, high winds and freezing rain.According to Axios' Andrew Freedman, “by the time this storm system moves off the East coast at the end of this week, it will have dumped a foot or more of snow across at least a half dozen states, spawned tornadoes in the South, and acted as a kickoff event to rearranging the jet stream to ensure a colder, snowier finish to December.” So ... we got that going for us.
Cops Crack Down on Lazy Scrapers
Driving a Car Covered in Snow Can Lead to a Chilling Fine, So Stop Doing It
Speaking of snow, I haven't lived in a climate that gets the white stuff in over a decade, but I still shutter at the memories of scraping my car's windshield in the dead of winter. And I'll blame it on the recklessness of youth that often, I'd scrape a little porthole and simply try to drive peering out the small patch of clear glass.But you definitely don't want to do that. Not only is it lazy and dangerous, but it could cost you—a lot. First off, if snow or ice comes off your vehicle and causes an injury or accident for another driver, you can be liable.According to Car & Driver, more and more police are ticketing those who haven't properly cleared their vehicles this winter. Just last week, Washington state troopers showed a vehicle they pulled over for reckless driving. And states are cracking down with serious snow removal laws that come with fines starting at $50, but can reach up to $1,500.
Expert Tip:
Want to de-ice your windshield fast? Fill a spray bottle with two parts rubbing alcohol and one part tap water. Spray the mixture on the glass and the ice will start melting immediately. Scrape off any excess.
Sonos and Ikea Team Up Again
The floor lamp speaker could be perfect for surround sound
It's been more than three years since Sonos and Ikea released the first two speakers in their collaborative Symfonisk line (the name means “symphony” in Swedish). The collection included a bookshelf speaker and a table lamp speaker; both of which worked just like Sonos speakers, but were more affordable and designed to blend into your home.Since then, there have been other speakers added to the line-up, but the latest has people talking. It's a new floor lamp speaker hybrid that will be released next month. The $260 price makes it the most expensive speaker in the Symfonisk line, but it does have some advantages.According to The Verge, the long legs put the speaker at an ideal height to be used for surround sound. But, of course, you'll need two lamps for that. And with all that space between the legs, I think they missed the mark by not adding a shelf.
FYI:
The Ikea catalog goes out to over 180 million people in 29 different languages annually.
In Other News
Experts are calling it ‘Firmageddon’.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona Said She's No Longer a Democrat and People on Twitter Had a Lot to Say About It
Have you heard about ...
Your December Reading List
This month’s new releases range from historical fiction to apocalyptic adventure tales
If you're looking for something good to read during your holiday break, we've got a handful of solid options for you. December's recommended books offer some unique escapes to take you out of the ordinary.
By: Lily Brooks-DaltonOut: Now available
You’ll be hearing about this one, I think. Brook-Dalton—author of the critically-acclaimed Good Morning, Midnight—is back with another literary apocalyptic tale. This time, the story takes place in Florida of the near-future, where the land is slowly being destroyed and isolated by extreme weather and climate change. We follow our heroine as she moves from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization.
By: Cormac McCarthyOut: Now available
At 89, Pulitzer Prize–winning McCarthy is still a literary lion. This book is a close companion to his October novel The Passenger, although each focuses on a different sibling. This story starts out with 20-year-old Alicia Western admitting herself to the hospital with forty thousand dollars in a plastic bag. It’s an intimate portrait of grief and longing—told entirely through the transcripts of Alicia’s psychiatric sessions, it makes for quick and interesting reading.
By: Resoketswe Martha ManenzheOut: December 13th
This debut novel follows a mixed-race South African family in the 1920s blown apart by the Immorality Act, which essentially criminalized interracial relationships. Alisa, a Black woman; her white husband, Abram; and their daughters soon come under scrutiny when a government worker comes to verify their marriage certificate. As a result, Alisa makes a rash decision that threatens the family’s future.
By: David RobertsOut: December 13th
Want something historical, snowy and action-packed? Roberts chronicles a harrowing journey in 1930 by a little-known 23-year-old British explorer with odd charisma and an insatiable hunger for treacherous adventures. He was chosen to set up a weather station in a remote part of Greenland’s ice caps. This book retraces the harrowing journey along with an even more adrenaline-pinching rescue mission that followed in its wake.
Shopping
What We’re Buying
An AirTag Multi-Tool
This isn't the first AirTag keychain, but it's probably the best ($34.99). A durable stainless steel alloy body securely holds the AirTag while the rest serves as a lightweight multi-tool with nearly a dozen different uses. Of course, there are hex wrenches and a bottle opener built in, but there's also a handy phone stand, along with a bike tool and carabiner. Basically any and everything you might need, in a compact and stylish keychain that ensures you never misplace your keys ever again.
Want More?
The five stylish items you should buy this week.
Morning Motto
Set your mind right.
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