This post may contain affiliate links. Please see Disclosure and Privacy Policy at bottom of page.
The question of how to save money is one of the oldest questions in history. Here are 25 ways to save money by not buying things. Pretty simple stuff here. Just don’t buy stuff you don’t need. Considering how much stuff we buy, there are plenty of things you can cut out that won’t be missed.
1. Don’t buy things in the checkout line at the stores.
You certainly don’t need any candy, gum, or magazines. Forget the candy and think of your health. Not to mention the cost. If you must have candy then buy a bulk amount for the cheapest you can find. If you must buy magazines then try a subscription since the single purchase in the stores costs way more.
2. Stop washing the car.
You only need to pay a car wash to wash the underneath of the car, since you can wash it at home for a lot less. Having the under side cleaned is really only required twice per year. Once after the winter weather is over and once after the summer or into fall.
3. Ditch the cell phone plan.
Switch to one of the pay as you go cell phone providers. There are a ton available today like Ting (Get a $25 credit with my affiliate link), Boost, Metro PCS, and many more. This can save anywhere from 50-80% per month depending on how you use your phone. We have 2 lines on a Ting plan and pay anywhere from $30-$50 a month for both combined not each.
4. Don’t buy cameras.
Today most people have a cell phone with a camera on it and most phones have pretty high quality cameras in them. Don’t buy any digital cameras unless you need more features or functions for your picture taking.
5. Don’t buy a new car. Lease a car or buy used.
Leasing a new car is usually cheaper due to how the payments are figured for a 2 or
6. Don’t buy extended warranties.
This is a classic one to avoid. Most warranties are never used and a lot of times the problems start happening after the warranty has expired anyway.
7. Don’t buy so much kids stuff.
Children are expensive enough already, so stop buying so much stuff for them. Especially clothing that they will
8. Cut cable & TV plans.
Just like
9. Don’t buy memberships and cancel unused ones.
This could be for a service like Netflix or a gym membership, for razor blades, or for some type of informational service. Don’t get overwhelmed with too many subscription services. Especially when you are probably not using them all or have forgotten about ones you have. If you need the service or product, see if there is a cheaper way to access the same product.
10. Don’t spend on pop, flavored water, or sugar/chemical drinks.
This is pretty obvious. These drinks are expensive and are definitely 100% bad for the human body. If you can go without them you will be better off in more ways than one. Filtered water is the way to go.
11. Don’t spend a lot on a wedding.
Wedding cost can be ridiculous. Just don’t have a big expensive wedding if you really can’t afford it. Think about how that money could be used for you and your spouse as you start your new life together, instead of for the wedding.
12. Cut out pet products.
Just like with children pets can get really expensive. Especially if you spoil them
13. Cut out holiday stuff.
Maybe you don’t need so much holiday stuff. Look for things you can eliminate from the seasonal routines of all the holidays. I’m not going to list all the things you could eliminate from the holiday decorations. There is so much to cut out it should be pretty easy.
14. Smarter grocery shopping.
Stick to a list and a budget. Learn the sales schedules for the different stores you shop at. Use coupons and take advantage of any deal that save you cash for things you buy.
15. DIY products.
See if there is anything you can make at home instead of buying it. Everything from shampoo, toothpaste, soap, and cleaning products can be made at home and in most cases cheaper.
16. Don’t buy top dollar brands.
Don’t buy name brand products. Most grocery stores have their own store brand that is the exact same ingredients as the top name brand. This store brand is going to be significantly cheaper the the name brand item. For other stuff just don’t buy the expensive brands. You are usually paying way more for just the name.
17. Lower house/rent payment. Don’t over pay for housing.
This may be difficult but see if it’s possible. Refinance your mortgage or sell your home and downsize. If you rent then see if the landlord will lower your rent or at least not raise it every year. Worst case get a roommate or (gasp) move in with your parents.
18. Don’t buy food out or get it delivered.
Cook at home! This has always been the cheapest way to go. Fast food and chain restaurants are expensive compared to the grocery store and cooking at home. It will also be much healthier for you and your family in addition to saving you lots of money.
19. Cut out some of the personal stuff. Hair, Nails, Tanning, Etc….
Cut back on the personal spa treatments or whatever pampering you are doing. You don’t have to stop these things permanently, just see what you can save by eliminating some of them for a while.
20. Stop buying things online.
This goes for online stores but also includes all those in-app purchases. Just ask yourself if you really need this purchase. Chances are you will answer no a lot. That will save some money.
21. Avoid buying useless kitchen stuff.
This includes small appliances, specialty food tools, and paper plates, cups, and utensils. Things like all the different pizza makers, bread makers, breakfast sandwich makers, chopping tools, mixers, banana slicers, deep fryer, etc. Unless you know that you will use these things a lot, like a toaster or can opener, then don’t waste the money. You will use it once and it will sit there, taking up space, for six months or more. The paper products are expensive in the long term compared to the water and time to wash them. Paper products are also not good for the environment.
22. Clothes that you will hardly ever wear.
This covers exercise wear, formal wear, expensive shoes, and anything else that you will hardly ever wear. Again, think two or three times before you pull the trigger on any of these types of purchases. Will you get the use out of it? Is it really worth it?
23. Do not buy bottled water.
Most bottled water is just better quality tap water. You are better off filtering your own tap water with an inexpensive pitcher system. The ones like Pur and Brita can give you better quality than the bottled stuff and will be much cheaper. They also have ones that will attach to your faucet if you don’t want to go the pitcher route.
24. Cut out the gifts for everything.
Don’t just buy gifts for every holiday, birthday, bar/bat mitzvah, baby shower, wedding, or house warming party that you are invited to. I know there are many more that people buy gifts for and that’s the point. Just stick to the main celebrations with the people that are the closest to you. Everybody else gets a card.
25. Don’t buy the latest and greatest cell phone every year.
There are so many “budget phones” on the market that work just as good as the flagship phones from companies like Samsung and Apple. One I will mention is the Motorola G series. My G5 Plus is still going strong after almost 2 years. $250 dollars compared to $800-$1000 for the top of the line from other companies. The Moto G6 and G7 are $250-$400. Quite a bargain. My G5 is still fast and the battery life is still there. If you are an average user of a smartphone then you won’t be disappointed in the performance of the G class and similar phones from other companies. Just looks at the specs and compare devices and reviews and you will make a much better decision. There are a lot of options out there now.
So see how many of these you can do and you will be surprised at how much money you’ll save. Some of these might be difficult, but any money not wasted is money saved!
