It’s just expected that we accumulate stuff. Right? Everywhere we look it’s about the next newest shiniest thing that we must have to be better, cooler, fitter, more beautiful inside and out, and … it’s too much.
You come to a point where you buy so much stuff you don’t need because it’s just something that you do. And yeah, even I’m not immune to the pressure and marketing tricks to buy and consume things I shouldn’t. No
But we both know there are things that we can easily stop buying. Things that will save us money in the long run and give us back some financial power. Most,
So here are six things you need to stop buying to save money.
Let’s go!
#1 – Lottery Tickets
Ahh the dream of winning the lottery and spending the rest of your days lying in a fold-back canvas beach chair sipping a cocktail out of a coconut with a tiny paper umbrella. At sunset, of course.
You’ve all seen that image played so many times, right?
Well let’s look at the odds of that happening.
The most popular ‘pick your own numbers’ lottery here in Oz is Powerball. It has some pretty appealing sounding jackpots of millions of dollars. Who wouldn’t want a slice of that?
No problem! You odds for the major jackpot are only 1 in 134,000,000. Easy peasy.
Oh, what? You don’t expect to win the major prize and would be happy to win something? Okay then. The easiest odds are 1 in 40 to win the minimum payout (which is around $10)
Tickets are $4. So for every $160 ($4 x 40) you put in you’ll get a guaranteed $10 back. Yay! Winner. Hmm.
Scratch off tickets (scratchies) are a little better.
For every $2 ticket
If you really want to sip margaritas by the side of the pool then put that money into a savings account instead. Save $40 a week and you’ll have a guaranteed two grand to spend on a holiday EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
#2 – Subscriptions
Subscriptions. Those monthly money drains that you don’t bother cancelling because you occassionally, sometimes, use the product or app or program and it’s just not worth the hassle to ditch it completely.
This can be in the form of anything that costs you money on the reg.
Magazines, gym memberships, paid book libraries. Even those fun boxes that turn up at your door monthly with all manner of junk in them.
Most of that stuff you can get for free if you know where to look.
There are free libraries with both real and digital books. Check with that building in your city that has all those books. They’ll hook you up for nada.
Nearly all magazines (apart from some exclusive articles) will be online. (Do people still buy magazines?)
There are more exercise classes on YouTube than I could ever do at any gym.
Free. Free. Free.
Okay. Some subscriptions ARE worth your money. I currently have Netflix, website hosting, and the Adobe suite of products. I also pay for cloud storage for photos. That’s it though.
Those subscriptions that you use all the time that
I’m talking about those that you rarely use. The accounts that you signed up for, used for a bit, then don’t bother about now. Or don’t fit in your lifestyle. Or that you can get for free somewhere else. Or the subscription boxes where the idea of getting random mystery gifts is exciting except you only usually like one or two items.
Do an audit of everything you’re paying over and over for. If you are not getting max value out of it. Ditch.
#3 – Snacks from Vending Machines or Petrol Stations
Ah yes. Those oh so tempting snacks staring at us right next to the counter as we pay for our petrol. Or walk past that big glass-fronted box full of colourfully wrapped
So convenient.
And it would be much quicker to grab a few things for the hunger that’s gnawing at your stomach or quiet your kids that are withering away from hunger and boredom.
But let’s be real. Not only are those snacks unhealthy (and who knows how long they’ve actually been sitting there), they often have a huge markup on price.
A snickers bar that costs $1 at the supermarket will cost $2.50 here. That’s a 250% markup.
No thank you.
To avoid this one you need a little pre-planning. Start stocking up at your favourite snacks at the grocery store.
Healthy’ish snacks are better, although you’ll want to concentrate on non-perishable foods that don’t melt or spoil if left in a hot car. Pretzels are good. Carrot sticks and cheese – not so much.
Portion them into containers or ziplock bags (especially good if you have more than one kiddo who doesn’t like to share).
Voila. No temptation. No spending on those huge markups just because of convenience.
#4 – Tech Upgrades
Every year tech companies come out with shiny new BETTER versions of their products. Isn’t that just so nice of them to keep customers on top of the latest
Er, that’s not the reason they make new products.
It’s because they make gobs of millions of dollars for our obsessive need to have the latest gadget. They have board meetings about how they can make even the smallest tech advance seem like a
Sometimes they even make up things that we don’t need. Er, emoji versions of ourselves is a tech upgrade? Hmmm.
Don’t fall for it.
If your phone, or computer, or TV, or camera, or whatever, is still perfectly functional then you don’t need to upgrade.
Buy a new gadget when you need to. Not because it’s the latest model.
#5 – Frozen Dinners
Those premade frozen dinners from the freezer section of your supermarket is another thing to avoid.
Oh, I know what you’re going to say. But they aren’t so bad. They only cost around $5-$10 (depending on whether they are on sale). And they are healthy. What’s the big deal?
This is one of those things that looks like a good deal when in fact it’s not.
Because, you think, $7 for a meal for one (avg price) means not only will you not have to cook, you probably couldn’t have made that meal for that price anyway.
Maybe.
Except that they aren’t as healthy as you might think. They are heavily processed and often high in sodium.
And the reason they are so low in calories is that the ingredients that keep you full and satisfied, namely the protein and
It’s why you’re still hungry about 3.6 seconds after finishing one of these meals.
Do you have any in your freezer right now? Go ahead and check the protein portion on the back for how much meat (or veggie protein) is actually included. It’s very little.
If you like the convenience, you are much better making your own meals and freezing them to heat up later in the week. Meal prep on a Sunday (or whatever day is most convenient for you). Or when you cook, make a bit extra and freeze that for another day.
Voila – your own freezer meal for the days you don’t want to cook.
And you’ll find that it’ll be way cheaper in the long run, not to mention, healthier because you’ll know exactly what’s in it.
#6 – Plastic Water Bottles
I’m sure this one is of no surprise to you. It’s ‘save money’ cliche number 761. But there is a reason for that. It’s true.
Plastic water bottles are one of the biggest cons of our time. Selling us something that is readily free from our very own taps. Don’t be fooled by the marketing term ‘spring water’ on these either.
Spring water just means it comes from the ground. Like ALL water does. Yes, even the stuff that comes from our faucets.
The exception is probably mineral water which contains, well, minerals that you can’t get in the stuff that comes into our homes. I’ll concede that maybe, just maybe, there is some worth to that (if you must, buy glass bottles rather than plastic though). But still.
As you know, this isn’t just a financial problem, it’s also an environmental one. But let’s just stick to the money side of things on this blog because I won’t pretend to be any more of an expert on environmental concerns than the regular person.
The average bottle of water here in Australia is roughly $2. You’ll find both cheaper and more expensive. Mostly the difference is simply the shape of the bottle and the pretty label with a tastefully designed cool font.
It’s not unreasonable if you buy your lunch at work everyday that you’ll get a bottle of water to go with it. After all, your thinking is that water is better for you than soda.
One bottle of $2 water over 5 days a week for 48 weeks (because you take holidays) is just shy of $480. Every year. For stuff that is freely available!
Even if you think the water isn’t as good from a tap, a simple water filter will fix most concerns.
Please. Buy either a stainless steel or glass water bottle (make sure any glass bottles are in a thick sleeve to protect from breaking). Fill up and hydrate whenever you need to.
Don’t spend money on things that are free no matter how cute those bottles look lined up on Instagram.
Photo by MD Duran on Unsplash
