5 things you should stop wasting money on

Last week we talked about tithing and why it should always be the first line item on your budget. Once that’s out of the way, and your necessities are paid for, there still seem to be a few things that eat away at your hard earned coins in small recurring bites. In the spirit of managing my money better, here are a few things that I used to buy at some point but recently stopped wasting money on.

Subscriptions 

I don’t know why but I’ve never been into recurring subscriptions. Nowadays, you can get a subscription for clothes, perfume, shoes, hair products etc… Do you really need new heels on a monthly basis? Even for me as a fashion blogger, that’s a solid no. The companies that offer these options are smart because once you set it and forget it, they will keep charging your card and unnecessary items will keep showing up at your door. They are banking on the fact that you’re spending without realizing how much it adds up to at the end of the year. If being on top of your finances is a goal of yours, review your recent bank statements and cancel every subscription you do not need. 

Single water bottles 

This may sound like a contradiction to my previous point but I love being subscribed to a water delivery service. The difference is that this is a need and not a useless want. I used to purchase 1 liter bottles to carry to work and a dozen gallons at a time for my house and then it dawned on me that having a delivery service may actually make sense. Now, I get about (6) of the 5-gallon water jugs delivered monthly and I use the water dispenser at home to fill a reusable water bottle for work which works for me. No need to keep buying bottled water daily and contribute to the environmental damage they cause. 

Cable TV 

Why is cable TV so expensive when there are so many alternatives on the internet? I don’t know why it took me so long to do so but I feel like a monthly weight was lifted off my shoulder when I cancelled my cable and phone service and only kept the internet. Fun fact, I don’t watch TV at all. With services like Hulu, Netflix, or devices like the Roku and the Amazon Firestick, you can totally do without a $200 cable bill.  

New phone every year
Oh did I use to be a culprit of this! I don’t know why I thought having the latest cell phone was like a status symbol in my 20’s and to make matters worse, I was so accident prone back then. I once dropped my phone in a toilet, then twice, I got it stolen in college. Somehow, I grew up and as a result, grew out of recurring phone accidents. I purchased my last phone in 2016 and finally upgraded to the iPhone 11, 4 years later when my iPhone 7 Plus gave up on me. There is no reason to get a new phone every year especially when you can download the latest updates and have the same functionalities as the latest models. 

Souvenirs 

I think I’ve mentioned it here before but I’ve vowed never to purchase a souvenir when traveling again. It is such a waste of money, for me at least. I have purchased an album made out of bamboo in the Bahamas because I thought it was so unique. 9 years later, I have yet to add a single photo to it. Some people collect shot glasses from different countries so that may be something you choose to do but from now on, I prefer to purchase an item of clothing like this jacket from Thailand. 

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Bonus

I realized that as I got older, I also stopped using large purses and big wallets that hold dozens of cards. Nowadays, I mostly carry small crossbody bags and I recently purchased a mini card holder from Amazon which simply holds my driver’s license, two debit cards (we rebuke credit cards over here) and my laundry card because that’s a necessity in NYC… I also stopped getting manicures and pedicures because press ons look really nice for special occasions. Better yet, I no longer have to worry about acrylics or gel manicures damaging my nails or getting a fungus at a nail salon because their cleanliness is questionable. I also take my vitamins which have helped my nails grow and not be as paper thin as they used to be. 

Is there anything that you’ve stopped buying or spending money on especially during quarantine? I’d love to know so don’t hesitate to share it in the comments below.