Python Automation ROI: How I Replaced $400/Month in SaaS Tools With Free Scripts

Every freelancer and small business owner is paying for tools they do not need. Here is exactly what I replaced and how.

The SaaS Tax

Before automation, my monthly SaaS bill was:

Mailchimp: $99/month (email marketing)

Calendly Pro: $12/month (scheduling)

FreshBooks: $55/month (invoicing)

Zapier: $49/month (automation)

Airtable: $24/month (database)

Total: $239/month = $2,868/year

Now: $0/month (except hosting at $5/month).

Mailchimp Replacement (Python + Gmail)

import smtplib , csv , time from email.mime.text import MIMEText from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart

def send_newsletter ( csv_file , subject , html_body , sender , password ): smtp = smtplib . SMTP ( ' smtp.gmail.com ' , 587 ) smtp . starttls () smtp . login ( sender , password )

with open ( csv_file ) as f : subscribers = list ( csv .…