Ever looked at your bank account and wondered where all your money went? Like, you swear you didn’t buy anything crazy, but somehow your wallet’s on life support by the third week of the month. Yeah, I’ve been there too. 🙂
The truth is, most of us are bleeding money on stuff we don’t actually need or could easily do without. And I’m not talking about giving up your morning coffee (though we’ll touch on that). I’m talking about those sneaky purchases that drain your account without adding real value to your life.
In this post, I’m breaking down 10 things you should seriously consider cutting from your spending habits if you want to save more money instantly. No judgment here—just practical, real-world advice that can put hundreds (or even thousands) back in your pocket every year.
Table of Contents
Stop Buying These Things To Save More Money
1. Brand New Books – Libraries Still Exist, People
Look, I love books. The smell, the feel, the whole vibe. But unless you’re planning to read that hardcover three times, you’re basically dropping $25-30 on something you’ll consume once and then let collect dust.
Public libraries are literally free. FREE. They have newer releases, they have e-books, they even have audiobooks now. And if you absolutely need to own books, thrift stores sell them for like $2-3 each.
Let’s do the math – if you buy just two new books a month, that’s roughly $50-60 gone. Over a year? That’s $600-720 you could save. For what? The privilege of having a shelf full of books you’ll never touch again?
Here’s what you should do instead:
- Get a library card (it takes like 10 minutes)
- Check out free e-book apps like Libby or Hoopla
- Join a book swap group in your community
- Buy used books from ThriftBooks or Better World Books
2. Bottled Water – You’re Literally Paying for Something That’s Free
This one drives me nuts. Bottled water is one of the biggest scams of modern consumer culture, and somehow we all fell for it.
The average American spends about $100-150 per year on bottled water. Families can easily drop $300-500 annually. And for what? Water that often comes from the same municipal sources as your tap water, just in a plastic bottle that’s killing the planet.
I get it—tap water doesn’t always taste great. But a $25 water filter will solve that problem and pay for itself in less than two months. A reusable water bottle costs $15-20 and lasts for years.
The environmental impact aside, this is literally throwing money down the drain (or into the recycling bin, hopefully). Stop it. Get a filter, get a decent reusable bottle, and move on with your life.
3. Subscription Services You Forgot You Even Had
Confession time – I once paid for a meditation app subscription for eight months after I stopped using it. Eight. Months. That’s $80 I basically set on fire because I couldn’t be bothered to check my bank statement.
Subscription services are designed to make you forget about them. That $9.99 here and $14.99 there adds up fast. Most people have at least 2-3 subscriptions they barely use or completely forgot about.
Take 20 minutes right now and audit your subscriptions. Check your bank statements from the last three months. You’ll probably find at least one or two you don’t need anymore. Common culprits include streaming services you never watch, gym memberships you never use (we’ve all been there), meal kit services, and apps you downloaded once and forgot about.
Quick subscription audit checklist:
- Streaming services – Do you actually watch all of them?
- Fitness apps or gym memberships – When did you last use them?
- Beauty boxes or subscription boxes – Are you really using everything?
- Software subscriptions – Could you use a free alternative?
Cutting just three $10 subscriptions saves you $360 a year. That’s a weekend getaway or a chunk of your emergency fund right there.
4. Daily Coffee Shop Visits – The Classic Money Drain
Okay, I know this is the most cliché money-saving advice ever. Everyone and their grandma tells you to stop buying coffee. But hear me out—I’m not saying never treat yourself to a latte.
I’m saying the daily habit is killing your budget. A $5 coffee five days a week is $25 weekly, roughly $100 monthly, and $1,300 yearly. That’s literally a vacation or a down payment on something meaningful.
The solution isn’t suffering through terrible home-brewed coffee that tastes like sadness. Invest in decent coffee beans and a basic coffee maker or French press. Make it a ritual you actually enjoy at home. Save the coffee shop visits for weekends or special occasions, and they’ll feel more special anyway.
If you genuinely love your coffee shop experience, limit it to 2-3 times a week instead of daily. You’ll still save $700-900 annually while keeping a little joy in your routine. Win-win.
5. Brand-Name Groceries When Generic Works Just Fine
This is where people get weird and defensive, but I’m gonna say it anyway – most generic/store-brand products are literally identical to name brands.
Same factories, same ingredients, different packaging. The only difference is you’re paying 20-40% more for a logo you recognize. Following Frugal Living Tips like buying generic can transform your grocery budget overnight.
I’m not suggesting you compromise on everything. Some items genuinely taste better or work better as brand names (I have opinions about certain cereals, okay?). But for things like flour, sugar, canned goods, pasta, frozen vegetables, and basic pantry staples? Generic all the way.
A family of four can easily save $50-100 per month just by switching to generic products for half their groceries. That’s $600-1,200 annually for the exact same food.
Do a taste test if you don’t believe me. Buy generic and name brand of the same product, do a blind comparison, and see if you can actually tell the difference. Spoiler alert – most people can’t.
6. Impulse Online Purchases – The Midnight Shopping Addiction
Raise your hand if you’ve ever bought something online at 11 PM that you absolutely didn’t need. Yeah, me too. :/
Online shopping makes impulse buying way too easy. One click, and that random thing you saw in a targeted ad is on its way to your doorstep. The problem? Most impulse purchases end up being things you use once or never.
Here’s a simple rule that’s saved me hundreds – wait 48 hours before buying anything non-essential. Add it to your cart, close the tab, and revisit it two days later. If you still want it and can justify it, go ahead. But I guarantee 70% of the time, you’ll forget about it or realize you didn’t actually need it.
Strategies to stop impulse buying:
- Delete saved payment info from shopping sites
- Unsubscribe from promotional emails
- Use browser extensions that apply the 48-hour rule automatically
- Keep a “maybe later” list and review it monthly
The average American makes about 12 impulse purchases per month, spending around $1,800 annually on stuff they didn’t plan to buy. Imagine having that money back.
7. New Clothes You Don’t Actually Need – Fast Fashion Is a Trap
Let’s talk about your closet for a second. How many pieces of clothing do you own that still have tags on them? How many things have you worn exactly once?
Fast fashion has convinced us we need new outfits constantly, but it’s destroying both your wallet and the planet. The average person buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago but keeps each item half as long.
I’m not saying never buy clothes. I’m saying be intentional about it. Before buying something new, ask yourself: Will I wear this at least 30 times? Does it go with things I already own? Am I buying it because I need it or because it’s on sale?
Better alternatives to fast fashion shopping:
- Shop your own closet – remix what you already have
- Try clothing swaps with friends
- Check out thrift stores and consignment shops
- Invest in quality basics that last longer
Cutting your clothing budget by even 50% can save $300-600 annually. Plus, thrift shopping is actually fun, and you find unique pieces nobody else has.
8. Convenience Foods and Pre-Packaged Meals – The Lazy Tax
Pre-cut vegetables. Individual yogurt cups. Single-serving anything. Meal prep services. These are all charging you a “convenience fee” that adds up faster than you think.
Sure, pre-washed, pre-cut vegetables save time. They also cost 3-4 times more than buying the whole vegetable and cutting it yourself. That 10 minutes of work could save you $20-30 per grocery trip.
I get it—you’re busy, you’re tired, cooking feels like a chore sometimes. But convenience foods are one of the fastest ways to inflate your grocery bill. A little meal prep on Sunday can set you up for the week without spending double on pre-packaged options.
Buy whole vegetables, cook in batches, and use your freezer. That hour or two of weekend prep saves you hundreds monthly and gives you healthier options than most convenience foods anyway.
If you’re currently spending $200-300 monthly on convenience foods and takeout, cutting that by half puts $1,200-1,800 back in your pocket yearly. That’s not nothing.
9. ATM Fees – Literally Paying Money to Access Your Own Money
This one is just insulting. You’re paying $3-5 to withdraw your own money because you couldn’t be bothered to find your bank’s ATM.
It sounds small, but if you’re doing this even twice a week, that’s $6-10 weekly, roughly $300-500 annually. For nothing. Absolutely nothing except convenience.
Plan ahead. Use your bank’s ATM network. Get cash back at grocery stores for free. Use apps like Venmo or Cash App to split bills instead of needing cash. There are so many ways to avoid ATM fees that there’s really no excuse.
Some banks reimburse ATM fees—check if yours does. If not, consider switching to one that does. Your future self will thank you for not throwing away hundreds of dollars on fees.
10. Single-Use Items – Disposables Are Destroying Your Budget
Paper plates, plastic utensils, disposable razors, paper towels for everything—these items seem cheap individually but cost a fortune over time.
A pack of paper plates costs $5-8 and lasts a week or two for a family. Over a year, that’s $130-200. Regular plates cost $20-30 for a set that lasts years. The math isn’t mathing in favor of disposables.
Same goes for razors, cleaning supplies, kitchen items—basically anything you keep repurchasing. Switching to reusable alternatives requires a small upfront investment but pays off massively over time.
Swap these single-use items for reusables:
- Paper towels → Cloth towels and rags (save $100-150/year)
- Disposable razors → Safety razor or quality reusable razor (save $50-100/year)
- Plastic bags → Reusable shopping bags (save $20-40/year)
- Disposable water bottles → Reusable bottle (save $300-500/year)
Making these swaps can easily save $400-700 annually while reducing waste. It’s literally a no-brainer.
Stop the Wasting, Start the Saving
Here’s the thing—you don’t have to cut all of these things at once. Pick 2-3 that resonate most with your spending habits and start there.
The goal isn’t to live like a monk and deny yourself everything enjoyable. It’s to be intentional about where your money goes and to save more money by eliminating wasteful spending that doesn’t actually improve your life.
Add up what you could save by cutting just half of these items. For most people, it’s easily $200-400 per month, which is $2,400-4,800 yearly. That’s an emergency fund. That’s a vacation. That’s financial breathing room.
Small changes create massive results when you stick with them. Start today, track your progress, and watch your savings grow. You’ve got this. 😉
What spending habit are you going to tackle first? Let me know in the comments!
