20 Things To Stop Buying To Save Money
Do you feel like you have excess in your home? Feel like you waste a lot of money? If so, there are plenty of things to stop buying to save money.
Today we’re sharing 20 of these items right here in this post to help get you started.
Do you have to give up everything you love just to save a few bucks? Of course not. But, there are some ways you can cut back while still enjoying life.
Not everyone’s decisions on what NOT to buy will be the same, but here are some examples of 20 things to stop buying to save money.
20 Things To Stop Buying To Save Money
1.) Bottled Water
Remember how I said I cringe at the money I could have saved? This one has got to be number one on my list. I can’t even begin to imagine how much money we wasted on bottled water when we bought our first house.
We could have easily purchased a filtering system and water bottles instead. These water bottles are now my all-time favorite. I use them for the gym, for everyday outings and the kids use them for school, sports, etc.
They’re the only ones I’ve found that don’t leak and don’t get moldy.
According to this article, you could save $100/year PER PERSON if you stop buying bottled water!
2.) Coffee
I was never the “get up and go buy a coffee” type of person to begin with, but a few times each week I would grab a coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.
Now I stick to my Keurig and a tumbler for when we’re heading out.
It’s worth investing in a good at-home coffee system if you enjoy it every day. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a good coffee maker either.
This coffee maker has over 37,000 positive reviews and is only $59.
3.) Brand Mame Groceries
If two items have identical ingredients on their labels, there is no reason to spend extra money on the name-brand variety. Unless you want organic vs. non-organic milk, for instance, there really is no difference from one brand to the next.
I personally shop for groceries at Walmart and even Walmart has its own line of organic products.
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4.) Sliced Fruit
First of all, it’s usually sitting in a pool of sugary liquid but aside from that, the markup is insane!
If you really love fruit grab your own and take the extra 10 minutes to prepare it and portion it out. These containers work great for mixing different foods. I also love these and these for the kids.
![Freshware Meal Prep Containers [15 Pack] 3 Compartment with Lids, Food Containers, Lunch Box, Stackable, Bento Box, Microwave/Dishwasher Safe (32 oz)](https://fitmommyinheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/515t0EuNi2L._SL500_.webp)
5.) Travel anything
Although I’m pretty particular about my hair I still refuse to pay a crazy marked-up fee for something just because it’s in a special little bottle.
These travel shampoo and conditioner bottles are squeezable and refillable making them the perfect travel accessory.
I would much rather fill these with the shampoo I actually love rather than buy a different one because that’s all I could find in a travel size.
6.) Expensive makeup
Ok ladies – HEAR ME OUT. I’m not telling you to give up ALL your favorite cosmetics. I’m just saying to at least try a drugstore brand.
This mascara has over 83,000+ positive reviews and it’s under $7! It is just as good, if not better than SO MANY of the ones I’ve tried from department stores and high-end brands.
7.) Greeting cards
I stopped buying these a long time ago and if I do buy them now…they’re from the dollar store.
I can’t justify spending $4-$6 on something that someone is literally going to put in the trash. Special occasions are of course the exception but that’s about it!
If your kids are headed to a birthday party let them make a card. Kids don’t care about cards anyway. Honestly, I don’t care about cards myself.
8.) Magazines
I finally quit all my subscriptions because to this day I still have magazines piled in a corner that has yet to be read.
By the time I get around to reading them everything will be old news so there really is no point in continuing to order them.
Instead – if I want to look up something super important, like what Meghan Markle wore for her engagement photos, I can just go to People.com and read it there 🙂
9.) Eating out
This is a tough one for many. Eating out is sometimes unavoidable and of course, something most of us aren’t willing to give up. If that happens to be you maybe just try to cut back.
Instead of eating out 3x/week for lunch and dinner, try to eat out 2x/week for lunch and 2x/week for dinner.
Even just by cutting out 2 meals/week, you’re probably saving $30/week which translates into $120/month or $1,440/ year!
Another easy option is to try the $5 meal plan. For just $5/month receive a meal plan where each meal costs roughly $2! It’s 100$ risk free and you can cancel anytime.
10.) Snack-sized anything
When choosing things to stop buying to save money, snack-sized treats are a must. It’s no secret that buying snack-sized snacks is a rip-off. You’re paying for the convenience.
Instead of doing this, buy your snack in the full-size bag and portion it out into to-go containers. If you have kids you could easily save $100 or more throughout the year. These containers are great for adults AND kids.
11.) Dryer Sheets
If you love to use dryer sheets, give dryer balls a try instead. There’s no sense in purchasing dryer sheets over and over again when these are reusable, petroleum-free, and made without chemicals.
11.) Physical Books
These days there are so many great books that are available in physical form as well as digital. If you can snag a Kindle at a good price, consider trying it out!
Sure, you’ll spend the up-front cost of the kindle, but digital books are way cheaper than physical ones. Over time, you’ll start saving money by downloading your books vs. purchasing physical ones.
12.) Extended Warranties
Extended warranties are almost always a waste. By the time you end up paying for it, you could’ve bought yourself a new appliance (or whatever the item is). Instead of wasting your money on an extended warranty put the money aside each money and save up while accruing interest.
13.) Cable and/or services you don’t use
This will vary from person to person depending on if you work from home, etc. as there are often great deals on bundle packages. However, if a bundle package doesn’t save you money, why pay for something you don’t need?
If you find yourself only watching the same 3 channels on cable, look for a service that is far cheaper, then buy the few channels you like as an add-on.
Some services to look into are Hulu, Sling, and Fubo.
14.) New Phones
To be quite honest, I’ve never understood the need for a brand new phone every single time one comes out. If your phone is working properly, your storage isn’t maxed out, and it’s serving the purpose for which you purchased it, why buy a new one?
Instead of running to get the new “it” phone the second it comes out, wait a bit, see if it really is worth trading in the one you have, and then make a non-impulsive decision. Chances are, you don’t really need the latest and greatest new model.
15.) Trendy Clothes
You don’t have to stop buying new clothes completely in order to save money. However, try to keep purchasing at a minimum when it comes to trendy items. Trendy items tend to go out of style very quickly and end up being a waste of money.
Instead, spend your money on clothes that are multi-functional closet staples. Look for items that can be worn in several ways and in more than just one season. These are the items that are worth your splurge.
16.) Disposable Anything
Every once in a while using disposable plates and utensils is the more practical thing to do (huge parties, etc.). But, if you’re using disposable products on a daily basis you’re literally just throwing money out the window.
Just because something isn’t disposable doesn’t mean it has to be clunky and a waste of space. This 12-piece plastic dinnerware set is a best seller and is incredibly affordable.
There are plenty of similar options out there that are cheap and convenient that you don’t have to constantly throw out and buy all over again like paper products.
17.) Nail Services
I love having fresh nails just as much as the next girl, but there’s no denying it adds up over time. If you haven’t tried an at-home gel nail kit, I highly recommend doing so. These kits come with everything you need from start to finish, including several colors of polish.
The cost for these entire kits is less than just one visit to the nail salon. Add that up over a few months or a year and you’ll be saving some serious coin.
18.) Lottery Tickets
Listen… we all want to win. But… the reality is… if you’re reading this post, you probably don’t have wads of extra cash to spend on things like lottery tickets.
Instead of purchasing $10 worth of lottery tickets every week, put that money into an interest-bearing account. In just a year’s time you’ll have saved over $2,000.
19.) Expensive Vacations
We all love to vacation. Whether you love a tropical beach trip, hiking in the mountains, or skiing on the slopes, it’s always nice to just get away. But…. you can easily spend a fortune on even just a one-week stay.
When planning a vacation it’s always smart to shop around for the best flight and hotel prices on sites like Kayak, Priceline, Hotels.com, etc.
Not only do these discount sites often offer the loest available prices, but they also offer options to “Bundle & Save“, for example.
You can almost always save some money by purchasing your hotel & flights together, or by looking into package deals for car rentals + fight, hotel + flight, hotel + flight + car, etc.
And don’t sleep on Groupon!!! If you’re traveling to a new city, or are looking for something fun to do, Groupon has tons of great deals on activities, restaurants, spas, and more.
20.) Gym Memberships
Ok, listen – I am not telling you to NOT workout. What I am saying is that if you find that the workouts you do at the gym are doable at home, give it a shot!
While fitness equipment can be costly, there are a lot of quality pieces that you can get affordably online.
Additionally, I recommend spending the money on a multi-functional piece that can be used for several body parts, then just adding smaller affordable pieces from there.
For example, this total body home gym system features an Olympic system free-weight rack, a dual-action leg developer, and dual-action press arms for functional upper body movements (biceps, triceps, chest, etc.).
It’s made of all-steel construction and is built to withstand long-lasting, intense use. It also features an overhead pulley, lower pulley, preacher curl pad, weight catch, and a removable, adjustable bench with thick padding.
Depending on your location, gym memberships can be incredibly costly. Over time, this one piece of equipment can save you thousands and thousands of dollars. Not to mention, working out at home is so much more convenient and a total time-saver.
There are plenty of other things you can stop buying to save money, but this is a great list to get started with. Hopefully, we’ve given you some new ideas to help you put some of that hard-earned money away!
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