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As we head towards being more health conscious and saving our planet, there are a ton of things that most of us have in our homes that we can really live without. These possessions only weigh us down, and in some cases, are detrimental to our health. Besides creating clutter, these items are probably generating a debt that we would be better off without. Here are the top 8 things:
1. Smaller cars – as statistic states that the average household size today in the U.S. is 2.59. Do we really need an SUV to get around town? The smaller cars are cheaper, more fuel efficient and easier to park and maneuver.
2. Land lines – there are so many ways of communicating these days: cell phones, call forwarding, texting, instant messaging, Facebook, blogging, just to name a few. You no longer have to stay home because of that one important call you’re waiting for. A basic local service cost $15 – $25/month.
3. Exercise equipment – Exercise burns off stress and keeps the weight off. EAT less and MOVE more. No equipment, especially high priced fancy ones, is needed. There are plenty of motion-activities that don’t cost a penny: sit-ups, crunches, hikes, swimming, gardening, etc.
4. Electronics – game consoles, laptops, movie players, cell phones that do everything short of cooking your meals. We’re all too busy trying to simultaneously finish up our project, email grandma, update our Facebook and upload the app to monitor our home-security system. Take all these electronic entertainment devices away, and we may have time for a game of Clue with family and friends, and some extra cash in our pockets.
5. Cable Services – in addition to being bombarded with the many activities created by electronics. We have cable TV which is definitely a want, not a need. This want can run anywhere between $40 – $200/month.
6. Decorations – seriously, who really needs 25 picture frames in their bedroom? What about the 8†bronze horse atop the piano that nobody touches! The painting of a waterfall hanging above the toilet is to transport us to a more pleasant place? We spend so much of our income ‘sprucing’ up our home continuously.
7. Clothes and Jewelry – excessive is possessing 28 pairs of dangly earrings, two watches, five bracelets and nine necklaces. It’s too bad there aren’t enough body parts or days of the week to parade around with so many possible combinations. Not to mention the outfits I can conjure up with eight pairs of jeans, 20 tops/blouses, nine jackets/vests and 25 pairs of shoes/heels.
8. Junk food – there is a good reason why it’s labeled ‘junk’ – chips, cookies, cupcakes, and soda bring about instant gratification. Prolong consumption can lead to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes.
This guest article was contributed by Jennifer Bell from Health Train
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great Post. And don’t underestimate how liberating it feels to start simplifying your life by getting rid of stuff. By getting rid of even just some of the items listed here – your life will feel lighter, simpler – and definitely more cash rich! I switched from cable TV to getting my entertainment from http://www.Hulu.com and http://www.netflix.com and even http://www.amazon.com Instant Video – and I’m saving over $300 month. You just don’t need all the extra channels.. So don’t pay for them. Put that money into something that really matters. Something you actually care about.
Absolutely Phil! It does feel great and saving money on things you do not need is the best way to save!
Thanks Phil!
And you’re right. Spending money wisely means knowing what are important so that we don’t go wasting money on unnecessary things.
not to play devils advocate, because i do live without 6 of 8 of the things on this list, but there are plenty of unnecessary things that we do that we genuinely want to do just for fun, vacations for example.
i own a home, and i try to save tons of money my not doing excessive things. why do i save all this money? so i can use it to decorate and re-decorate my home. thats why i save. i know i could keep that money if i lived minimally, or if i just stuck with the color of the walls as they are now, but thats not the life i want to live.
some people enjoy their money by getting fancy clothes, or souping up their hummer, and as they do it in a way that is fiscally sound, then theres no problem. but if they start buying every shiny mudflap they see with reckless abandonment of their budget, then it begins to be a problem. don’t stop doing the things you love, do them responsibly. if you are budgeting soundly, then it should not be a problem to readd your hobbies where they fit.
Devil’s advocate is always a fun place to be! I (and this site) agrees with you though. The motto of Little People Wealth is spend small to live large. It is about priorities. As long as you know what is important to you then you can spend small on the things that are not important to you (and on the items that are easy to save on) and have more money (live large) for the things that are a priority to you. I’m a big vacation fan so that is where most of our extra goes. The problem comes when you have somebody who cannot pinpoint their own priorities so they spend on everything. It is not as enjoyable and they usually end up in debt.
Thanks for your comment AJ! I actually do agree with you. Especially about spending money responsibly. And that’s exactly what the list above is for – to guide us in spending our money wisely. That’s why I put in the title “…things we CAN..” because it still boils down to knowing what we want and what’s important to us. These are things that we can live without only if we choose to. I also agree that we shouldn’t stop doing or buying things that we love because then that will only make our lives dull. we simply need to have the discipline to not go over budget with our yearnings. Who want’s a dull life, right? 🙂
article is amazing and i like your 8 tips
thank you.