5 Things You’re Doing That Are Wasting Money

Everyone wants to save money if they can – there are very few people who enjoy spending more than they have to, after all. And with prices seemingly constantly on the rise, this is becoming more important than ever; the more you can save, the more you can put to good use elsewhere.

But what you might not realize is that there are many things you’re doing in your everyday life that could be wasting money. You might think you’ve put every measure in place that you can, but the reality is that there is always more you can do. Read on to discover some of the things you might be doing that are wasting money so you can make the necessary changes and save instead. 

Buying Brand Name Products

When you go to the grocery store, you’ll know that it’s best to have a list with you so you don’t buy anything you don’t actually need. You’ll also know that even before you leave the house, you’ll ideally have planned all the meals for the next week or a few days so that you only have to go to the store once. 

Yet there is a big trick you might be missing out on, and once you know about it, you could reduce your grocery bill hugely. The trick isn’t really a trick at all; it’s simply that instead of brand-name products, you should buy store-brand instead. 

Although you may have avoided doing this in the past, it’s time to change the way you look at your groceries. In many cases, there is very little difference between name brands and generic ones, and if you were to sample each with your eyes closed, you might not notice any difference at all. When you compare the prices, whether it’s food, beverages, beauty products, pet items, or anything else, you’ll see there is a huge difference, and the savings you can have by buying own brand products will, when all added up, reduce your grocery bill by a good percentage. 

Using Inefficient Appliances

You’ll have a variety of different appliances within your home. The stove, washing machine, dishwasher, air conditioner, laptop, and so much more. Most of these you’ll use without thinking about how much money you’re paying, although you might switch to an eco-mode if there is one to use. 

However, you might be spending a lot more on your energy bills due to your appliances than you need to. Even if you expect your bills to be high right now, you might be able to lower them by making your appliances more efficient. If anything is not running at its optimum capacity, it will be using more energy than it needs to, and that costs you money. This is why you should have your appliances serviced once a year or so – an air conditioner service can ensure your AC is running properly, and you’ll save money, for example. 

At some point, of course, your appliances won’t be able to be repaired. When this happens, you need to buy new ones, so buy the most energy-efficient ones your budget can stretch to. This will save you more in the long run, and it’s better for the environment. 

Buying More Than Just Gas

If you drive a vehicle of any kind, you’ll need to fill up the tank with gas every now and then. The more you drive, the more gas you’ll need to buy. This is not something that can be avoided, and although it’s possible to take your time and drive around to all your local gas stations to find the best price, in the end, you’ll be wasting fuel doing this, and it could be just as expensive as if you had bought gas at your most local filling station. 

Something you can do to reduce the costs of your trip to the gas station is to only buy gas. There will be a small store there, and it will be full of snacks and drinks, and magazines. You can find most useful household items in these stores, and it will be tempting to pick up a bag of chips or a candy bar while you’re there. Surely that can’t hurt? 

The truth is, it will hurt your bank balance. If you buy something you don’t need every time you fill up with gas, you’ll soon get into the habit of it, and you’ll buy more and more. This will quickly add up, and you’ll eventually be spending far more than you have to. 

If you stick with just buying gas and, on occasion, urgent supplies for the home that you really do need, you’ll save a lot of money. 

Sticking To Expiration Dates

When you buy perishable items, an expiration date will be printed on the label. If you want to save money, you need to be less rigorous about these dates and use your common sense a lot more. If the item smells fine, looks good, and tastes as it should, then it is perfectly fine, even if it’s a couple of days past the date on the packaging. This is especially true when it comes to dried goods that take a long time to go bad. 

For items such as meat or fish, if you won’t be able to eat it before the date on the packaging, you can freeze it and use it later. This means you don’t have to throw it out and buy a replacement, so you’ll be saving money. 

There are also two types of expiration date to think about. One is use by, which means the item could go bad after that date, and another is best before, meaning that although the item might taste fresher before that date, it’s still perfectly fine afterward. 

Use Cards To Pay With

It’s so convenient to use cards to pay with. You just have to tap the card or even your phone on a payment machine and it’s all done. You don’t have to think about how much cash you’re handing over or how to deal with the change you get in return. 

The problem is that this can be an expensive way to buy things. That’s because you’ll easily overspend due to the convenience, and if you add things up wrong, you might overspend to a point where other bills become difficult to pay. 

If you use cash, this can’t happen. Try taking out a set amount of money from the ATM each week and making that your budget for spending. When you only have a limited amount of money, and you can see it getting smaller, you’ll be much more careful about what you buy and can save more money.