Ever bought something that you later regretted? I have. So in my efforts to pay off my six-figure debt, I have drastically cut down on my spending.AlthoughI have cut down on many more things, these are the 6 things that I no longer buy that have made the most impact on saving me money.
1. Desktop computer
I stopped using my desktop computer when I graduated from high school 8 years ago and moved out to the dorms with only my laptop. I have not owned one since, have never looked back, and have never missed it.
So if you have an old desktop computer at home that you are considering replacing, don’t. You don’t need to. If you don’t already have a laptop, I would buy a cheap one (my next point) and ditch the desktop computer. Unless you are using your desktop computer to play high-graphic games, your laptop will do just fine.
2. Expensive laptop
Another thing I stopped buying was a new expensive laptop every few years. I own a $500 Asus laptop that so far has survived 5 years and counting of college and graduate school courses and several cross-country moves.
It is a cheap, light, touchscreen laptop that has allowed me to do everything I have wanted. WhileI do take care of it, I certainly don’t baby it. It even has a dent on the top from me dropping it while using it laying down in bed (bad habit) but still fully functional.
While I did go with a cheap laptop, I made sure to read reviews to see if the laptop will be a good fit for me because no matter what, if you are spending hundreds of dollars on something, it better be to your liking.
All I’m saying is, you don’t have to buy into the idea that you have to get the most expensive laptop out there to meet your needs.
3. Cable subscription
I’m sure you are sick of all the people telling you to cut your cable already. I sure was.Call me old fashion but for some reason, I really like to pick my shows on live TV.
I also like watching reality shows (The Voice, Amazing Race, Property Brothers are my favs!) more than regular TV series which is better suited to live TV than subscription programs like Netflix or Hulu.
So I use DirectTV Now which doesn’t require a satellite dish unlike DirectTV (although DirectTV does offer more channels). For $20/month, you can stream on 2 devices when you have ATT Unlimited phone plan. It costs $35/month without which is still lower than what a cable bill runs per month.
I also have Prime Video that comes with my Amazon Prime account but honestly, I never used it. So my advice is to stick to one subscription. If you like live TV, go with DirectTV, otherwise I would pick either Netflix, Hulu, or Prime Video.
4. New cell phone
I used to get a new cell phone every year or two which was such a waste of money! My biggest mistakes were not investing in a cell-phone with enough storage and not taking care of my cell phone enough.
These were the reasons I’ve had to get a new cell phone the last three times:
1. I left my phone in the computer lounge of my college and it was promptly stolen.
2. I dropped my phone, cracked it very badly so I decided to get a new phone rather than replace the screen.
3. I bought a phone with the smallest storage capacity, ran out of storage, and had to get a new phone.
I will be the first to admit that those are all bad reasons! So make sure you pay that extra $100 to get a good storage amount on your phone so you don’t get tempted to buy a new phone when storage runs out.
Also, make sure to invest in tempered-glass screen protector and a good case. Although it may add a little extra thickness to get a tempered glass protector and a good case, it will be worth it in the long run. I’ve dropped my phone a couple of times and cracked my glass protector while keeping my screen scratch-free.
5. Full-priced clothes, bags, or shoes.
I honestly cannot remember a time in the last 3 years that I’ve bought clothes, bags, or shoes at the full price. Retailers are always running a discount whether it is in store, online, or through email.
I have a junk email that I use to subscribe to retailers to get sale alerts and coupons. Don’t use a personal email that you check every day because this will only tempt you to buy when you don’t need to! To make this work, make sure it is a junk email that you would only check whenever you are ready to buy an item.
Make sure to check the sales section at every store. Recently, my favorite place to shop is Macy’s because I newly discovered theLast Act sectionwhere I have gotten workout outfits for as low as $5!
I also make sure to visit my local Goodwill to browse around whenever I go to donate. My trick is I don’t keep a huge donation pile at home. I keep only a small donation bag at a time so I make sure to go on a routine Goodwill run. While I’m there I make sure to browse around and always find good deals.
6. New car
Six years ago I bought a new car. I never had much knowledge (or interest) in cars before and while I was in the market for a used car, I was in a time crunch and wasn’t able to purchase a used car that I thought was reliable enough.
Why I bring this up is because just this weekend, I went car-shopping with my mom who is looking to find a new car. Lo and behold, we were at a Mazda dealer looking at her desired CX-3 when next to it, I found my dream car, the Mazda-3.
I obviously could not justify buying this dream car at least for another 4 years or so when I had already bought a new car that was still in perfect condition.
So the lesson learned is if you are going to be purchasing a new car (and I still don’t regret purchasing my car new), make sure you are okay with keeping it for a long time. I personally plan to keep mine for 10 years so no new car for me till 2022!
So that is it for me and the 6 things I used to buy but no longer do. Do you have any other items you used to buy but don’t anymore? If you do, let me know down in the comments.
