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Looking for ways to cut back on your expenses and save more? These quick money saving tips will get you thinking about the things you purchase on a day to day basis.
10 Things I Quit Buying To Save Money
When I became a Stay At Home Mom 10 years ago I would spend hours scouring the internet looking for ways to save money.
We were dirt poor with a brand new baby and now that I was staying home it was my responsibility to make all the little dollars we had work for us.
When you really start to look at your spending habits it can be sickening to see how much money is easily wasted on things that we really don’t need.
Even the things that we do need there are often alternatives that can be more affordable for us but we merely look over them due to the convenience and comfort those things bring us.
If you aren’t quite sure where to start and are in need of a little inspiration look no further. Here are 10 things I quit buying to save money.
Cable TV
This was one of the very first BIG sacrifices we made in order to save money almost 7 years ago. We were paying well over $100 a month for cable that we weren’t even watching the majority of the time and when we were watching it we were really only interested in a handful of channels.
This made it absolutely stupid to continue paying for it. Surprisingly we haven’t missed it as much as we thought we would and the savings because of it has been incredible over the last few years.
At the time we decided to cut the cord there weren’t as many options as there are today for cable alternatives. Recently, we discovered Philo.
Philo is just like cable. Seriously, you can stream live tv from your home or phone with the same channels that you already know and love.
This service has been great because it feels just like cable minus the crazy high bill. For $20 a month it’s a great alternative to TV especially if the selection on other services isn’t doing it for you.
Paying Full Price For Food/Necessities
Anytime I notice someone paying for groceries full price it hurts. My #1 rule is to never ever pay full price anything and yes, that even includes groceries.
My best tip for combatting the need to pay full price is to build a stockpile. Building a stockpile doesn’t mean that you need to have 30 million rolls of toilet paper.
No. In fact building a modest stockpile of only 2-3 extras per item will keep you from paying full price (and running out) on your everyday needs.
While I do love and cherish my stockpile I still don’t want to build that stockpile by paying full price either. That’s why for me having good money saving apps are super important.
I have been using ibotta for many years and is still one of my favorites to this day. It’s so easy to earn back cash on everyday items you were already planning on purchasing.
But lately, my newest obsession has been Fetch Rewards. Fetch rewards is hands down one of the easiest apps to use. You don’t have to search for available offers, you don’t have to watch ads in order to add offers and you definitely don’t need to clip coupons.
All you have to do is scan your receipt. ANY receipt and you will earn points. Points can be redeemed for gift cards for places like Target, Walmart & Starbucks. Trust me when I say the points add up quickly. In my first few days, I was able to grab a $20 gift card.
Disposable Products
If you are purchasing things that you are throwing away on a regular basis it’s more than likely costing you a lot of money.
Paper towels, plates, and cups are probably obvious but even things like sandwich and snack bags I stopped buying for the kids’ school lunches.
2 years ago I purchased these lunch containers when my oldest son went to first grade and I absolutely love them. For leftovers or food storage buying reusable food containers like these will save you more money than buying paper or plastic products which can get gross quickly.
Convenience Food
For one reason or another kids are automatically drawn to the cute individually packaged food items and I will admit sometimes it’s nice to have on hand for running errands or snack time at school.
Financially, however, they made absolutely no sense for us to continue buying. Individually packaged items can be 2 or 3 times more expensive than buying the regular sized box and you end up getting a lot less food too.
It didn’t just stop there. I also stopped purchasing any pre-packaged items that were easy and cheaper to make myself like pancake mix, chicken nuggets, pizza etc. Finding ways to duplicate your convenience food favorites helps too like this uncrustables sandwich cutter. I can now make a batch of these for the freezer and the kids don’t miss a thing.
Related: How To Stop Spending Money On Fast Food When You’re Broke
Cleaning Products
Okay, so I didn’t stop buying cleaning products altogether but limiting yourself to a few really good cleaning products is not only good for your wallet but under your sink as well.
With tons of products on the market, it’s easy to get wrapped up in all the different promises and claims and before you know it you have a cabinet full of cleaning products that most of them you will never use. What a waste right?
I started sticking to a few really good things that I love, and those things can clean everything and anything around the house.
High End Makeup
There used to be a time where I was a huge Benefit makeup lover and swore to myself that I would never ever go back to drugstore makeup again. But after having 3 kids it just isn’t sustainable anymore to be buying on a regular basis. I’ve realized lately how many good makeup products there are at the drugstore and that it’s not an end all be all If I cant have a full face using high end makeup.
Iced Coffee
Iced coffee used to be one of my weaknesses. If I could drink an iced caramel macchiato every day from Starbucks I would. Those things are my jam.
But as much as I love them they just weren’t in the budget to keep buying them. Instead, I bought a cold brew carafe so that I could make my own iced coffee at home rather than buying premade cold brew or espresso at the store.
Since I started making my own cold brew at home one batch can last me up to 2 weeks in the fridge. That is a lot of iced coffee. Talk about an incredible savings!
Clothes
When it comes to my own clothes I flat out just don’t buy them anymore unless I absolutely need to replace an item or there is a really really good reason I need something.
Getting sucked into store sales hypes are easy to do and I’ve been guilty of that time and time again. I always make sure that when I do buy clothes that I am buying things that can go together with multiple different pieces so it feels like I have completely different outfits without needing a bunch of different items.
Related: How To Stop Spending Money On Things You Don’t Need
Movies/Music
It’s easy to forgo purchasing movies or music in today’s world with as many options as there is on the internet. We have both Netflix and amazon prime (which includes prime video and music) so we never get the itch to run out and buy movies or music. When it comes to going to the movie theatre we completely stopped doing that unless we have a gift card or there is a movie we are just dying to see that we can’t wait for it to come out (which is almost never).
Phone Upgrades
This might be really shocking to some people but I went 3 years without having a cell phone so I may be a little desensitized to the “I need a new phone every year bandwagon”.
For some people having the new tech is really important to them but its also incredibly expensive especially if you have multiple people you are upgrading phones for. When it comes to our phones we use them until there is absolutely no life left in them at all and we can get quite a few years out of them doing it this way.
Eliminating these 10 things can add incredible savings to any family budget but it doesn’t just stop here. There are many more conventional and unique ways to add money back in your wallet. I challenge you to sit down and look at all the things you are currently purchasing and see what you can get rid of or perhaps cut back on in a big way. You will be surprised at what you really can live without even if you don’t think its possible right now.
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