Almost everyone is looking for ways to save money but they often overlook making cutbacks in areas they consider necessities. It may seem reasonable to do so until you consider that some of these necessities may not be necessary at all. An article by Bankrate.com suggests that if you take a serious look at some of these so-called necessities you may find more savings than you thought possible, therefore, they have put together a list of 12 common “necessities” which could be draining your cash. The list, inside…
1. Daily Latte
A fancy coffee shop cup of coffee could cost 100 times a home brewed cup.
Brew your own and you could save $25 a week, or $1,300 a year.
2. Cable TV
If you can live without premium channels you could save about $25-$30 a month, or $300-$360 a year. If you are hard-core you can drop cable altogether and save $55-$65 a month, or $660-$780 a year.
3. Manicure/Pedicure
We don’t have much experience here but apparently if you skip a manicure and a pedicure once a month, you would save $50-$110 a month or $600-$1,200 a year.
4. Botox
Treatments usually run $300-$1,200 per visit. Try going “au natural” and save $1,200-$4,800 a year.
5. Bottled Water
If you feel ok about drinking tap water you can save $25-$40 a month, the average monthly delivery fee based on online averages.
6. Second Car
According to the article, this is the highest-ticket “new necessity” today. Getting rid of an old gas guzzler could save you thousands on insurance, registration, maintenance and of course, gas.
7. Cell Phone
Does EVERY child in the family need a cellphone? You could save $480 to $720 per year for every phone you eliminate.
8. Lawn Service
If you have the time, mow your own lawn. You could spend $65-$90 on average for weekly mowing, hedge cutting, and leaf blowing which equals $260-$360 a month.
9. Clothes
Unless you have an urgent need to keep up with the latest fashions, famous frugal-master Jeff Yeager has an idea that will probably seem radical to most, “I think most Americans could easily go for one year without buying any new clothes,” he says. The savings here could be monumental depending on your clothes-shopping habits.
10. Private School
Since you’re already paying for public school, why not use it? You could save $8,000-$35,000 per year according to the Boarding School Review website.
11. Childhood Parties
Nobody’s suggesting you take away a child’s day of celebration but you don’t always have to overdo it. Do you really need the inflatable moon-walk, magician, clown, and pony-rides every year?
12. Pet Grooming
Spend $25 on a set of clippers and learn how to groom your pet from a book or online. Professional grooming could cost $30-$90 depending on the size and breed of your pet.
Most people become complacent inside their comfort zone and are reluctant to go without those things to which they are accustomed, it’s only natural. But try taking a few steps back and look at your necessities objectively, and you may discover that some of those things aren’t necessary after all.
12 new ‘necessities’ that drain your cash [Bankrate.com]
(Photo: Getty)
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@unleashed:
HAHA Thankfully, my cable company suffers from the same laziness.
9. You have no idea how much money I saved by becoming a nudist.
How can you possibly have this list without putting eating out on it? Talk about a money pit.
@Stanium: @
When I moved out on my own I opted not to get cable. Since I never had it, it was much easier then having it and dropping it later. At “$660-$780″ per year and living here for 7 years, that’s $4,620 to $5,460 that I’ve been able to save and invest in my Roth IRA instead.
and why was consumerist/gawkermedia refusing to allow sign-ins at around 8 this morning?
@apotheosis: Give Aishel some credit – the folks here wouldn’t know what Tanach was anyways.
I’m a proponent of vouchers, but more because I’m a libertarian than because I’m an observant Jew who’s looking forward to huge day school tuition bills. Sending your kids to day school / yeshiva wasn’t always a necessity when there were decent chedarim / after school programs, but all of the chedarim left these days are just feel-good excuses for non-Orthodox parents, and are definitely worthless in terms of real Jewish education by themselves. I would know, I went to one!
But, back to topic: it’s important to distinguish between luxuries and time-saving. Lawn service for $20 every other week is indeed far more expensive than just mowing it myself – until you count in fuel, maintenance, and time costs. If I’m making $35 an hour, spending an hour and a half mowing my lawn is a bad use of my time if it could get done by someone else for $20. Then again, if I’m making $35 an hour, I’m probably not the target of this article.
daily latte, mani pedi, botox,lawn service, pet grooming. what, is this list for people who live on whistera lane.
lets try , eating out, soda, and those 100$+ handbags i keep hearing about.
i simply cannot believe how much soda people buy.
1. Daily Latte
No more Starbucks for me – bagel shop near my house makes a killer iced coffee for $2. In the cooler months? Large hot coffee for $1.75.
2. Cable TV
I don’t go out to movies, I love my cable and I have it tied in with my internet service.
5. Bottled Water
I don’t buy it and I only drink it at work. Otherwise, NYC tap is fine with me.
6. Second Car
NYC – no car to begin with. $86 for an unlimited 30-day Metrocard (all buses, subways).
7. Cell Phone
One phone (a Blackberry). My big indulgence is my unlimited data so I can check email as much as I want. Don’t need the iPhone – think my BB is snazzy and quick enough for what I need it to do.
8. Lawn Service
No lawn.
9. Clothes
Old Navy. Almost every dress in my wardrobe is from them and I always get compliments on them. A few Target pieces here and there.
10. Private School
No kids.
11. Childhood Parties
No kids.
12. Pet Grooming
No pets. May get a cat.
Oh and Botox? Nope, never gonna happen.
Mani / pedis? Once a month mani professionally done to get the shape shaped up and spiff the cuticles up. Otherwise I’m a DIY girl. Nothing like a self-administered foot scrubbing at the end of the day…
I’m sure you’ll get friction for the “Public over Private school” suggestion (#10). YMMV depending on the area you live in.
#12 can include nail trimming too. If, like me, you’re leery about wielding nail clippers, get a dremmel tool and grind them. There’s an excellent tutorial with photos here:
[homepages.udayton.edu]
My dog was getting his nails clipped twice a month @ $12 a pop. That’s an extra $288 a year I can spend on treats or stick in his “Emergency Vet fund”.
Wait, weren’t we just told how Starbucks is hurting?
Seriously, isn’t this just the same common sense over and over?
Where it says children’s parties add all parties in general. Just open a can or two of Pringles ($0.90 at Big Lots) and you have an instant party!
Weddings are the biggest waste not listed.
I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go.
@Erwos: You only get paid for the hours you are working. If you have the option of working 24 hours a day for a given rate, good for you, but most of us hourly folk are limited to our 40 hour weeks (we’ll not count the occasional overtime). The hours outside that 40 hours are not worth $35 per hour, unless you have been offered that to sell them (picked up a second job that pays that).
OMG diy pet grooming is SO not worth it. Bath, toothbrushing, nail clipping, trimming dog into right shape, making sure her beard and eyebrows don’t get in the way, and finishing off with PLUCKING HER EARS. Have you ever had to pluck a schnauzer’s ears? If so, you’d gladly pay someone a very large lump sum in order to not have to ever do it again. Not to mention that your half-assed clipping/trimming job could cause injury to your pet. That’d be worth saving a few bucks on when you have to rush them to the vet at hundreds a pop.
So worth every penny of 40 bucks that it’s not even funny. Try this instead – see if your area has a local pet grooming school. It’s often half price. Ask other dog owners you see around where they get it done. Don’t ask people with labs. Ask people with pets that need haircuts. There’s plenty of independent out of their house groomers that don’t have the storefront overhead.
No, I’m not a dog groomer. I have a schnauzer and faithfully get her groomed by professionals, even though it’s a ‘big waste of money.’
#1 I get a meduim on payday, I’m not giving that up.
#2 & 7 – we have an employee bundle through my husband that covers 2 cells, 1 land line, satalite and dsl, our bill is probably comperable to the standard bill for 1 cell (don’t hate)
#3 Amazingly enough I know how to do my own nails, thanks.
#4 I already pass for 10yrs younger most days, its called moisturizer and sunscreen.
#5 grr, don’t make me go all treehugger….
#6 If I could drop my daughter off at daycare on a bike w/o spending $400 on the extra seat I’d already be doing it.
#8 Reel mower – I get some sun, a little workout, and I can mow whenever I feel like it because it make very little noise, neightbors have no clue any mowing is going on (till they start sneezing )
#9 I haven’t grown since I was in Jr High (yeah I’m short) and I wear solid colors 90% of the time, this is not an issue. If I absolutly *have* to have something, I’ll crochet or knit it.
#10 No public school for 2 yr olds around here…
#11 Its called the park. They have grills, swings, slides, benches – and I don’t have to clean the house.
#12 Neither Great Danes nor rescue kitties need grooming.
I wouldn’t make my worst enemy forgo the amazing education I’m getting at my current boarding school for the disgusting lump of feces that my local school district tries to pass as an effective, satisfying, and over all GOOD education.
Private Schooling? My gosh this is a stupid list. Sure, I’ll just toss my child’s education, future, and general welfare to the wind by sending them to the local failing government school in the name of saving money.
On Bottled Water, what in the world is “the average monthly delivery fee based on online averages”? Bottled water is a rip off, I agree. But what does that sentence mean?
On Mowing Your Lawn, common sense would tell you the people who pay for lawn service aren’t too likely to own lawn equipment. Buying a lawn mower, leaf blower, and trimmer isn’t free.
if you have a cellphone, you might consider ditching the land line.
I think they missed #13: whiskey.
And I refuse to forgo it.
@pgh9fan: Kids are simple creatures. They do not need a $250 birthday party to be happy. When they were little, my nieces would go nucking futs over an empty cardboard box. For their birthday parties, my sister spent about $50 on cake and ice cream and a a good time was had by all. I will never understand you parents that go all out on a birthday party for a 2-year old. He won’t even freaking remember it. He’s probably terrified by the clown, too.
Out of the list I only have 2, cable and kids with cell phones.
I’m already at the basic level now, and it’s my ISP. So that’s about as cheap as I’m gonna get it.
Technically we could drop my wife’s phone, as she now has a new Blackberry leash from work, but then she looses texting (don’t ask, I don’t know), and everybody and everything has to learn her new phone number, as the personal phone is just forwarded to the leash.
The kids are now just 18, and they still depend on them. Each of them (twins) costs about $20/month with taxes and fees, with the only downside being that we had to go with the family plan for texting (the daughter was running up the bill more than it cost for the family plan).
I’ve tried to give up cable TV. Didn’t work; roof antennas are discouraged and I barely get one TV channel without cable. Once the HDTV switch happens, I’ll get 0 channels without the cable.
I already spend <$300/yr on clothes.
I could go back to a landline — but it’s hard to use that to call for help when the car dies on the interstate.
Cable TV is still arguable, but I don’t think there are any quotes around the rest of my necessities.
Brita/Pur filters and tap water (far better tested and safe than bottled) trumps bottles. Plus greener.
Private schools are great for choice or religious parents. But the only reason some are better is they get to reject kids, get better funding and academic-focused parents self-select for them. If you’re involved in your local school, and it receives needed funding, they’re a wash.
Privatizing, vouchers, etc., won’t impact these two crucial differences, so they’re just a vehicle to hose other people’s children. Who, after all, are fellow citizens that we’ll have to coexist with when they grow up.
Cliche, but: you think school is expensive, try ignorance.
Childhood parties? Throw a bunch of empty boxes in the back yard and give each kid half a beer. Film the results and post on YouTube. Fond memories that last a lifetime!
If Botox is out, are penile pumps still Kosher? I’m wondering for a “friend”.
@godai: If the Tanakh is a bible, then so isn’t the Koran?
Oh. Cable. Ha ha ha. Hee hee hee. Get over-the-air and you’ll revel in unthrottled, stunning hi-def signal. For free. Use savings to rent more DVDs.
Wow pet grooming at home? To do a halfway decent job the initial investment is going to be over 200 bucks. Clippers, shears, brushes, combs, etc, it really adds up. I’m a groomer. Buying all those grooming tools and supplies will certainly NOT save money. Unless you have a high maintenance dog, grooming will never exceed $80 every other month.
LMAO.
People pay for the things listed here? Holy crap, no wonder people are broke.
Except that bit about a second car. Sweet babbling buddha, the entire economic engine of America is based on easy mobility and expanding cities. Even if you wanted to, you can’t change the real estate, government and financial engine that drives development further and further out without committing to rapid public transport as part of the deal. Eat up productive farm land, cover it with houses and then … you’re on your own to get back and forth. NEVER has there been such an asinine bassackwards plan. A second vehicle is absolutely necessary for most folks.
Other than that … this list makes me laugh. Jeez, EVERYTHING I own, except the good suits, are from second hand stores … where, I swear … the selection is better and the merchandise is generally $3.99. Even my camo.
I’m observant Jewish too. In the year your close loved one dies, you can’t buy new clothes. And sometimes there’s no warning so it’s not like you can stock up. After my Mom died, I found that that was surprisingly easy. And in the years after that I found I bought a lot less clothes in general.
@brandyk: “OMG diy pet grooming is SO not worth it. Bath, toothbrushing, nail clipping, trimming dog into right shape, making sure her beard and eyebrows don’t get in the way, and finishing off with PLUCKING HER EARS.”
Time does not equal money here on the consumerist. If most of the users on here had their way, we’d all be farmers. Anything else and you’re just throwing money down the drain.
This is a hilarious post, if only because I’ve been living without these “necessities” for the last 5 years! I get free coffee at my hotel job, I’m a bit of a tomboy(tomwoman?) so manicures are something I do at home and botox is a joke! We don’t care so much about keeping up w/ the Joneses, just what we really feel is important. I’ll pay to buy sparkling bottled water, it’s healthier than soda! I’ll pay to have 2 family cellphones, but no land line. Now if I could only get my fiance to get rid of that 1968 Landcruiser he loves so much…
Sorry but my dog gets the minimal grooming per year 3-4X at $25 is worth it to not cut his nails myself *shudders* I HATE that task. As far as clothes…buy from thrift stores occasionally…..come on how many pairs of jeans do you need people?! Don’t buy Starbucks…complete rip off! And no children’s parties because I’m not adding more pitter patter of lil feet to this world! Pretty basic list though obviously.
1. Daily Latte
I don’t do coffee.
2. Cable TV
We got a cable TV/Internet/Phone bundle that saves beaucoup bucks over getting the three separately. The drawback of course is that we have to deal with Comcast. Well they haven’t hosed me recently at least.
3. Manicure/Pedicure
Don’t do those.
4. Botox
Don’t do those either.
5. Bottled Water
Same
6. Second Car
I don’t even have a first car.
7. Cell Phone
Subsidized through work.
8. Lawn Service
The neighbor kid does this for me. Pretty cheap considering.
9. Clothes
Once a year? Once a year would speed up my clothing acquisition schedule.
10. Private School
You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s a private school a quarter mile from my house. I can barely afford to walk past it, let along send a kid.
11. Childhood Parties
My brother-in-law is a clown.
12. Pet Grooming
Got no pets
So can I please have the next set of 12? Maybe some of them will benefit me more.
@evenkevin: Time does not equal money here on the consumerist. If most of the users on here had their way, we’d all be farmers. Anything else and you’re just throwing money down the drain.
I got dibs on anything that doesn’t involve raising chickens or hogs. Hey, maybe I can get a cow. Then we can have milk and we can save on having the neighbor kid do the yard work.
Who the hell (assuming “regular” people like you and me) gets BOTOX on a regular basis???
Anyone who thinks Botox is a NECESSITY probably has enough money they aren’t worried about scrimping. Either that or they are so vain nothing will stop them from immobilizing their face.
I tried to groom my dog once and cut his ear. That was the worst yelp I’ve ever heard and I still feel guilty years later. (He was OK, I’m still not.)
1: Never has been daily, and is now down to like monthly. *shrug* I’m getting back into roasting, anyway.
2-4: n/a
5: $25? Our tap is nasty. I have a counter-top filtered cooler at home, and drink bottled spring water at work, and keep some in the car…and it’s like $10 a month. If it were $25 or more I’d invest in a more coolers.
6. I want a second car, but for redundancy purposes, and my ideal car has a KBB value of under $3k…
7. Sadly, yes. If it were not expected for me to have one, I wouldn’t. I want to be alone when I’m alone.
8. I hope to never have a normal lawn…that is all.
9. Is that to say that it is regular to get rid of clothes that soon?
While relegated to hot day/car work duty, I’ve still got clothes from eight years ago that I wear, and am insanely disappointed at the recent drop in quality of Eddie Bauer (sp) pants. My new ones will not be lasting five years, like my last two pair, I can say with plenty of confidence.
10. While I don’t plan to have kids…no chance in Hell, here. My greatest regret about public school is not dropping out sooner. The money my parents’ managed to get to put me through private schooling while they could afford it was worth it; and if I were to have kids, I would find a good school, and do the same.
11. I had some fun ones, but that’s right. More of them were for my mom’s insecurities than my desires or needs.
12. Eh, depends on how much time you have. Like people, dogs will get used to the sate of recently having been groomed, and be unhappy if they go too long without a little wash and hair cut. While I’m mostly a cat person, that’s one of those things that comes with taking care of longer-haired animals.
@WakefulD: 1. Starbucks a treat? You need to get better coffee
.
My wife, kids, and I save money via everything on that list except we have two cars. We have considered getting rid of one, but she would want to keep the minivan and that thing is so unreliable. Just yesterday again it took me all afternoon to get it running again. Our cars are paid off, so except for the immediate cash infusion of selling one it does not save much really and in the winter there are lots of times we need two cars. Might be a good idea to buy a $500 beater 1/4 of the year?
On what planet are these things necessities? How long is the waiting list to get there?
The cable TV one is easy. Most of the shows I watch are either on Hulu or YahooTV. And it’s free.
These are all a little silly…and private school? Seriously? If you can afford to send your kids to private school and still put them through college, for the love of god, do it.
That’s like saying you could save money by not buying your kids school supplies and putting them to work at night.
Alternative solution to #5: Invest in a water bottle stand and dispenser (or, if you have the space, a counter-top dispenser) and a few 3-gallon bottles. Refill at your local grocery store at 33¢ per gallon. Yes, it’s filtered local water, but I’m OK with that. Bottom line: No extra gasoline output, green reuse of very little plastic, no filthy dusty tap water, and clean water for less than a penny a cup.
People think of these things as necessities?? The only ones I have on that list are CableTV and cell phone, and the TV I could do without in a pinch.
Who in the blazing blue hell thinks BOTOX is a necessity?!
If you ask me that list is pretty much bs.
The only one that I would think people need is a phone, and mine is thankfully discounted by %15 or so because of my employment. Also, a new t-shirt every once in a while isn’t a bad thing.
I don’t see what’s wrong with giving your kid a party at a park or something. A cheap and fun party can be thrown together with like $25, it just takes some creativity. Buy a few cans of whipped cream, let the adults suck out the happy gas if so inclined, and then give it to the kids and let em go nuts on each other. Whipped cream fights are actually really fun. Balloons and other party supplies can be bought/stolen from a dollar store. These are kids, for gods sake. It’s not like it takes them bottle service at an expensive club to let loose. Give ‘em an old cardboard box and watch them have fun for hours. I don’t have kids, it’s just common sense. Kids are creative, so let them be. Don’t limit their brains to TV and crap they think they have to have because of it. Also, it’s not a contest between you and other parents. Trust me, your 5 year old boy will be much, MUCH happier (maybe not in the short term, but kids are forgiving and forgetful) with you if you deny him big and expensive parties, save the money you would’ve spent in a savings account, and then buy him a kick ass sports car with it when he turns 16. Just make sure you explain it to him when you buy the car and he’ll be on his knees thanking you.
I also have a big problem with private schools. There’s no doubt that private schools are often many times better than public education, but if you send them to the wrong place, the therapy bills are going to add a substantial amount of distress to them in the future. Sometimes being normal isn’t a bad thing. You can always supplement their education by, you know, taking an active role in whatever they’re learning. No need to send them to a small, socially inept private school so that they can be slightly better educated than a public school kid. Just a thought.
@eliblack: private school? Seriously? If you can afford to send your kids to private school and still put them through college, for the love of god, do it.
I agree. The US public screwl system has some major issues.
1: don’t drink the stuff
2: legacy satellite plan. $50/month.
3: long&gnarly
4: WTF?
5: Undersink filter
6: not worth it when I drive only 100 miles/week @23mpg
7: PAYG plan covers my useage at $5/month
8: condo. no lawn.
9: I spend way less on clothes than I probably should. about $400/year.
10-11: no kids and no desire for them. Wife is fixed.
12: pet grooming? srsly?
How would I pay off my card balance every month if this list wasn’t useless? Srsly people there’s cutting back and then there’s cutting back. According to this list I’m already living like a damn monk.
@cerbie: I suppose I should provide full disclosure – a friend of mine works at Sbux and gets me free bags of coffee every other week or so, so my “treat” is one of those insanely fattening mochafrappawhat-have-yous. It’s like eating ‘leventy billion candy bars all at one sweet, sweet time!!
Yeah, these are my major expenses. Can this crack team find a solution for gas, health insurance, and tampons?
my ex used to get manicures, and i was like “That’s wicked expensive girl. You’re a fool.” truth say