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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