Who am I to tell you what to live without? The best place for you to start is to gather everyone in your house hold and set priorities for what expenditures are more important than others. I can tell you what my household decided, and maybe you will agree that some of these items can go.
1. Cable Television.
I have no sports fans in my house so this was an easy one. Instead of paying $45 for cable, we spend $7.99 to have Netflix. Since we have several computers, we like the streamed in version. We also have a 26″ TV and can see it just fine. Huge televisions are not a priority for us.
2. NEW
Okay, we don’t buy many things new and shiny anymore. No new cars, no new dvds, no new books, etc. Many items are like-new and half the cost online. One of the things we do buy new is furniture, because no one wants bed bugs! New underwear and socks are also a must!
3. Home Phone
We don’t need one, we have cell phones. We also switched to pre-paid phones when our T-mobile bill went way up. Now we spend $40 a month on minutes, rather than $150 on a bill. If your kids or spouse start whining about not being able to text or goonline, remind them that you can get a laptop with the saved money. Really, saving $110 a month adds up quick!
4. Credit Cards.
I found that when I have a credit card, I buy everything new, but if I have to pay cash I am more likely to look for bargains.
5. A Week-long vacation:
Did you ever notice that after the third or fourth day of vacation, you are worn out? We realized that having a day off before and after our trip was more beneficial than spending all 7 days at the destination. As an added plus, we end up with more money available per day so we can splurge on those 3 or 4 day trips.
All in all, you need to decide what purchases are worth it to you. Most articles I see blast people for spending $7 on a latte, but if that once a week treat is important to you, who am I to tell you to drop it? Pick your favorite things, but let go of the other indulgences that you don’t really love.