Most Of Us Spend Money On Things We Could Get For Free
We just flush money down the toilet
Even if you have adjusted your budget and eliminated expenses that only put you in the deep end, I bet you can save more by browsing through this list.
I rarely bring up generic money advice, because Google is already full of it, but I’ve been browsing Tumblr and found this.
We just flush money down the toilet.
Books
I used to spend more money on books than clothes.
It’s fun to buy new books.
But let’s face it: they are expensive and most of us read them only once.
There are some great books to have, maybe a cookbook or another reference book, or a classic that you read and re-read. But most books just fill up the shelves and accumulate dust.
Try the following:
Borrow the book from the nearest public library in your town or city. After all, you already pay city taxes.
Or you can opt for free audiobooks.
You can also buy used books on Amazon or any other website for a fraction of the price of a new book.
Pets to love
I live on the second floor of a building. And my bedroom only fits my bed and my work desk. Good thing it doesn’t have cockroaches and mice. If I lived like most people, I would have 2 puppies. I love dogs. They are cute.
Do you need a pedigree pet? Like a German shepherd.
Or are you just looking for a little creature to take home and love?
There are so many dogs, cats, and birds waiting for homes in shelters, and often the cost of neutering and vaccinations is included in a small fee charged to their adopters.
Save the world by adopting a homeless pet.
Getting stuck in the classic banks of the 1960s
You put money in the bank, and then the bank lends you money to make a profit.
So why do you have to pay so many fees to the bank?
There are current monthly account maintenance fees, overdraft fees, ATM fees for using an out-of-network ATM, and more.
You can avoid many of these fees by switching to an online bank or a smaller local credit union.
Using credit card interest against ourselves
Let’s say you have a credit card balance with an interest rate of 23%. If that’s the case, you also have a ton of money in a savings account earning peanuts, you need to rethink things.
Use your savings to pay off debt.
An emergency fund makes sense.
But if you are paying high interest and earning low interest, you are on your way to creating an emergency, not solving it.
There are exceptions to this rule.
If you are not sure about your job security, you definitely want to have a stock of cash on hand.
But if you’re about to celebrate your 23rd birthday in government, use your low-income savings to pay off high-cost debt.
Having tax problems with the government
If your tax situation is not so complicated, you should probably prepare your own tax return using one of the many free online services.
It is now common for electronic filing to be free and with many services. You won’t even need a tampon.
International shipping
I don’t make this mistake anymore.
Getting a product out of the USA to Portugal is a big problem. Getting it from Portugal to Brazil is another puzzle.
If you are buying something online and it is not an emergency purchase, you will probably get a discount on shipping.