Too Many Subscriptions?

 

I typically don't do anything 1/2 way. I'm either all in, or all out. Found a sweater I like? And it comes in 5 colors!? I'll buy all 5! Pasta comes in 10 flavors? I'll buy one of each. So it's no surprise, I probably spend more annually on my genealogy addiction than the average person. 

For me, it's about the who, what, where, why, when and how of my ancestors. To bring people to life, I need lots of information. Will I be able to find something interesting on everyone? Certainly not! Will I find all the answers I'm looking for? Sadly, the answer is also no. But do I have the potential to discover something really interesting about just a few people? No matter what sites we're using, or how much (or little) we invest monetarily to do it, I'd like to think we all have the potential to discover something wonderful and interesting in our trees if we put in the effort!

Subscriptions are my kryptonite! Sometimes I question if I have too many. But then I tell myself, "Nah...all those subscriptions probably cost less than one annual vacation or in-person research trip". While that's probably true enough, I still ask myself, do I need or even use information from all those sites? The answer is ever changing and moves in waves. Some months, I don't go to a site at all. Other times, I wander over and kick my foot against my brick walls for hours on end, searching through various record sets for any tidbit or morsel. And sometimes, I'm on a quest for a specific piece of information, and I just want to have all the resources I may want to use at my fingertips. For me, the comfort is knowing I have the option to go search through databases and records whenever I want. Is it the best use of my funds? I'm sure some would argue it's not. But, I find great happiness and satisfaction in genealogy and researching my family's past -  so for me, it's money well spent. 

I'm all for a good sale, don't get me wrong! But I also realize companies are in business to make money. If they aren't doing so, they won't be around very long. I'm okay paying for subscriptions. It costs money for companies to obtain access to record sets, and to make those records available to us. Developing new DNA, tree and photo tools costs money too. Occasionally, I do enjoy finding a little savings here and there, but I don't go to great lengths to find them. It's much the same as I feel about software. It costs money to develop and maintain programs users (including genealogists and family historians) depend on for their daily tasks. I personally feel supporting those companies who make my joys possible is important. I like the convenience, and I want them to be around for years to come. 

So what sites do I subscribe to? Hang on! It's a long list!

1. Ancestry (World Explorer) - where I do the bulk of my research and keep my public tree
2. MyHeritage (Complete subscription)
3. FindMyPast (Premium) 
4. 23andMe+
5. Newspapers.com (Publisher's Extra)
6. Genealogybank
7. NewspaperArchive (includes access to Storied)
8. Billion Graves 
9. Accessible Archives (lots of exclusive content)
10. GEDmatch (Tier 1)
11. DNA Painter 
12. National Genealogical Society (NGS) 
13. American Ancestors - New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) - they have an impressive collection of third party research databases
14. Geneabloggers (resources for genealogy bloggers)

Researching your family history can range from free (if you're willing to put the extra time it takes) to very expensive (if you go on family heritage vacations, or do a lot of in person research trips).  There are certainly ways to keep costs manageable by utilizing sales, discount codes or taking advantage of month to month subscriptions as needed Each of us has different needs and wants when it comes to what we can afford and what we're willing to spend. Chime in on my social media and let me know what subscription sites are your "must haves".

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay