Fangs for Nothing: How to Find (and Slay) Your Vampire Expenses

A few weeks ago, I got excited about a new season of a show I love, went to watch it, and then realized I hadn’t cancelled the subscription. I’d meant to do it back in the spring, but life got busy and I never followed through. So for months, a service I wasn’t using kept billing me without me noticing.

That’s what I call a vampire expense. It’s small, easy to forget, and tends to stick around long after it stops giving you anything in return.

Before we go any further, I want to make something clear: this isn’t an article about being bad with money. It’s not really about money at first. It’s about attention. Most of us don’t overspend on purpose; we just aren’t paying close attention. Subscriptions, memberships, and auto-renewals are made to be easy to forget. That’s not a personal failing. That’s just how automatic billing works.

What actually counts as a vampire expense

The obvious ones are subscriptions like streaming platforms, apps, a subscription box you signed up for during a “treat yourself” moment eight months ago. But the sneakier version is the one that feels justified: the membership you keep telling yourself you’ll use more.

I’ll use myself as an example, since I’d rather go first. I have a Pilates membership that I pay for every month, but this month, I only went once. If I calculate the cost per visit, it’s not really a wellness investment anymore. It’s more like a monthly payment to a studio I barely use.

There’s no need to feel bad about it. It’s just information. Once you know, you can make a real choice instead of letting it happen by accident.

How to find yours

You don’t need to do a full financial audit for this. That kind of big, all-or-nothing project can make people want to avoid checking their accounts at all. Instead, just look at your last two or three months of statements and scan for anything that shows up regularly. That’s all. You’re not reviewing your whole financial life, just looking for patterns.

As you go, ask each recurring charge three questions:

Do I use it?

Not just “did I use it once” or “I might use it someday.” Have you actually used it recently?

Do I value it?

Some things earn their spot even if you don’t use them constantly. A once-a-month therapy app check-in might matter more to you than a daily-use grocery delivery service. Value isn’t only about frequency.

Would I sign up for it again today, knowing what I know now?

This is the real test. If your answer is yes, keep it and don’t feel guilty. If you hesitate, pay attention to that feeling.

What to actually do with what you find

Here’s the part I really want you to remember: finding a vampire expense doesn’t say anything bad about your character. It doesn’t mean you’re careless with money. It just means you’re busy and using services that are made to be easy to forget.

So once you’ve found one:

• If it’s a clear no — cancel it. You don’t need to feel bad about it, and you don’t need to justify it to anyone but yourself.
• If it’s a “maybe,” like my Pilates membership, you don’t have to decide right away. Try a smaller commitment first, like buying a class pack instead of a membership, pausing instead of cancelling, or checking in with yourself again in 30 days.
• If you decide to keep something, really let it be kept. This isn’t about cutting everything to the bare minimum. It’s about making sure what you pay for is something you’d choose again.

And whatever money you free up, even if it’s just $15 a month, give it a purpose. Put it toward a savings goal, a debt payment, or simply a bit more room in your budget. Small, forgotten charges add up over time. If you redirect them, they can help you just as much.

You don’t need a complete financial makeover to do this. All it takes is ten honest minutes with your statement and the willingness to ask yourself a few simple questions. No shame needed.