Are you looking to start lowering your cost of living in an effort to save some money if so make sure you haven’t fallen into the trap of buying these things people pay too much for. Maybe you are even thinking about starting your very first budget. Did you know that over 31% of every American household carries some debt? As an American, I know first hand just how much of a consumer generation we’ve become. So, while these facts may not be true for everyone who reads FrugalMommas.com they are very true for a large percentage of people and that’s why we want to address them.
Big changes in life start with small steps and these are just small things that add up over time.
10 Things People Pay Too Much For
1. Junk food
You may have never thought of yourself a junk food person but the definition of junk food greatly varies from one person to another. For the sake of this post we will define junk food as food that isn’t healthy. Easy, huh? Well let’s think about that for a moment. How much food in your freezer can be classified as healthy? Oh yeah, things just got real. The truth is that while certain foods make life “easier” for us on a daily basis they are actually taking away much quality from the life that we live. Sure, it’ll be hard to break away from going to the drive thru on your lunch break instead of spending ten extra minutes at night to pack a lunch. If that discourages you then check out how much money you can save by bringing a sandwich instead of eating out each day.
2. Movies
The occasional date out is lovely and I adore it myself. However in order to save money it should be an occasional thing. The times have changed and DVDs, BluRays and Netflix have made viewing new movies easier than ever before. So skip the movie theater and opt to watch it when it comes out. If that doesn’t sit well with you, maybe you do like the date night at the theater than consider skipping the popcorn and drinks.
3. Cable
Why? Why would you do this to yourself people? Cable as a rule of thumb is a bad deal. There are exceptions to that rule but unless you have the very basic cable then you are paying too much. You’ll never watch all those channels and despite what you think you won’t miss much either.
4. Apps
Ninety nine cents here, two dollars there, another ninety nine cents. The cost adds up very quickly and this is not something that families think to budget for. It’s something that sneaks up because it is so small. Unless you know that the app is worth it pass it up for the free version instead and change your phone settings to ask you twice before buying as to cut down on impulsive clicking.
5. Unused Subscriptions
“But I might want it again one day”. No you won’t. “But I may end up needing it”. No you won’t. Did you use it last month? Did you use it the month before? Are you going to use it this month? If you’ve not used it in three months then you aren’t going to use it enough to justify paying for it. If you can do without it then do. Don’t be scammed, go without the unused subscriptions.
6. Purses
I’m sorry, I’ll never understand why your bag cost you $300 if you can’t carry atleast that much in cash. You’ll a lot of money for something that you’ll end up throwing in the back of a car, sitting on a dirty floor, spilling makeup all over it and then you’ll want another one the next time Christmas or a birthday comes around. This is a money bag. This is you walking around with a bag on your shoulder declaring to the world how much money you spent on it and you know what I see? I see someone who most likely can’t manage their finances. Yes, that hurts but more often than not it’s the truth.
7. Makeup
Does your face break out if you use a cheaper brand? Does it always need makeup on it? If you take a few minutes and think about it you can probably make wiser choices in this aisle. You see, the cosmetic field is filled with many caring women who honestly want you to have the best but that’s not always the case. It can also be filled with many smart business men and women who know that they can mark your product up a little bit more from time to time and you will buy it claiming it as a necessaity. Think twice. I’m not saying go without – I’m saying be wise.
8. Haircare
Back to the honest and good willed women in the cosmetic field. They are working in the hair industry also and they work on commission, they stand on their feet for long hours and have to know a lot of chemistry as well as some biology and anatomy before they can graduate. They are often underpaid and treated with disrespect. Yet, there are a lot of people who get their hair done religiously and spend a lot of money doing so. There are even those out there who try to scam the hairstylist into free products. Do you know that they don’t get these products for free? They have to pay for what you don’t use and what you don’t like. Be nice to your hairstylist and feel free to get your hair done but before you spend all of your money here each week, month or every three months ask yourself if you can go without for a bit. If you are truly wanting to save money I bet you can.
9. Groceries
Okay ya’ll hold up. I have to try my best to not get hit with a lightening bolt here because this is my weak point. Groceries are expensive and I try to keep our cost down yet they still manage to get right back up there. Why can’t the family stop eating? Anyways, I can give you a few tips in this area that I use. Tip numero uno: price comparison works wonders. How much is it per unit? Do you have a way to store the cheaper per unit package? If so, get that one. Better yet, avoid the package and go fresh. If you have to have a package think twice about the packaging, just because it’s a name brand doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. Last but not least, quantity does matter; if you have three kids and the package of snacks only has 6 snacks in it then your better off going with a large box of fun cereal for snack time.
10. Toys
Every parent’s enemy – or so it would seem. Hear me out for a moment, we know diapers and wipes are expensive but we are willing to pay for our kids to have those. Meanwhile the toys get more and more costly and we roll our eyes at the cost and then buy them. Did you know that you don’t always have to buy new? There are times when buying used is completely and totally acceptable! Of course there are times such as birthday parties when buying new has to be the way to go. When you have to buy new use services like our Frugal Family Deals & Steals Page where we highlight major savings on items such as toys.
Can you think of other things people pay too much for? If so be sure to leave a comment about it either here or on our Facebook page.