Cutting the Digital Fat: My Weekend Spent Pruning Online Services
I’m Brian Olson, a cybersecurity professional with deep experience in DFIR and network forensics—currently working in Big Tech. My mission? To share hard-won lessons not just with fellow experts, but with anyone learning and growing in security—especially those in smaller companies without the resources or teams a massive enterprise has. I started blogging to break down real-world strategies, honest tool reviews, and battle-tested workflows in plain language. Whether you’re an underdog SOC analyst or a curious IT pro tackling security for the first time, my goal is to make the practical side of cybersecurity a little less overwhelming—and a lot more actionable. Expect guides that cut through the noise, resources that are actually useful at the keyboard, and stories that prove you don’t need a giant budget to make a real impact. You’ll also find my takes on personal finance, real estate, and anything that helps us level up—in and out of work. Let’s connect. We’re all in this together!
Let’s face it—as ops/cybersecurity professionals, we tend to accumulate and forget online subscriptions like they’re Pokémon. This weekend, I decided to confront the issue: what am I actually using, what’s just driven by FOMO, and what’s quietly draining my wallet while expanding my attack surface?
Scorecard: Services Kept vs. Chopped
Kept: Core Tools and Occasional Joys
| Service | Annual Cost | Notes |
| Google Fi | $600 | Might downgrade if I’m not traveling as much. |
| Amazon Ad-Free Video | $36 | Cheap and easy ad-free video, which I can enable/disable on a whim as needed (traveling). |
| Perplexity | $200 | Invaluable for research/ops efficiency. As Gemini grows this may end up being a swap but I do love Perplexity. |
| Amazon Prime | $139 | Shopping, streaming, and occasional tech deals. |
| Spotify | $99 | Could swap to YT Music next year to get YouTube ad free also; weighing value. |
| Microsoft 365 | $70 | Productivity, cloud—I absolutely need Powerpoint so there’s not really a choice here. I could buy the software but the storage is nice, though I did just buy a lifetime license to Internxt that may factor in next year. |
| Others (Oura, Fastmail, Trakt, etc.) | $20–$70 ea | Used regularly or improve daily life. |
Chopped: What Got the Axe and Why
| Service | Annual Cost | Why It’s Gone |
| Strava | $80 | Free tier ≈ everything I use, so bye for now. |
| Tesla Premium Conn. | $99 | Handy, but the car functions fine without it via bluetooth. |
| Monarch Money | $99 | Like it, but more informational than necessity after years of use. |
| YouTube Premium | $140 | Was redundant after keeping Spotify…which I just renewed. I don’t watch much Youtube so Spotify will remain until next year, then likely swapped out for this. |
| Netflix | $300 | Great, but not worth it for my low usage. I learned that I can do Amazon Prime Video ad-free for $3/mo. A swap here is a no-brainer. |
Surprises, Trends & Lessons Learned
Annual Cost Sat Higher Than Expected: Did the math—total recurring “online services” bill hit $2,400/year before cuts. That’s $200/mo…a real chunk of tech budget.
Redundancy Crept In: Had both Spotify and YouTube Premium. Killed one—plan to swap next time for more value.
Niche Services Add Up: Even a few $5/month utilities and “specialty” apps tally into real money over a year.
Security/Privacy Decides Some “Kept” Services: Fastmail, 1Password, M365 —no-brainers for someone in cybersecurity, but always revisited for alternative pricing.
Security Wins
Lowered Attack Surface: Closing unnecessary accounts means fewer breach alerts, less password rotation, and a tighter digital footprint.
Annual “Purge” Is a Must: This is going to be a yearly ritual. Next year: even more ruthless.
Results
By the end of the weekend, I had:
Reviewed all my paid and unpaid online services
Kept about a dozen truly valuable tools (see table)
Lowered my annual online service spend by ~$1,200
Cut my digital attack surface by closing accounts and eliminating duplicate logins
Closing Thoughts
Decluttering digital life is more than budgeting—it’s opsec in action. Tools and subscriptions should serve you…not the other way around. My advice: audit ruthlessly, and let the data (not nostalgia) decide.
