I know I talk about how cheap I am all the time. I can’t help it – it’s part of my identity! I live life with one big focus in mind: retirement. Also, vacations. And keeping my future kids fed. Okay fine, I have 3 focuses. Because of this, I’m very careful with my money. I aim to save 30% of my income and monitor my spending with a monthly budget. Sticking to my budget often means sacrificing when it comes to unnecessary purchases. I’ve already created a list of things I will spend money on, but today I’m sharing things that aren’t worth spending money on (to me).
Things that aren’t worth spending money:
Clothes:
I will not buy expensive clothing. Forever 21 is out there, and it is happy to give me $10 dresses. There is no difference in how cute expensive vs. inexpensive clothes are! Also, brand names are literally meaningless. They are just created by commercialism to make you think you’re getting better quality for something you can buy a duplicate of at Target for $15 [end rant].
I also keep my clothes budget in check by only shopping 2 or 3 times a year. I’m lucky because I don’t have to dress up for work, which allows my entire wardrobe to be made of cheap, casual clothing that doubles as outfits for the office and home (aka just leggings and t-shirts). I don’t take this for granted!
Purses:
I have been using the same purse since college. One of the clasps broke a few years ago and I replaced it with a key ring that now holds the purse together. No one has noticed. If you think about it, purses are basically receipt trash receptacles that you carry around with you. Why spend money on a designer purse when a cheap one from TJMaxx serves the same function and will last just as long? I guarantee you, no one notices if you use the same purse every day. (Please see my above rant about brand names).
Jewelry:
This is in the same vein as clothing, but if a necklace is more than $30, it will not be on my neck. Cubic zirconia is a gift, people.
Organic food:
This might kill me one day, but I will take my food with pesticides if it means I don’t have to spend extra money on it. If I spend all of my money on organic food that makes me live longer, I’ll run out of money before I’m dead, right?
Makeup/beauty products:
I don’t wear a lot of makeup, and the makeup I do wear hasn’t changed since high school. Since I keep my makeup low-key, I buy it all from the drug store and only restock every 3 months or so (okay, more like 6 months). I know makeup is a big spend for a lot of women and totally don’t judge that – It’s just not important thing for me personally! The same goes with shampoos/body washes – I’ll take whatever is on sale at Rite Aid, please.
Greeting cards:
*Steps up on soapbox* There is no reason to buy expensive cards when the $1 card section exists! I am irrationally passionate about this subject. I’m sorry I even got started on it here, because I could easily go off about it for 3 blog posts.
Cards are looked at for 5 seconds and then thrown away. That is money literally going straight into the trash!
Every time I give my mom a card she immediately turns it over to check that I didn’t waste money on it. I guess I got it from my momma because now I do it every time I get a card, too. The greeting card industry is a total scam – I will forever be shopping that dollar section.
Flowers:
Flowers die so quickly. And they’re expensive! Definitely not worth the money for their one-week lifespan. (I’m also super smell sensitive and can’t deal with the scent). If I’m getting some kind of decorative foliage I opt for plants instead! And if I’m sending someone a birthday or condolence gift or I’ll send food or chocolate because it’s much more useful and lasting.
Eating out:
This is a tough one, but it has also made the biggest difference in my spending. I try to go out to eat 3x a month, maximum. Buying groceries and cooking is so much more cost efficient. (As long as you don’t burn 3 chicken breasts in a row like I do, but that’s a story for another day). If I do go out to eat, I rarely order an appetizer, choose my dish with price in mind, and limit myself to one drink. That sounds like a sad way to live, but you know what doesn’t? Using my saved money for pina coladas on the beach when I retire in Florida.
Getting my nails done:
I have two hands that can put nail polish on myself without paying someone else to do so. Do I do it well? No! But I do it for free. Also, I’m such a klutz that my nail polish is lucky to last week, so I just can’t justify the cost. Again, I’m just not a big beauty person so it’s an easy cost to cut!
Movies:
Movies are so expensive. I will splurge and go to a movie maybe twice a year, but it has to be one I’m REALLY excited for (Little Women will be my movie outing this year!). I like to wait until l can a movie for free at home, where I can pause and pee whenever I need to (with the captions on).
Things I don’t want to do:
This is a no-brainer, but I will not spend money on activities I am not interested in. If there’s an activity that I’m not psyched about, and it costs money, it ain’t happening! No amount of FOMO is worth me being farther away from retirement.
Want to know what I do spend money on? Read my blog post on my splurges here!
What are you not willing to spend money on?
xo, Liz