Five Ways We Trash Cash Without Even Realizing It
I consider myself an incredibly frugal mom. I rarely pay full price for anything. I resale items that we no longer use, and I always shop around for the best deal out there. Even though I do spend a lot of energy and time in my attempts to save, save, save there are hundreds of common sense money savings tips that I miss out on every single day. Here are just a few simple ways to help us all get started stashing instead of trashing more of our hard earned cash!
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5. The FOOD we eat!
American’s eat a lot and we spend a lot of money doing so. Planning meals is a great way to save money. When food spoils we waste lettuce, cabbage, green… You get the message. So planning and taking a weekly kitchen inventory is a great idea. We not only lose cash on the food we waste but also on the food that is fast!! Eating out cost us all a fortune annually, so if you must, please stick to a weekly budget or use the coupons that are everywhere to save you a little dough on your next dine in pizza purchase. I crack myself up. Ok, next.
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4. The CAR we drive!
Based on my research for this particular item, there is ZERO evidence out there that putting a higher octane fuel in your car is going to better your engines performance. Using the type of gas recommended in your owner’s manual is all that is needed to efficiently run your car well. So disregard the terms super, premium, and plus while trying to save money. Your mileage may be affected by your lead foot but not by your fuel type. Also let’s discuss oil changes EVERY 3000 miles? Most reports I reviewed said that every 5000-7000 miles is an adequate period of time between oil changes, saving you half of your lube maintenance bill.
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3. The DRUGS we gotta have!!
I know, we all do it and YES I feel hypocritical even typing these words… BUT… We are honestly wasting ridiculous amounts of cash every year on our high end coffee addictions. The first step is, after all, admitting you have a problem, right? My name is Ashley and I’m a Frappaholic. Just try only visiting your local coffee shop when you have the time to make it a pleasant sit and visit or relaxing experience as opposed to a drive thru,$7 deposit or time consuming, stressful, 5 deep in line, want to murder someone, in a hurry nightmare. You will savor and appreciate the pleasing aroma, sweet foam and every soothing sip so much more, but if you must make a daily coffee run, your corner 7-eleven, Circle K or Kangaroo will have affordable options that should feed your need. Another highly addictive habit that cost a fortune is Smoking. Try using the “Cost of Smoking “calculator to figure about how much your pack a day or every week habit is costing you. It will floor you in most cases. I know, I know it is a really hard habit to break, but just think what you could do with that $2,100 a year that you could save if you did. I would buy 300 Frappuccino’s. Oh wait, forgetting the point of this segment. I’d donate it; yeah that is what I’d do.
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2. The DRINK with which we quench our thirst!!
I realize the title of this section is a bit philosophical, but this is the habit I am the most passionate about and that I struggle with constantly. I love my liquid, as referenced in the DRUG section, in all forms. They take me to my happy place. My frap in the morning, pineapple soda at lunch, Redbull midafternoon, ice cold Dasani after my run and a glass of Moscato after the kids have gone to bed. Yes, I am a creature driven by my expensive habit and thirst, and I, much like many of you, spend entirely too much money on my bottled water and energy drinks. Buying bulk bottled water is not only costly but not good for the environment. Buying a refillable water bottle or pitcher with built in filtration or even a water faucet filter will cost you less than a case of Fiji. As for energy drinks that cost us 2-3 dollars a pop, we have been convinced that they give us energy, but the reality is that all they really give us are huge amounts of caffeine & sugar. The kick they give us is not an energy boost from the B vitamin they boost of containing. It is from the caffeine high that causes that afternoon crash you will experience which surprisingly will require another energy drink to jump start you again. The vicious cycle of the energy drink is drink, crash, then drink some more. This cycle can cost anywhere from 1000-2000 dollars a year. Getting the sleep your body requires is the natural way to fight the need for that caffeinated kick. If adequate sleep is not an option, a vitamin supplement may be the way to go.
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1.The BRAND we must have!!
Our Country has become sadly so easily influenced. We literally pay twice as much in some cases for a particular brand name item when its non brand counterpart is of equal quality. I am not just referring to clothing, purses and shoes that are sponsored by your favorite model, actor, rapper or athlete either. I am also referring to medication and food items just to name a few. For years blind taste test have proven that rarely do brand name grocery items trump non brand items in the opinions of the general population. We are such a celebrity driven society that we believe if our favorites have it, use it, drink it or eat it we must do the same. What happened to being your own person, with your own opinions and what happened to using our good old common sense? I guess it is never too late to start.
