In the current college landscape, everyone is always running out of money. Now that the University of Connecticut has hit midterm season, it’s likely many students have found that the money they set aside after completing their summer job just isn’t enough. For those that might need to cut back on expenses, there’s plenty of streaming options that won’t break your bank.
Firstly, for those who are unaware, Amazon Prime offers a student discount. You can get your first six months of Prime for free using just your student email address, and from then on, your Prime subscription is half the price.
If you’re planning on using your free Prime account for movie nights, the subscription also provides access to Grubhub+, which means there are no delivery fees.
Once your free six months of Prime are up, the subscription is $7.49 each month.
If staying up to date with the latest movies and shows isn’t a priority for you, there are plenty of indie streaming services out there, all with low subscription prices. My personal favorite, which has been steadily growing in size over the past few years, is Dropout.
Dropout provides a variety of shows, entirely produced and run by the company’s own hired crew and talent. Most of the shows themselves are related to improv and comedy in different settings, which includes a cooking show, a game show and Dungeons & Dragons gaming sessions.
Dropout’s actors all have comedic backgrounds, which ensures every episode of every show has something to smile about. If you’re interested in checking out what the service has to offer, it’s worth looking at the Dropout YouTube channel, where they post full episodes to give potential subscribers a chance to decide if they want to opt in.
In the event you don’t know where to start, Game Changer is arguably one of Dropout’s best shows. Run by the Dropout CEO, Sam Reich, a group of comedians are faced with an unorthodox game show with rules they weren’t told ahead of time. This has included a game of bingo using contestants as the bingo squares, a competition where the only people who earn points are those who place second and the world’s most difficult game of Simon Says.
Dropout currently costs $6.99 per month, and although the service has increased its price in the past, it also allows for legacy subscriptions. Those who previously bought the service when it was $5.99 or $4.99 still pay that same price.
Next up is Nebula, a unique streaming service in its own right. Nebula allows partnered creators to upload their content directly to the space, and as such many of these creators have a YouTube channel of their own, where you can see what their content is like.
As to what creators have to offer, one of the best shows I’ve seen in their catalog is Jet Lag: The Game, often shorted to “Jet Lag.”
Jet Lag is a travel-based game run by Sam Denby, Ben Doyle and Adam Chase, created by the group Wendover Productions. Each season of Jet Lag revolves around a different kind of game with a different kind of win condition, played using public transportation across entire countries.
In the past this has included a race to the most northern and most southern points of the United States, a game of hide and seek played throughout all of Switzerland and a game of tag played throughout Western Europe.
All of Jet Lag is available on the show’s YouTube channel for free, with episodes arriving a week early for Nebula subscribers, who also get access to the Jet Lag podcast, The Layover.
Nebula runs at just $6 a month, but given their partnerships with many YouTube creators, it’s possible to find a deal from your favorite influencer using a promo code.
For another streaming service in the same style of operation, gaming company Critical Role launched their service Beacon last year.
Critical Role is one of the most popular Dungeons & Dragons actual-play shows — meaning they record themselves playing Dungeons & Dragons and post it online. Much like other budget services, Critical Role was originally only operating on YouTube before beginning work on Beacon.
Critical Role now boasts a variety of shows, most related to the gaming space. They recently launched their new Dungeons & Dragons campaign on Thursday and are offering a free first month of Beacon for new subscribers in October, running at $5.99 per month afterward.
Outside of these streaming services, there are plenty of others out there for the financially stressed college student. Many of the most popular services have begun raising their prices, while smaller ones keep their costs down. But for those who want to cut out streaming entirely, there are always a variety of events happening on campus to fill your time.