Last Tuesday, I finally did what I’d been avoiding.
Dreading, actually.
I exported my credit card statements and tallied up every recurring software charge.
The number? $847 per month.
I stared at my screen. That’s more than half my mortgage payment.
For software.
Me, a solo entrepreneur scraping to bootstrap a business, supposedly using these tools to “save time” and “scale efficiently.”
Here’s the thing: I actively used maybe four of them.
The rest sat there like expensive ghosts, silently draining my account while doing absolutely nothing.
The $29/Month Lie That’s Bleeding You Dry
You know the drill. It’s 10 PM. You’re exhausted from juggling client work, scrolling X, when someone shares that thread about an incredible AI writing tool.
*“Just $29/month!”* they promise. “Watch your productivity 20x!”
Your tired brain runs the numbers: $29? That’s one overpriced cocktail. Easy.
Click. Subscribe.
Next week? Social media scheduler. “Only $19!”
Then project management. “Just $39!”
Suddenly you’re funding:
Three AI writing assistants (why three?)
Two project management platforms
Four analytics tools
Two email automation services
A graveyard of “lifetime deals”
Ring any bells?
The SaaS industry has this down to a science. They’re not selling software—they’re dealing hope in $29 hits.
The Real Cost of Your “Cheap” Tools
Here’s my $847 monthly disaster, itemized:
AI & Writing Tools: $187/month
Jasper AI: $49 (used twice in six months)
Copy.ai: $35 (completely forgot this existed)
Grammarly Premium: $30 (easily replaceable with ChatGPT)
ChatGPT Plus: $20 (essential, no regrets)
Three mystery AI tools I have zero memory of buying
Project Management: $149/month
Monday.com: $39
Notion: $10
ClickUp: $25 (seriously, why three PM tools?)
Todoist Premium: $5
Various other “productivity” nonsense
Email & Automation: $198/month
ConvertKit: $79 (for my massive empire of 312 subscribers)
Mailchimp: $45 (zombie subscription from 2022)
Zapier: $49 (used 2% of its features)
ActiveCampaign: $25 (that “free trial” that wasn’t)
Analytics & SEO: $163/month
Ahrefs: $99 (logged in quarterly, if that)
SEMrush: $45 (because apparently Ahrefs wasn’t enough?)
Random tracking tools tracking nothing
Misc “Productivity” Tools: $150/month
Scheduling apps, form builders, social media dashboards—death by a thousand $10-30 cuts
The global SaaS market hit $209.95 billion in 2024.
I single-handedly contributed at least 0.0000001% of that.
The Psychology of SaaS Accumulation (How They Farm Us)
Here’s the dirty secret: SaaS companies aren’t competing with each other.
They’re farming us.
They know you won’t cancel. Why?
The Someday Syndrome: “But what if I need it next month?”
Sunk Cost Theater: “I spent three hours setting up those automation rules…”
Friction by Design: Good luck finding that cancel button.
The Shame Game: Admitting defeat stings more than the monthly charge.
Joanne Chu, a SaaS management expert, puts it diplomatically:
“Organizations harness the full potential of their investments by avoiding financial and operational pitfalls through optimization practices.”
Translation? Most of us are getting absolutely fleeced.
The Day I Snapped (And Built Something Better)
Three months ago, that $847 hit different.
I wasn’t just mad at Big SaaS — I was furious with myself.
Then it clicked.
Wait. I can code. I know APIs.
Why am I buying generic solutions for my specific problems?
That weekend, I found n8n.
Open-source automation platform.
Think Zapier, except you host it yourself and pay exactly nothing after setup.
First revelation: Most SaaS tools? Pretty wrappers around basic functions you can build in an afternoon.
Second revelation: Custom automation doesn’t just save money—it works better because it’s yours, built for your exact chaos, not some theoretical average user.
The 3 Workflows That Murdered 12 Subscriptions
Workflow 1: The Content Machine
Killed: Jasper AI, Copy.ai, Buffer, Later, plus two posting tools ($171/month)
What it actually does:
Grabs my half-coherent Notion notes
Feeds them to Claude API for polish
Formats for each platform automatically
Posts on schedule
Dumps performance data in a Google Sheet
Build time: 4 hours
Monthly damage: ~$20 in API calls
Workflow 2: The Email Empire
Killed: ConvertKit, Mailchimp, two form builders ($169/month)
The replacement:
Manages subscribers in my database (mine!)
Fires personalized emails through SendGrid
Custom signup forms that don’t suck
Segmentation that makes sense
Complete data control
Build time: 6 hours
Monthly damage: ~$15 for SendGrid
Workflow 3: Analytics Command Center
Killed: SEMrush, various trackers, premium analytics ($145/month)
Now it:
Yanks data from Google Analytics, Search Console, social platforms
Merges everything into one dashboard
Shoots me weekly reports on stuff that matters
Screams when something’s weird
Build time: 8 hours
Monthly damage: $0 (free APIs!)
Massacre total: $485/month eliminated
New reality: ~$35/month
In my pocket: $450/month (*$5,400/year!*)
But What About Security? (Yeah, I Know)
“Cool story, but what about security vulnerabilities in your janky DIY setup?”
Fair. But here’s the reality—SaaS companies get pawned all the time. Difference with custom solutions?
You own the security
You’re not a juicy target with millions of records
You implement exactly what you need
Your data lives in your house, not twenty different corporate basements
My protocol:
n8n on a locked-down VPS
Environment variables for secrets
2FA on everything breathing
Encrypted backups
Obsessive log monitoring
Perfect? Nope.
Better than spreading your digital DNA across twenty companies? You bet.
The Path Forward: From SaaS Slave to Automation Master
Hard truth: The SaaS subscription model exists to vacuum maximum cash from solopreneurs while delivering minimum value.
The future isn’t finding the perfect SaaS. It’s building exactly what you need. Nothing more.
Your escape plan:
Audit everything NOW
Export those statements
List every recurring vampire
Note last login date
Find the overlap
Which tools are basically twins?
What features do you actually touch?
What’s essential vs. “nice to have but never have”?
Start small
Pick ONE workflow
Try n8n, Make.com, or raw Python
Build, break, rebuild
Think builder, not buyer
You don’t need every feature
Custom beats generic
Your workflow is weird—embrace it
The SaaS industry needs you to believe you’ll fail without them.
Reality? You need exactly what serves your specific madness.
And that’s something you can build in a weekend.
What’s your SaaS horror story? How much are you burning monthly on digital dust? Drop it in the comments—misery loves company.