Let’s face it: we are a spoiled generation…all of us. We live in a time where everything comes so easily. We have little hand-held computers that also make phone calls. We have drive-thru coffee shops. We have fast-food restaurants. We have health food shops. We have cable with 10,000 channels to watch. We can even order groceries online and have them delivered!! It wasn’t that long ago that home computers were unaffordable, coffee was predominantly brewed at home and cable had 30 or so channels.
Listen.
Most of that nonsense you don’t even need! But if you do want it in your life, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg nor do you have to have premium everything.
- Cell phones. Do you find yourself paying a monthly rate that could pay for a decent new car? There is no need to have these overpriced packages with unlimited everything. In fact, you can ditch your contract with your current carrier and have a go-phone. I was with a certain carrier that I was paying around $180 a month for two phones, one of them with unlimited data, but both with limited talk and text. I switched over to their monthly pay (go-phone, whatever you want to call it) and instantly saved $80 a month. I had to reduce my data, but I didn’t use it much anyways…especially with all of the free wi-fi available everywhere (and if you are an Xfinity user, you can have even more spots to ping from). I eventually switched to another carrier who offered unlimited everything for $10 cheaper per month. We now pay $85 a month for our two cell phones. That’s $100 in savings since I wised up. Just make sure to check which provider is best in your area (yes, there is an app for that!).
- Cable. How much TV do you really watch each week? If you work a full-time job and are active, chances are you aren’t really getting your money’s worth in cable tv. The last time I had cable and internet combined, I was paying around $160 a month for a basic service plus a few good channels. I might have watched an hour or two of tv a week. It just wasn’t worth it to me. I switched to Netflix so that I at least have something to watch if I feel like it. Plenty of my favorite kinds of shows eventually make their way there and if not, I don’t cry about it. TV consumes too much time anyways. I’d rather be doing something productive with my time. I have decent internet service and pay $65 a month for that. I’m saving roughly $94 a month and able to get a lot of my to do list accomplished as I’m not stuck on the TV.
- Drinks. This is one thing that covers a wide array. Coffee, soda, alcoholic beverages…all of the above. Do you really need to have a fancy $5 coffee every morning from your favorite local shop? Why not set the coffee pot at home and have it freshly brewed and ready for you to take with you on your way out the door. Save yourself a trip and the hassle. Same thing with purchasing sodas at a convenience store. Why not bring one from home? You’ll spend a fraction of the amount. Mixed drinks…stay at home and make your own.
- Clothes. No one needs a ginormous closet full of clothes and shoes. If you haven’t worn it in the past year, donate it to your local church or someone in need. Most people cycle through the same clothes every week anyways.
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