You’ve got a $200 scanner gathering dust. A $150 Fitbit you don’t wear. A $100/month cable bill for channels you don’t watch. Meanwhile, your phone can do all of it, better, and you’re already paying for it.
Here’s every piece of gear you can finally toss and the apps that replace them.
📄 Scanners: $0 vs. $200+
That bulky scanner taking up desk space? Your phone beats it.
Apple Notes (free, iOS): Notes has a built-in scanner. Open a note, tap the paper clip icon, choose Scan Documents. No extra app needed. Done.
Adobe Scan (free, iOS/Android): Point your camera at a document. It auto-detects edges, straightens, removes shadows and saves as a searchable PDF. Text recognition lets you search later.
📚 Audiobooks: $0 vs. $15/month
Don’t pay for Audible. Your library already bought you unlimited audiobooks.
Libby (free, iOS/Android): Links to your library card and gives you instant access to thousands of audiobooks and ebooks. I listened to seven books last year without paying a cent. Btw, if you don’t have a library card, Libby will get you one when you install the app.
Hoopla (free, iOS/Android): Same deal, different catalog. No holds, no waiting. Borrow instantly.
Cancel that $14.95 Audible subscription. That’s about $180 back in your pocket this year.
💪 Fitness trackers: $0 vs. $100-$400
Your phone tracks everything a wearable does, for free.
Google Fit (free, Android) / Apple Health (free, iOS): Automatically counts steps, distance, stairs climbed. Tracks workouts and sleep.
Strava (free with in-app purchases for iOS and Android): For runners and cyclists. GPS tracking and safety features are free.
Sure, you need to carry your phone, but you’re doing that anyway.
📺 Cable TV: $0 vs. $50-$150/month
Tubi (free, iOS/Android/Roku/Fire TV): 50,000+ movies and shows with ads.
Pluto TV (free, iOS/Android/Roku/Fire TV): Live TV channels covering news, sports, movies.
Local channels: Get a digital antenna. One-time cost, free local TV forever.
Cancel cable ($100/month × 12 months = $1,200). Buy an antenna (25% off, $30). You just saved $1,170. Nice.
📹 Security cameras: Free-ish vs. $100-$300
AlfredCamera (free with in-app purchases for iOS and Android) turns any old smartphone into a motion-detecting security camera. Download the app on your old phone and your current one, prop the old phone where you want to monitor, and you’ve got live viewing from anywhere.
Pro tip: If you’ve got an old Windows laptop collecting dust, Yawcam does the same thing. Completely free, no subscription, no catches. Sorry, no Mac version, folks.
🧮 The real savings breakdown
- Scanner: $200+ saved
- Audiobook subscription: $180/year saved
- Fitness tracker: $150+ saved
- Cable TV: $1,200/year saved
- Security camera: $200+ saved
Total: $1,930+ saved. You’re welcome.📤 Send this to the person who still drives to FedEx to scan documents. They need this reality check. Or use the share icons below to post it. Someone in your circle is about to save a grand or more this year.
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