11 Things We Don’t Pay For {that Save us HUGE Money!}

Inspired by the Dave Ramsey article {10 Things Americans Waste Money On}…. I thought it would be fun to start to jot down things that we just don’t buy.  And since my list could go on with many MORE items, I tried to jot down the first 11 as they came to mind…

Obviously we do what works best for us – yours might be different!  Maybe it’ll get your wheels turning in your mind to do the same.  Over time, the list below saves us hundreds (if not more!)

Here is our list of 11 (Eleven!) things we don’t buy:

Gym Memberships

We workout at home, and it saves us some pretty big dollars. It’s easier.. and we can do it at our leisure. I workout late at night and Dave usually works out in the morning. 

The added plus, is that since we are both home during these hours, we can watch the kids for each other.

Landline

We got rid of the Landline about 14 years ago and never looked back. We have always used our mobile phones. Even with 4 kids, I haven’t had a problem with an emergency that I needed a Landline.

Considering it was $30 – $40 for the Landline, that was extra money in our pocket. Not to mention, even though we are on the Do Not Call list.. that landline still harbored the most annoying phone calls – so if anything, just the fact that we can escape telemarketers is worth every penny!

And for those who mention “well we have kids and so a Landline is necessary” — we have 4, and over the last 14 years we haven’t been in a predicament where we have needed it.

Paper Towels

We just don’t use them.. as crazy as it sounds, it’s not something we EVER purchase here. We have stacks upon stacks of Cotton Terry Towels that we picked up from Costco (and some online).. they are much more economical than paper towels.

We just throw them in the wash and they clean up great.  I don’t even fold them, in most cases I just throw in the bottom drawer in the kitchen and use them as needed.

Soda

We have saved so much over the last few years by not buying soda..  it’s not something we want our kids to drink and it’s something we avoid altogether. The empty calories are not worth spending any money on.

We drink Milk, Water, and Iced Tea – we really don’t buy any Juice either. If someone is sick with an upset tummy, we’ll occasionally buy Ginger Ale, but that’s pretty rare.

Movie Rentals

We will wait until we get a FREE Redbox code…. otherwise, we’ll just surf Netflix for a movie to watch. We don’t usually buy Movies on DVD or Blu-ray, it’s not something we feel is a necessity.

If the kids want something different, we’ll go to the library and rent a movie.

Cold Cereal

We avoid it altogether – ANY type of cereal. It makes the kids crave more, and it’s almost always empty sugary calories, so we avoid buying any type of cereal at all costs.   It’s probably one of the worst nutritional choices you can make for your children – and it can quite honestly stay RIGHT on the shelf!

My kids are huge Oatmeal eaters, and every morning before school they want the Quaker Old Fashioned Oats with milk on the top… if I run out, or give them anything but that, then it’s a sure fire way of getting a scowl before they head out the door with Dad to school.

Commercial Cleaners

We haven’t bought any in a few years – Vinegar and Baking Soda work just as effectively. Walking through the cleaning aisle in the store truly gives me a huge headache – looking at the hundreds and hundreds of bottles. Who really needs all those?

Even if they are “FREE” with a coupon we skip them entirely – the are toxic to breathe, toxic to use and just better on the shelf.

Dryer Sheets & Softener

We use Dryer Balls and add a few drops of Essential oil for scent, and we use Vinegar in the rinse cycle. It works perfect and doesn’t age our towels as fast as Softener does. Easy money saved, since we are already using Vinegar for the floors and for the Rinse in the Dishwasher, too.

Vehicle Payments

We’ve been married almost 16 years and had a car payment 14 years ago, and only for 8 months. Otherwise, all of our vehicles {we have 5} are all paid in cash and almost all have over 120,000 miles. We plan on driving them for MANY  more!  My husband is handy with cars and so any issues can always be fixed with a little elbow grease.

You can see our last post for our tips on how to eliminate a car payment.  

Bottled Water

I can’t say we have ever needed this.. we each have our own water bottles, and as much as it heats up here in Phoenix, we have a filter on our refrigerator AND one on our faucet that allow us to filter our water. 

There is so much money saved, not to mention we’re saving all those bottles from being tossed.  One thing that has always driven me crazy is going to parties and watching kids open a bottle of water, taking a sip and running off… leaving an almost-full bottle forgotten about.

Bottled water can be a BLESSING though in the summer for the homeless – so if you are able to get an extra pack of two for less, consider donating.

Laundry Detergent

We save so much by making our own and it works out great for us. It’s so cost effective and I know what is IN it – which is a HUGE plus. A typical batch lasts me a few months at a time.

I could go on with many more.. but those are what stuck out at first thought.  Now I’m not implying that it’s wrong to pay for any of those things above if you want or need them ~ you do what works for you!  Every family is different!

I just thought it was fun to do this project as it might inspire you to eliminate things you are paying for in order to save that money and make more wiggle room in your budget.

It’s fun to read what others do too.. so please be open enough to share some of yours – you might inspire some of us to consider making the transition to add more to our list!