8 Things to Stop Spending Money On - City Girl Savings (2024)

When you’re trying to be financially responsible and stick to your budget, spending money on things you don’t really need should be stopped immediately. Seriously, stop spending money on things you don’t really need. There are certain luxuries that you may convince yourself you need and you really don’t. The CGS Team is sharing 8 things to re-think spending your money on. Your money will go much further for you if they aren’t spent on these things.

Cell Phone Insurance

You may think you need cell phone insurance, and the cell phone sales rep certainly expressed why you should have it, but chances are you won’t ever need it. If you do end up needing it, you first have to meet the high deductible. Take some time to think through if you really do need the extra coverage. If you do, make sure you get the right coverage plan and know what the deductible is before you purchase!

Monthly Subscription Boxes

Everyone loves a special package coming for them in the mail! While you may enjoy new stuff coming to your door every month, you may be wasting your dollars. Whether it’s a beauty box, fitness gear or kitchen supplies, if you aren’t using what comes to you, get rid of the subscription. Also, if you tend to shop for those products in between getting your boxes, you’re spending double the money on these items.

Bottled Water

Did you know consumers spend nearly 800 times more for bottled water than plain tap water? Nowadays, most refrigerators come with filters, or you can buy an affordable filter, like the Brita Faucet Water Filter System for under $20, that attaches to your kitchen sink-head. There’s not much of an excuse to spend so much on bottled water when filtered alternatives are available.

Morning Lattes

Trust us, this one is hard for us to let go too. However, after calculating the yearly cost of that morning latte five days a week (between $500-$800 depending on where you go), it’s not really worth curbing the craves. Instead, we’ve opted for adorable travel mugs like the champagne-colored stainless steel mug from LifeSky to transport our coffee on the morning commute. The kick hits right when it’s time to get to work. Some coffee shops even offer discounted coffee if you have your own mug!

Extended Warranties

Consumer reports show that appliances rarely breakdown within the extended warranty timeframe. That means that you are shelling out extra cash with your purchase for nothing. Once the warranty expires, if something happens to your object, you have to cover the costs. Chances are you won’t need to fix the item before the warranty expires, so save yourself some money and skip it.

Landline

If you have a cell phone, do you need a landline also? Unless it’s used for work and covered by your company, it may save you money in the long run to forgo the extra phone. Most cell phone plans offer unlimited minutes, so you can get all of the calling time you need through that.

Games & Apps

They really do get you when they say “only $.99 for 1 million coins”, or “download the ad-free app for $9.99”. Whatever the promotion is that you are getting from your app or cell phone game, you probably don’t need it. Sure, it doesn’t amount to much when you look at it as a one-time purchase, but getting into the habit of allowing low-cost purchases opens the door for more spending.

Cable

Cable is probably one of the hardest things to get rid of, especially if you love certain shows. However, there are so many options available to TV-watchers that are much more affordable than your cable plan. The Amazon Fire TV Stick allows you to stream over 4,000 channels, apps, and games. Netflix and Hulu stream TV shows and movies for about $10-$15/month. The Apple TV allows you to stream apps (like Netflix and Hulu), and rent movies via iTunes.

Related: 10 Things You’re Spending Too Much Money On

If there’s an opportunity to put extra money in your pocket, take it! Getting into the frugal mindset and understanding needs versus wants will allow you to make better financial decisions, and have more money left over because of it! What are some ways you have cut back? Are there certain things you can’t live without? Post a comment below to share your vices!

-Raya

The CGS Team