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03/30/09
Seven Things I'm (Not) Wasting Money On
I just read this Wall Street Journal article titled Seven Things You're Wasting Money On. It looks like I'm actually not doing too badly.
1. Bottled Water: With the exception of my morning OJ (generic from frozen concentrate) and the occasional beer or glass of wine at night, I drink nothing but tap water, all day, every day.
2. Extended Warranties: I don't think I have ever paid for an extended warranty. It always seemed to me like an obvious waste of money.
3. Gym Memberships: Post-college, I don't even like to pay for admission to swimming pools (I always got in free when I was on the swim team). Now if I want a workout I put on my running shoes and step outside my front door.
4. Overdraft Fees: Not really an issue in our family. Erika is so good at making sure we carry a balance large enough to cover any purchases. We actually think overdraft protection is a waste of money because we never need it.
5. Organic Produce: Another thing we don't care about at all. The only thing we look for in our food is cheap, cheap, cheap!
6. Auto Insurance: Hmm... I can't say I've really looked into this particular issue of mileage, but I think we've already gotten our auto insurance down about as low as we can.
7. Music Downloads: Whenever I get birthday or Christmas money I create a spreadsheet of items I want to buy with their respective prices on eBay, Half.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes. I then systematically pick out the lowest price (including shipping) for each item, whether it's a music download, used CD, or what have you. Erika makes fun of me for it, but she spends at least as much time clipping coupons and reading store ads.
Aside from reducing energy costs, I honestly am not sure how I could cut my spending any more.
4 comments
Well, Kyle, I must say, you and Erika are about the most frugal couple I know. We don't spend on a lot of those items either. Oh how I love my gym membership though. I wonder if Blue Cross/Blue Shield of IL offers any sort of discount or compensation towards it.
If gym memberships aren't utilized then it's absolutely a waste of money. Anything that's invested in good health is worth it's weight in gold. I'm also a big fan of the public library.
RE: #7: I have had iTunes credit for 3 albums and 4 songs for over a month, and haven't decided what to get because I want the most music I can get for it. I made a list, and now am trying to decide which ones I want the most. 
Here are some more interesting facts about bottled water. 1) Shipping water across the state is a waste of gas. 2) Plastic water bottles are mostly thrown away, not recycled. 3) Many brands use tapwater anyway. Dasani bottled in St. Louis uses tap water(which originally came from the river). 
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