Honestly, if you play only a few games a year on release through game pass, your subscription is worth it. Even with the price hike, it's a great deal. You can also refill your account with cheap 3-months Xbox Live Gold cards for like 10$ for 50 days of Ultimate. That's usually what I do and I'm good until 2025 so far and will keep doing it until I reach 3 years, which is the furthest you can go IIRC.