Universal Yums arrived today, too. This time it’s on Poland. There’s a map of landmarks/highlights in Poland. You can review the snacks on the other side. There are stickers again. There’s a booklet. It has a Spotify playlist, which will be interesting. A traditional breakfast is małdrzyki, which are white cheese pancakes. There’s a recipe for it. Lunch tends to be pierogis. Dinner is gołąbki or traditional Polish cabbage rolls filled with meat and rice. There’s a recipe for it. Dessert is makowiec, which is a poppy seed roll, and there’s a recipe for that, too. ‘Yum’ is usually pyszne, and pycha is a casual form. Mniam is like yum-yum. There’s trivia. There are snack descriptions. The Polish art of decorating eggs and a step-by-step guide on how to do it. Zalipie: The Painted Polish Village. There’s also nutrition facts and ingredients lists of all the snacks at the end. It looks like a good mix of snacks this time. I think Monster Munch was also featured in the Poland Treats box. I think I remember it being good. Ketchup chips sound good. I’ve heard of them, but don’t remember if I’ve had them before. Paprika chip sticks sound good. Not sure about mushroom cream flavored pretzels. The fruit of Africa gummies sound interesting. Cherries and chocolate are usually a winning combo. There’s also a gingerbread with lime filling and coated in white chocolate. That sounds like a weird combo. There are some little things in the teeny yum bag. I think one is a caramel, and another is a rum flavored chocolate candy.
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This spring, there are very special things to check out at my Substack site; There’s something special about it — the stories and other content I share, all made possible by visitors, followers, sharers, and subscribers. If you’d like to support original stories and more, visit and follow my Substack today, and if you like what you see, consider subscribing to my site with either a free or paid subscription! Here’s the link: https://jennwebster.substack.com/
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The next Universal Yums arrived. It’s on Brazil this time. There are stickers, a map with landmarks, review snacks on the other side, a booklet, and of course the snacks. The booklet first talks about what people usually eat for meals during the day. For instance, breakfast: coffee with bread and butter, cheese bread, or fruit. There’s a Spotify playlist. I haven’t gotten to that yet. That should be interesting. There’s trivia. As well as snack descriptions. 2 pages on Salvador, the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture. 2 pages on Brazil’s natural architecture. Recipe for acarajé with vatapá. 2 Brazilian street foods. Basically bean fritters stuffed with shrimp paste. Something I can’t have. Finally, they have nutrition facts and ingredients for all of the snacks. The snacks look interesting. Most of it looks quite different than the Treats’ Brazil box. Although, I recognized one thing is the same, but might be a different flavor. That being a type of popcorn. They use a different corn than ours. The texture’s unique. I liked it last time I had it.
For dinner last night, my parent made big beef hot dogs. They were so long that they didn’t fit in one bun. So, she split them in half and put them in 2 buns. She had broiled them. I like that it got a some char. I added tartar sauce, ketchup, and relish to one of them. It was really good. I could only eat that first half and bun. I had the other half/bun for lunch. It was still good.
The Cost of Convenience: How Subscription Services Are Draining Your Wallet by Onyekachukwu Blessing
Subscription services have become increasingly popular in recent years. They offer consumers a convenient and affordable way to access a wide variety of products and services, but they can also silently drain finances.
In this article, we’ll discuss how your quest for convenience is messing up your finances and offer practical tips that’ll help you regain your financial control.
Subscriptions can drain finaces. Image credit: freepik
What are subscription services?
A subscription service is a business model in which a customer pays a recurring fee to access a product or service. This fee can be monthly, quarterly, annually, or even daily.
These services typically charge a recurring monthly or annual fee, and they often provide access to a library of content, such as movies, TV shows, music, books, or software.
Examples include
Streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, and Apple Music
Fitness memberships: Planet Fitness, Gold’s Gym, and 24 Hour Fitness
Software subscriptions: Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office 365, and Google Workspace
News and magazine subscriptions: The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic
Cloud storage subscriptions: iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive
Advantages of subscription services?
Subscription services are popular because they offer several advantages over traditional ownership models.
First, they are convenient. Consumers can access content or services from a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers.
Secondly, subscription services are often more affordable than purchasing individual products or services.
And thirdly, subscription services offer a wide variety of choices, so consumers can find something that interests them.
The hidden costs of subscription services
While subscription services offer many advantages, there are also some hidden costs that consumers should be aware of.
First, subscription fees add up quickly. Consumers who have multiple subscription services may find that they are spending a significant amount of money each month.
Likewise, many subscription services charge hidden fees, such as late fees, cancellation fees, and price increases. These fees oftentimes catch consumers off guard and add to the overall cost of the service.
Also, some subscription services charge for shipping and other additional costs.
Study findings about subscription charges
A recent study conducted by CNBC found that subscription services are costing consumers more money than they realize.
A study by the WestMONROE recorded a substantial increase in subscription charges to $273, up from $237 in 2018. This includes everything from streaming services like Netflix and Spotify to fitness memberships and meal delivery kits.
Another study also found that 70% of Americans have at least three subscription services, and 20% have five or more. This means that the average American household is paying for a significant number of subscription services each month.
In addition to the monthly fees, the study found that there are also often hidden costs associated with subscription services. These include late fees, cancellation fees, and price increases.
A report by CBS News found that the average household pays an additional estimated $54 per year in hidden fees for subscription services.
This means that the total cost of subscription services is closer to $257 per month.
Review your subscription from time to time. Image credit: freepik
Recommendations for consumers
Following the reports above, subscription services are a major drain on household budgets.
It’s important for consumers to carefully review their subscription spending and cancel any services that they don’t use regularly.
It’s also important for consumers to be aware of hidden costs and factor them into their decision-making process.
As a consumer, you need to :
Create a budget for subscription services. This will help you track how much you are spending each month and identify areas where you can cut back.
Review your subscription services regularly. Are you using all of the services that you are paying for? If not, cancel them.
Be aware of hidden costs. Many subscription services charge late fees, cancellation fees, and price increases. Make sure you are aware of these fees before you sign up for a service.
Choose subscription services that offer a free trial. This will give you a chance to try out the service before you commit to paying for it.
Consider sharing subscription services with friends or family. This can help you save money on the cost of the service.
Final thoughts on 7 secrets to success for women
Subscription services are a convenient and affordable way to access a wide variety of products and services.
However, consumers should be aware of the hidden costs and carefully review their subscription spending for a secure financial future.
Save 50% More Money with These Apps and Platforms
Saving money can be difficult but there are several apps and platforms that can help you save money on everything from groceries to travel.
watch when they start adding ads to the current creator studio subscription and then introduce a higher priced tier promising no ads and exclusive features
Having a problem with my writing app subscription. Maybe I’ll rant about it later. So much for editing and posting today. I’m going to allow myself to catch up on January writing next month. While working on at least 2 writing events.
Someone tell me why I need a subscription to Microsoft just to use Word. I just needed to update my resume! No i dont wanna pay $10 a month just to never use the damn thing anyways!!!
will you resubscribe to your meme subscription for February?
because there are genuinely seasonal memes, and I don’t mean ones centered around holidays, I mean memes that are only funny in January February march etc, and they return every year pretty much without fail, it’s funny and confusing, because you also just forget about them until that month
I wish companies felt shame over creating and sharing a shitty, inferior product that is annoying on purpose unless you pay them for the “good” version.
When a business model reads exactly like organized crime, what are we even doing?!
My friend is having a baby and shes debating on the snoo but apparently it has a SUBSCRIPTION MODEL???????? this machine is $2000…. to rock your baby…. like under 6 months old…..im killing everyone if I see another subscription model.
YouTube TV to launch genre-based subscription plans in 2026
YouTube TV is launching more than 10 genre-specific channel packages in early 2026, the Google-owned company announced on Wednesday. The move will mark the first time YouTube TV breaks up its cable-like channel bundle. The new packages will give consumers more flexibility over the content that they want to pay for. The upcoming lineup of bundles includes one dedicated to sports that will include…
We’re one year into the experiment of running The Verge with subscriptions, and so far things are going quite well — but we’ve heard a lot of feedback so far, and we’ve got some exciting changes in store to try and make this thing even better. We hit our subscriber goals for 2025, and an astonishing 85 percent of you are choosing annual plans, which is the sort of durable, long-term relationship…
This month, you will unwrap a double dose of wild-west magic, starting with an exclusive embroidered t-shirt that debuts the newly updated Meowdy Y’all design. Yes, the legendary outlaw cat cowboy has returned, he’s bigger, badder, and so much cuter!
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Alongside your new favourite tee, you’ll also find a brand new art print featuring a badass cowgirl gunslinger who looks like she could out-shoot trouble and outride a storm without losing her hat. She’s fierce, stylish, and absolutely worthy of your wall.
If you’re part of the club, get ready, this month’s rewards are about to mosey into your mailbox, and if you’re not yet subscribed… well, partner, you might want to saddle up!
This month’s Universal Yums came today. It’s on Germany. There’s a sticker again. It has a flower, but it doesn’t look like the country’s flower. That’s the cornflower. There’s a map of featured places. On the other side are entries to review each snack. It says I could use “Wow, lecker!” (Wow, delicious!) “In Ordnung.” (Ok.) “Das ist schrecklich!” (That’s horrid!) There’s a Spotify list. Things people have for meals. There’s trivia. Also, snack descriptions. Recipes for schweinekotelett or breaded pork cutlet, and kartoffelsalat or potato salad. Can’t have the pork, but definitely could have the potato salad. It sounds good. There’s a section on Grimms’ Fairy Tales. There’s guessing sausages by connecting their pic to a letter. There are way too many sausages. They also have a column from one of the creators. She said this was their first country. Thought that was interesting. The last thing is nutrition facts and ingredients for each snack. That’s handy for me considering I count calories and like to see what’s in things. The snacks look really great this time! Some savory and some sweet ones. I like to see the savory stuff. I’m pretty excited about trying the bbq potato chips, pommes frites with ketchup, apple gummies, cherry chocolate, black currant waffle rolls, and brownie bites. Maybe the others will be good, too.
