10 Things You Shouldn’t Buy When You Are Struggling Financially
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Are you struggling financially? We had! I know I had! Here are 10 things you shouldn't buy when struggling financially and getting your finances in the right direction.
One thing is for sure, 2020 has proven to us that things can change overnight. It hasn't been an easy year or experience for many.
Now, if you have been having issues managing your money before 2021 and continue to do so, you must first reduce your spending and avoid spending on things you don't need.
Often, when we struggle financially, the majority of the time is our fault, and the only way to tackle it is to make changes.
I speak from experience!
After learning and accepting the hard fact that I created the financial mess I was in, I had to step up my game and change the way I viewed money and wealth and change my mindset.
When I sat down and looked honestly at why I was struggling financially, even with a good-paying job, the truth was that it was me.
And even as I struggled financially, I continued to spend money on things I shouldn't have spent.
My reasons?
- Habit.
- Consumerism.
- To show off.
- Ignorance.
If you are struggling financially, wasting money on the things below will affect you even more. So instead of making these purchases, find an alternative that will save you money rather.
Related Content on saving money:
- Frugal Living Tips From the Great Depression
- 10 Signs That Show Your Financial Stability
- 12 Practical Ideas To Stop Wasting Money On Food Delivery Services
When struggling financially, avoid spending money on the items or services below.
New Books and Buying Magazines
Suppose you are spending money on new books. Of course, you don't have to spend money to enjoy a good book; if you do, there are many ways to get free or reduced books.
The solution to this problem was to visit your local library, find them free online as eBooks, buy them used, or ask to borrow the book if your friend or family has it.
Love magazines? Please don't buy them!
Do people still read magazines? Yes, people still read magazines.
Printed magazines are not as popular as they used to be, thanks to digital. A once $46 billion year industry is now down to $28 billion because people purchase physical magazines and digital.
Now, if you are paying for a magazine subscription, it's time to stop and save that money elsewhere.
In an era of the internet and information overload, you can get news and drama online for free most of the time.
Music & Movies
The same can be said for music and movies. Head to your local library and find a good selection of DVDs you can rent.
Pluto TV is a free app with movies and shows and doesn't ask for a credit card or bank information.
Why is Pluto TV free?
Pluto TV is free because it is supported by advertisers, which means it has commercials and ads.
Even YouTube has a large selection of free movies you can stream on their website. The same can be said for music; you can listen to music for free on the radio or free online.
Many streaming services online allow you to listen to music for free. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can stream music for free and watch movies and shows as well.
Bottled Water
Stop purchasing bottled water, as this is a massive waste of money and bad for the environment. Millions of plastic bottles are thrown away daily!
In the bottled water industry in 2020, sales exceeded $36 billion, up from $34.6 billion in 2019. (source). Billions of dollars are made from water; if you think that certain water is better than others, let me say that's consumerism at its best.
To save money and mother earth, stop buying bottled water and buy an excellent non-plastic reusable bottle.
Many bottles come with filters, and some with fantastic insulation keep the water nice and cool for hours.
Don’t buy K-cup
Besides buying bottled water, you should avoid spending your money on K-cups if you have financial problems.
When you buy K-cups for your particular coffee machine, you pay way more for coffee than when you purchase grounded coffee.
According to the NY Times, K-Cup coffee costs roughly $50 per pound! So instead of purchasing K-cups, use reusable k-cups and avoid wasting money on them.
Checking account
I have to say that I am not shy about closing a bank account when fees go insanely high. Some of these major bank institutions are out of their minds with their monthly fee to maintain your money.
Can you find banks that will give you an account for free? Yes! You have to look online. There are out there!
Many banks are now requiring minimum direct deposits a month and a certain amount of debit transactions. In addition, there are other restrictions you must follow, so please make sure you shop around for banks.
If you are looking for an entirely free fee bank, I use Capital One 360 and recommend it to anyone. I used this bank account for my Christmas savings. So far, I have never had any fees, and I am pleased with them.
Monthly Subscriptions
Regarding monthly subscriptions, you can find that just about anything now has monthly payments. These include subscription boxes, streaming services, memberships, and so much more.
Subscription boxes are trendy, and chances are you have seen them promoted all over the place, even from your favorite star to YouTube influencers to social media ads. Still, the truth is that they are the first thing you need to stop when struggling financially.
Subscription boxes are not a need, and even if you are purchasing food items or pets, when you calculate how much you spend on them an entire year, chances are you would not spend that amount of money at all.
Since the pandemic, there has been a higher increase in subscription boxes that deliver fresh food, most of which are organic. So again, make sure you do the math and find out if this is worth investing your money in when struggling financially.
The same thing can be said about streaming services. It seems like every other month. There is a new streaming service popping up with a monthly fee.
Here's the thing to keep in perspective these services cost between $5-$14 a month with a guaranteed price increase. In addition, depending on your mobile plan, you will require internet, and that's another expense to add to this.
Do you know how cable and satellite have way too many channels we can't all watch? The same can be said about these streaming services. Do you need all of them? When you add them up, you might be surprised you are paying for cable services and satellite.
Therefore, subscription boxes are not a need and should be avoided when struggling financially.
Attack major home improvements when not needed
This sometimes makes no sense, but it happens. When in debt, let's take a loan and remodel the kitchen, the bathroom, or anything that needs to be renovated in the house. First, why are you accumulating more debt?
It is understandable if your sink broke and you need one. If your tub has a hole and it causes water damage.
Emergencies are understandable, but completely changing a room when you are having a hard time managing your money makes no sense.
If you don't have the money, a remodel is not at the top. However, you will be able to do any remodeling you want after taking care of your finances.
A new cell phone
Instead of buying a new phone, there is nothing shameful about buying a used one. No law states that you need to upgrade your phone every two years.
Cell phones are expensive, and most of the time, cell phone companies are now making you pay for your phone via installment payments.
You don't need a new cell phone if you don't have money. You will be OK without a new cell phone.
If your old phone can still make phone calls, send texts, and do the basics, then you don't need a new one.
Save the money and pay your debt.
If you are ready to switch from your expensive phone contract, I recommend you check out
We recommend:
- Tello Wireless – This is what I currently use, and I love it.
A new car
If you have debt and are struggling financially, please don't buy a new car. Can you afford it? Why would you do that yourself?
Buying a new car is a terrible mistake when you are struggling financially. Your credit might not be the best. You are struggling financially and are now adding monthly payments.
Avoid buying a new car until you are financially available to do so. Then, when you do finish, you will realize that buying a new car might have been a terrible move after all.
Get your hair colored professionally
Box hair color will be your friend when you pay your debt and try to take care of your finances.
If you are struggling with finances, paying for your hair professionally is not intelligent. Avoid getting your hair done, and get a pedicure in a great chair like this. More about the pedicure next, but you know what I'm talking about.
I had to quit going to the hair salon because I couldn't afford it when paying off my debt.
I learned to trim and color my hair on my own. That saved me money that I used to pay my debt. Once I was done, I budgeted to have my hair color done professionally, but not always. I kind of like to use my money for something else.
I know I said ten things not to buy, but I had to add this one below last minute!
Get a manicure or pedicure
Pedicure and manicures are not needs but want; if you are struggling financially, you can avoid them until you can add them to your budget.
There are affordable ways to have your manicure and pedicure at home, and it will save you money and give you time to focus on other essential things to help you get out of your financial struggles.
When it comes to financial struggle, not one size fits all. But, of course, there are many other things you can skip that will help you keep your money and place it where it is needed.
The road to managing your money and living the life you want is not easy at all. It starts with us and analyzing why we buy the things we do and make changes. Consumerism is high in this country.
We spend because society wants us to spend money. You will be OK with the items mentioned above, and you will be alive. They are not needed.
Great list. When our son was little and we were trying to pay off student loans, we bought a fisher price toy (like the farm) and took it from the box. Each little piece got wrapped separately so he had a bunch of fun little gifts under the tree and we spent less than $40 for Christmas! It’s been 20 years since then, and we still don’t spend much. A few gifts under the tree is enough. (I still can’t justify salon prices for hair color either. :D)
When I was 10 years old, we moved to Pennsylvania and our first Christmas in the states ever. I remember my mom bought me an $18 little toy piano. I was so excited I cherished that moment forever. After learning the hard way, we do the same thing you do for your son! I want my boys memories of the holidays of being of traditions not of how many toys they got under the tree. Thank you, Karen.
Awesome tips. Just what I need for my starting point to start saving! Thank you!
Kristine 🙂
Thank you Kristine 🙂
Love all these tips! Another you can add is fast food or eating out. I can definitely say it became a problem in my house but now instead of throwing out expired unused groceries, we are cooking more & avoiding eating out.
All great tips, I also feel that a lot of people, mainly women still spend a lot of money on clothing, shoes, accessories and purses/bags when they have a bunch that are perfectly acceptable to still be used. Those are not necessities!
Absolutely agree with you 100%! Sadly, we live in a world where a female has to look good. We want the latest fashion accessory. We think of what others think of us.
I must say up front that I am not a fan of Oprah…but over the years she has said one or two things that really stuck with me…she said when you die, you will be amazed at all the time you spent worrying about what other people thought of you when the truth is they were not thinking of you at all. They were thinking of themselves. That really resonated with me…maybe you too. Since then…no worries! It is very freeing to not worry about such trivia. In retrospect…why exactly did I care what someone I did not like, did not sleep with, was not married to or related by blood think about my shoes? Can you get more trivial than that? I think not. How stupid was I.
Well said !!!; Happy Holidays!;
I completely DISAGREE. The biggest spenders I know who constantly complain about their financial situation are MEN. They “can’t afford the bills” but CAN afford to go out to eat, buy car parts, go to the liquor store…
Just about anything decorative, whether for you our your house should be on that list.
Yes!! Awesome tips @disqus_sUwLk56ceK:disqus! Thank you for adding this.
I found that I am spending a ridiculous amount of money eating out, even though I thought (foolishly!) that we had been doing better in that department. Eating out is one of the biggest obstacles to my financial success!
I totally agree on not buying toys for your kids! As you said, there are tons of other people who will buy children toys. Frankly, kids have too many these days. There are usually a few favorites; after that, some basic arts and crafts supplies will go a long way to keeping the house tidier (my problem with toys) and finances free. 🙂
Arts and crafts supplies are always welcome in my family. I rather have that than tablets and electronic devices. During Christmas time our Christmas tree get ridiculous full with presents. I even posted it on social media one year. The truth was that 95% of those gifts weren’t even from us but family members who just sent gifts or they stay over Christmas night to see the kids opening their gifts.
I think it’s kind of awesome you don’t buy your kids toys. I mean, how much stuff does a person need? I feel like my brother and I barely touched half the stuff we had as kids.
One year my youngest spent the entire day playing with the boxes and the wrapping paper. I am not kidding. Majority of the toys will be forgotten by new years eve!
Esp. Nature Arts & Crafts; then go to a Nature preserve w the Art Kit;
A funny story; about the wrapping paper ‘ ngifts; I bet my Cat would luv an empty box with wrapping paper; and catnip inside!!
Many of these I don’t buy anyway, like music/movies , hardly go out eat.
Same here. I never buy paper towel when i am saving. I have rags and use these. I wash a load every few days. My biggest expense is food. Grocery day, ughhh
I’m expected to look nice at work every day, and I must say that it’s completely possible to do on a budget. I grew my hair out to avoid having to get it cut so often, switched to less expensive products, and paint my own nails when I choose to wear them painted. I get makeup samples and they last a while, so I only buy foundation and mascara about every 4 months. As for clothes, I buy classic styles and take care of my clothes so I don’t have to buy a lot of new things. Washing is hard on clothes, so I only wash or dry clean them when they’re dirty, not every time they’re worn. (Ahem…undershirts and undies that cover your bum will keep your work clothes clean longer.) I fix them when they get worn and have them altered when they don’t fit.
About half of these things I don’t buy period…struggling financially or not. There are many (legal) ways to get books, movies, music, magazines etc for free. I don’t pay to get my hair colored or my nails done. DIY saves tons. And water…no bottled for me! A Brita filter does the trick and is better for the planet too!
My husband and I have lived this way ever day of our twenty-plus year marriage. We have been able to buy a home and send our two children to private schools with no credit card debt. Now our oldest is in college. It’s wonderful to see her wisdom around money, as opposed to many of her peers. She works, saves, and practices frugality. I would add to the list that if you are trying to get out of debt, stop buying retail clothing or household goods. In our town, it is totally possible to have a designer wardrobe through thrifting. Fabulous post, thank you.
I agree 100%! We still buy music and movies, eat out sometimes, and buy toys for kids parties, but we manage well. I can’t wait until we pay off our vehicle.
Great article!! I know tons of people that waste so much money on these things but they truly are just luxuries. Unfortunately I already don’t actually spend money on any of these things, so I can’t stop and save more money…
Thank you for this article! My boyfriend and I recently started our own business and dropped down to only working a couple days a week at “regular” jobs. It’s awesome getting to pursue our dreams, but money is definitely tighter than it used to be. We’re learning to live off of about 1/4 what we used to but are always finding new ways to cut back and still live the lifestyle we want.
We always cook at home. We used to spend a lot of money on beverages but now we make our own kombucha and brew our own beer. Luckily, neither of us have ever really bought many new clothes, we both know how to sew (essential skill for everyone I think) and when we do buy something new we usually seek it out second-hand or consignment.
While we don’t have kids, I find the one about not buying toys really interesting. When I think back to my childhood, I hardly remember what toys I played with, but have wonderful memories of the activities and experiences we had (hiking, going to the beach, hanging out at the public fountains our city had everywhere.) We have seven nieces and nephews and we usually buy them toys for birthdays and Christmas, but we’re trying a new approach this year – all homemade gifts. Thanks to my partner’s awesome artistic skills, we’re putting together a board game that we’ll be making for all the kids.
This is so very true. As we keep going through and annihilating our debt. We have cut down drastically on excess expenses. It’s tough at times, but the end result is SOO worth it!
Yes it will be! Keep it up and don’t give up!
This was a great post. I absolutely agree with the not buying your kids toys. If grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. buy for them, that’s great. But as parents, I don’t buy my kids toys. And yes, they are perfectly fine if you don’t. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jessica.
I would add to that beer/alcohol, fancy food or meats like filet minon, etc., also cable TV or other monthly/yearly subscriptions like net flix, amazon prime, hulu, stitch fix, etc. Maybe even internet and phone services if you don’t need it for your work. Also I don’t think you should give/loan to others who are hurting financially until you are out of debt yourself. There are so many others you could probably think of to add if you really sit down and start writing. Thanks so much for these thought provoking ideas.
Thank you Tami for sharing your tips. These are very helpful and I agree with them. I think desperate times you need to simply unplug and get it together. It is not an easy road but it is possible.
one thing that has really helped me was setting up a strict budget. i wrote it down on paper and i look at it everyday. I also make sure to check my bank account regularly. A lot of time i used to overspend, and not realize it, and my bank would charge me the full amount of funds that I overdrafted on top of an overdraft fee on top of the transaction that didnt decline. Once I found myself -$300.00 from one purchase! Another thing is to turn off automatic payments. I always forgot about them and then would spend all my money right before the automatic payment went out. OUCH!
Happened to me in my twenties and yes, OUCH! By the time my next check came I was broke already thanks to fees!
We shopped used clothing stores; consignment and Goodwill. Half the fun there is looking for the treasures. We also checked out videos from the library and went to free concerts in the park.
Specially te material things: like clothes, jewellery, makeup, bags shoes. They can be costly and honestly if you don’t want them please don’t buy them. I’ve been trying to change that about me as much as I can. Instead spend on something that can be productive.
This is true about the magazines. I stopped buying women’s magazines, which has been a kind of deprivation 😉 Instead I turned to Pinterest – colourful and for free.
One of the best posts I’ve read about getting out of debt. When we were trying to get back on track, I did a detailed budget to see where all the money was going. Eating out, books and magazines were at the top of the list. Now that we’re doing a little better, I budget for eating out very sparingly.
wow…. My priorities are shelter, electricity and water. Food, gasoline and car insurance. that way no matter how bad things are, DFCS won’t be taking my kids away. Sometimes your pride needs to be the first thing to go. I tell people to stop buying cigarettes, alcohol, soda, chips, candy and fast food. It’s hard but get rid of the cell phone, car payments and any other luxury payment. Change your living conditions. , I walked away from it all. I started over. I regrouped for a year in a 2 bedroom with my 3 children. I slept on the couch. We ate but most people would just say they couldnt do what I did. I gambled and bought a house at auction. 10 yrs old. A relly nice house. I saved my money and did about 9 thousand in improvements. I am now mortgage free. I saved some more and paid cash for a little car. Same budget applies. We meal plan and cook from scratch. Doing without when necessary brought me to today. I have no debt and am stress free. The people who lost the house I bought could not pay a 375.00 mortgage because they would not give up their I Phone. satellite tv or AAron rents furniture payment. How do I know? They left the house trashed with all their records………
Not eating out is what my family struggles with. I commute to work and I don’t really like to cook anyway. I try to remind myself when I go grocery shopping that for my family, it is more cost effective to buy convenience meals than cheaper ingredients to make the meals from scratch because we will ACTUALLY use them. Otherwise, I’ll get home, look around the kitchen, and decide we should eat out.
I can relate to a lot of these. It is so easy to get sucked into the mindset of having to have everything new, or a new toy every time you turn around.
I agree completely with not buying your kids toys. My daughters have a few solid toys that they play with every day rather than a bunch of junk lying around that never gets played with. When my family asks what they can get my kids for gifts I tell them what the girls need instead of toys. My daughters are so excited to get a new book or a new sweater that Grandma and Grandpa picked out.
I was barely 21 when I got my first credit card. I was alone with 2 children & I went crazy!! Buying anything my kids wanted & some luxuries for me!! It was so easy – 0% interest for the first year, etc. BUT boy, did I learn my lesson when I ended up paying 3x what the stuff I bought was worth!! It really was an expensive lesson!
You are so right about bank fees!!! They really try to squeeze blood out of a turnip!! Our “senior” ages helps get our fee waived! Sorry I wrote a book here, but some of these points hit a raw nerve! I wish I would have read an article like this 40 years ago!!! ?
I would add Dry Cleaning.
I’d add in that anything that sets you up for monthly payments (phone, car, etc…) should be the CHEAPEST and MOST ECONOMICAL no-frills setup you can get. Perhaps if you are in debt, you don’t need cable? Basic internet and a telephone. And not all the the bells and whistles for your phone service of “just add one dollar a month and you get THIS!” sort of thing. Three extra “thingies” on your phone bill will cost you $36 in a year, and will you use it? No. Instead, you keep that in your cash box for emergencies! Check out your utilities and make sure you are making the best of them – perhaps you will learn that you need to do your laundry and baking outside of peak hours, for example. And don’t set yourself up for things that need upkeep like fake nails and hair processing, which become monthly payments. Get your hair “naturalized” back to its original color and start doing it yourself until you’re out of debt.
Great list! Although I’m not on a super strict budget right now, there are a few things we do to try and save money. We cut cable last year, though have hardly been deprived since we can use our parents log-in for all the good channels on appletv. I have a 7mo, so I also breastfeed and cloth diaper.
I still use some disposables, mostly when out and about( we bought those on a killer deal+target gift cards months before our baby was born) so it has been a while since I spent any money on diapers.
Also when shopping, the biggest killer of my budget is all those small trips for things that I forgot. Meal planning is important, also try to plan meals that will actually fill up a man(and me..). Unless I can bulk up a meal with something like lentils (cheap!) he/we starts looking around for something else about an hour after dinner, regardless of how good it was. Hearty things like beans and grains take a while to digest and are inexpensive.
I’ve also been making my own clothes and dishwasher detergent, I can cut down on cost and questionable chemicals now that there is a baby in the house.
Bonus tip: there are some vegetables that can be planted and keep growing. Green onions are the only ones I’ve tried, but keep the white part with the roots, pot it in a little water for a couple days then transfer to a pot. I never have to run to the store to buy a whole bunch of green onions for just the random recipe, I just walk outside and cut off a couple pieces!
Whew, well that was longer than I expected, sorry! 🙂
Where is the code?
I disagree about the car part . I drive 100 mile round trip to my job, I must have adependable car. Every time I get one paid for it starts needing work. all others on list I already do . I have learned most people in debt are spoiled .
I was on the same boat as you and thought the same way too. I drove all over the place, came inspection time the car also needed major work so I completely get what you are saying. Let me give you an example of what I did and many have done. I need a good car, so I go and get a car I deserve because I need a reliable car. I forked out $300/mos. (because my credit wasn’t the greatest, my loan interest was insane) and I also added a GAP insurance. Every year I needed new tires, add the cost of car maintenance each year and repairs while STILL paying this car; I was paying a lot of money for my reliable car. Fast forward to my used car: Paid cash for it, when it needs work I pay for it because the money I was paying on car payments I was tucking away and I budget for those things. The end result we are paying less EVEN with car maintenance and car issues. Now when the car dies which it will happen we will get a newer one and might not pay cash for it, but since the post is about people that are broke and struggling a car payment shouldn’t be a struggle to make. This is my personal experience and I appreciate your comment very much.
Starbucks. I cut back significantly on Starbucks when I’m short on cash and expensive groceries. Stick to simple meal plans that don’t break the bank. I love homemade tacos and they can go for a couple extra meals.
YES on tacos and meal planning for the win!!
I have to disagree only with the pedicure one. But I’ll concede that it doesn’t have to be a “spa” (read: more expensive) pedicure. I’m morbidly obese and simply can’t take care of my feet myself, so I have to pay someone else to do things like cut my toenails. Since it comes with a polish, I get that too. But I definitely don’t need the $45 one when the $20 will suffice.
I’m also justifying the car because I don’t currently have one and I need one for work. I just plan to buy it outright and not have any payments. A cheap beater to get me to and from work every day is all I need!
We already don’t do any of this because almost all of it is unnecessary (whether you have the money for it or not). I found one thing that helps that most people just can’t give up, is name brands of food or care products. Getting your car detailed we’re paying for a carwash when you can do all that stuff at home.
Good point Taylor! Thank you!
Those were no- brainers except for the buying a book or magazine???Okay they can be expensive I guess when I’m broke,I go to the library to get a good book or magazine try borrowing a movie from the library. I know what it’s like to be broke I live paycheck to paycheck.
I agree with most of what was said. How ever I do buy toys for my kids. They do not have grandparents anymore as they have passed away. And my husband and I come for small distant families so aunts and uncles really aren’t around.
With that said I rarely buy new toys most of what my kids get is used lots of stuff is posted on freecycle or for sale sites pretty cheap. And you can find some great finds at second hand stores.
Cigarettes. I stopped buying cigarets & smoking. I have to buy water. We have an infant on formula and we have well water vs city water. I’d honestly still buy bottled water even if we had city water because the city water has had issues for years. But snacks and prepackaged foods are also a luxury we quit.
I buy the discounted bakery bread @ $0.50 a loaf & freeze it! I also buy the family packs of chicken & beef and divide into meal sizes as soon as I get home. Farmers markets are great! Fresh produce & lower prices than the grocery store.
For books, you could use an app like Overdrive or Libby to get ebooks and audiobooks free. It’s a seriously amazing alternative to buying the books or paying for an audible subscription.
Thank you for the tip, Nora!
Great tips! I totally agree 🙂
Totally agreed! We cut out all of these years ago and it’s allowed us to buy a home and have a significant amount put into savings each month.
Sweet!!! We cut down on a lot of things for the same reason to save and pay our debt.
I remember when my husband wanted to overhaul our daughter’s bedroom, like new furniture, curtains, the works. She had received a futon bunk bed as a present (from a family member) and the dark color of the walls made the room feel so tiny. While I understood where he was coming from, I was not a fan of spending all that money. We waited for a sale/high value coupon from our local paint store (sometimes they even have free quarts!). Turns out just a fresh coat of paint was all the “overhaul” it needed.
If you must have a “new” book, I recommend a Book Swap among your friends. I even found a brand new book at the thrift store.. the tag said $34.99 original, but I got it for $1.67. I spent the next few months loaning it out and swapping it for other books. So much fun!
So good to hear! Glad you all didn’t go with what the entire remodel and waited. Thank you about the Book Swap idea!
Some of the things mentioned are common sense and others relate to vanity which I can never understand why folks get so caught up in that anyway. Even buying the stuff and doing it at home is still wasted money. B e content with who you are and what you look like.
Wireless services, many non major services have limitations and if your family is spread out everywhere, you might end up out of contact. Also, reliability issues are common with smaller carriers.
Online banking with a major bank can be the best move. MetaBank is one of the best paying out the highest interest earnings and they use a visa debit that is accepted everywhere.
A huge money saver is also a money earner. Grow a garden! Learn to can your foods. And if you grow too much of one or more veggie items, sell them and or donate to local food pantry. Do not buy sweetened junk foods and adopt snacks that are savory. Yellow corn tortilla chips are more nutrient value over popcorn or white restaurant tortilla chips.
We’ve been living as a family of five on 735/mo for years and via garden and spending wisely, we managed to buy a fixer upper house and stay out of debt once the house was paid off.
Gives you something to think about and check as to what the priorities are real ones and what ones are pure waste in vanity.
Thanks for sharing! I totally agree that the personal care items can go. Our culture has made them so normal but it is pampering!
This was a good read! It is hard to say no to those fun purchases , but so necessary!
This is just great.
I totally agree with you. Who needs a pedicure when there is barely enough to pay for the rent or buy groceries. The nails can wait a little bit.
Well, I am old, so I remember very lean times after the war, as I was born in 1945, when people had NOTHING!
So I would add to your list:
1. coffee (or tea) from a coffee shop,
2. new clothing, (wash the clothing you have, hang it outside in the fresh air, iron it, give it some love and care, and you can fall in love with it again.
3. Pre-packaged foods (buy big bags of rice, pasta, and potatoes, then add to those for nutritious meals)
4. A dozen eggs goes a long way, and is quite economical.
(One place you can save a lot of money is on food.)
5. Bus fare (walk where you are going).
6. Needless car use. (Gas is expensive, group your errands to one excursion)
That’s just a few… I could certainly come up with lotsmore.
I already dont do or buy any of these things. Guess I’m looking for how to live on minimum wage as an adult having to start over after putting in 30 years of work and not wanting to touch what very little I’ve saved for retirement. I’m already frugal, own nothing new, shop at good will and Aldi, and have no credit card debt because I cant afford to pay the bill later. I have 150 dollars a month left over for fiod and entertainment. Give some advice on how to save when a person is already penny pinching.
I definitely agree with all of these! I am big on audiobooks and recently learned that my local library has free audiobooks I can download via an app on my phone, which saves me $30 – $45 a month.
Great ideas! Some of the things I do to save some money have to do with groceries. Mind you, I live on my own, so no kids.
I make a grocery list and stick to it. No extras. With every item that I want to buy, I ask myself if I really need it, or just crave for it.
Also I get my fruits and veggies from the market. I go there about half an hour before closing time especially on a Saturday – since Sundays there won’t be any markets in the country – and buy my fruits and veggies. Most of the time, you either can get a nice discount or something for free. Since they won’t be able to sell the fresh products the next day, they really rather sell it with a discount instead if having to throw things away.
I’ve given up cable tv/internet/hard line phone. Get by well with just a 3 yr old cell. Kindle books for free with Amazon Prime and that saves bundles because I read so much. No hair color or make-up. 3 yr old van, shopped insurance down from $250/mo. To $ 99. Only have 1 dog, used to have 3 (2 seniors with health issues who have passed away). No Christmas gifts this year and am using random blank free cards I have received instead of pricey Christmas cards. Pared the list way down, really only to out of state people who don’t use internet. Every little bit helps!
Lili