December is just around the corner. The scent of the holidays is in the air, travel plans are being drafted, but often there is one thing holding us back from hitting that "Book" button: Budget.

We often think that to have a nice vacation, we need to find a huge extra income or drastically cut our daily food budget. In reality, there is "surprise money" that we actually already own, but it scatters away every month without us noticing.

That money is hiding inside our smartphones. Yes, we're talking about digital subscription fees.

Let's do some quick math. This might surprise us.

Simple Math: Where is Our Money Leaking?

Let's check our bank statements. How much do we spend on digital entertainment each month if we subscribe individually at full price?

• Netflix Premium (4K): Around Rp186,000
• Spotify Premium: Rp79,900
• YouTube Premium: Around Rp59,000
• Total: Rp324,900 per month.

In a year, we spend Rp3,898,800 just for these three apps. That's nearly 4 million rupiah! That's equivalent to a return flight ticket from Jakarta to Japan (on promo) or a luxurious multi-day staycation in Bali.

Unfortunately, most of us pay that full price even though we don't maximize the features (for example, the Netflix Premium plan is actually for 4 screens, but we use it alone).

The "Sharing" Strategy for Holiday Funds

This is where the concept of subscription sharing through JoinBareng becomes our holiday budget lifesaver.

By switching from individual subscriptions to shared (Family/Group) subscriptions managed securely on JoinBareng, the numbers change drastically:

• Netflix Premium (via JoinBareng): Starts from ~Rp35,000 - Rp45,000
• Spotify Family (via JoinBareng): Starts from ~Rp20,000
• YouTube Premium (via JoinBareng): Starts from ~Rp15,000
• New Total: Around Rp80,000 per month.

The Savings: Rp324,900 - Rp80,000 = Rp244,900 per month.

Multiply that Rp244,900 by 12 months. We just "found" Rp2,938,800 a year. No extra work, no cutting back on good food. Just by changing how we subscribe.

Securing the Budget Without Guilt

Often, when trying to save for a holiday, we feel we have to "fast" from entertainment. "Stop watching movies for now, I'm saving up," we think.

That mindset is torture. With JoinBareng, we don't have to sacrifice our access to entertainment. We can still watch the latest series in 4K resolution, still listen to ad-free songs, but at a sensible price.

This is the definition of smart spending. We get the same quality for a quarter of the price. The rest of the money? Straight into the holiday savings pot.

That dream vacation is actually closer than we think. It's not blocked by a salary that isn't big enough, but is often eroded by small, inefficient expenses.

Don't let nearly 4 million rupiah evaporate to giant tech companies every year. Take back control of our money.

Let's start auditing our subscriptions today. Switch to the sharing method, and see how fast our holiday savings grow.