Living in a world bombarded by consumerism on every corner on the internet, it’s almost impossible not to fall into the trap of buying things we don’t really need. From fast fashion, storage containers for you’re already boxed stored food, Stanley cups, and their accessories (like seriously, why can’t we stop wasting money?)
Most of these things add little to no value to our lives and will likely end up in a landfill. Not to mention how the wasted money on these items quickly adds up. We seem to have forgotten how to differentiate between a want and a true necessity.
We can simply say, I forgot how simple and how little we actually need to live on. If you have anything beyond a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food on the table, consider yourself blessed. With that in mind, I’ll leave you a list of 7 nonessential item you can cut from your budget and potentially save that money or use it to pay off debt!
1. All Luxury Brand-Name Products
Yes, I was guilty of always spending money on these items. Many people believe that higher-priced items are of better quality. Over time though I realized generic or store-brand products often provide the same quality at a fraction of the cost.
Whether it’s makeup, skincare, fashion, or food, determine where you want to save and where you want to splurge.
2. Coffee Shop Drinks
I still like indulging in a specialty coffee once in a while. The problem becomes when they turn into daily trips to coffee shops and trust me they can add up quickly. Try brewing your coffee at home and investing in a quality thermos for on-the-go convenience.
With the endless recipes to try from the internet, over time it becomes easier to stop wasting money on drinks you can easily make it home.
3. Trendy Clothing
While I love all the new fashion trends, they come and go, often leaving you with items that quickly go out of style and building up clutter in your closet overtime.
Focus on a capsule wardrobe of timeless pieces with neutral colors that can be mixed and matched instead. Buying cheap, trendy clothes might seem like a good deal, but the longevity is short because of the lack of quality.
Invest in fewer, but higher-quality items that will last longer and save you money in the long run.
4. Subscription Services
While eliminating all subscriptions would be ideal, it’s not sustainable. On the other hand, having too many subscriptions will cause a financial drain to your wallet.
Often times you will realize that many subscriptions offer similar benefits or products to one another. It’s like paying for duplicates!!.Review your subscriptions and only keep the ones that make sense.
5. Dinning Out Frequently
Eating out is convenient. I get it, especially when you’re tired from work, in hurry to be somewhere or being real…. some of us just don’t like cooking lol but at the end of the day it can be costly. I’ll admit this was the one area I struggled to stop wasting money on.
Try meal prepping or cooking at home even if it’s just a few times a week; not only will you save money, but you’ll likely eat healthier as well.
RELATED POST:
6. Fancy Gadgets
For me (probably all women) it’s mainly kitchen gadgets or hairstyling tools. I know they promise to make life easier but often times they become obsolete quickly collecting dust in your cabinet. More often times than not, you will use only 1 out of the 20 gadgets you have.
Before spending the money, take a moment to determine whether the gadget truly meets a need in your life or if it’s just a passing trend. If you do purchase one, at least make sure it’s a multi functional gadget.
7. Entertainment, Hobbies, and Activities
Again it’s not always about cutting, eliminating, and getting rid of all the fun. It’s about getting creative and finding alternatives that can be fun and budget friendly. Save the splurges for special occasions.
Whether it’s concerts, movies, painting, or cooking classes, with a little bit of research, you can often find many free or low cost activities in your city and surrounding areas.
Conclusion
If you have done (or still are) dealing with the above spending problems, don’t feel bad. I was guilty of doing this myself until I found myself hoarding things over time and was left with over 10 boxes of stored unused items—-many with the tag still on.
Since then, I learned to downsized and have donated my unused items to those who need it. Eventually, the shift in what I valued more is what made it easy to stop wasting money on things that don’t matter.
At the end of the day, you should analyze and reflect on what you’re spending and ask yourself why. Is it just a habit? Result of an emotion? Or learned behavior? Often times it’s the result of something we need to address within ourselves.
