> Five dollars a month for the rest of my life is not "cheap".

It's not five dollars a month for the rest of your life though. It's five dollars a month for as long as you want to listen to music on Spotify without ads...

> Frugal people look at the total cost of a loan, not just the monthly payment.

It's not a loan.

$1,200 for 20 years of music, updated constantly. Still seems cheap.

Less than 5 grand for a literal life time of music.