I’ve been thinking lately about goals for the new year and how I can make daily decisions to get me to where I want to be. Budgeting and being mindful of my spending have been on my mind (maybe because I have a baby on the way?). I took a lot at what I spend my money on as well as what’s just not worth it to me. Today I’m sharing the categories I rarely pay for to perhaps inspire others to analyze their priorities or to give ideas on ways to cut back on spending. If you have categories not listed here that you try not to spend on, please share them in the comments so we can bounce ideas off each other!
What I never or rarely spend money on:
- Manicures/pedicures at a salon: I just do them myself at home. I have only gotten my nails done once in 2017.
- Haircuts every three months/hair color: I get one or two haircuts a year. I have never had my hair dyed at a salon, and I don’t see myself starting anytime soon.
- Dry cleaning and clothes that need dry cleaning.
- ATM fees: I try to plan accordingly by stopping by my bank’s ATM.
- Waxing: I do this myself at home.
- Credit card interest: I pay any balance off before I am charged interest.
- Accessories/Jewelry: Besides a bracelet I can’t think of any jewelry I purchased this year.
- Dog grooming: We take Capone to a doggie self-wash place; it’s much cheaper.
- Lottery tickets.
- Hats: Any hats I have were given to me except one winter hat.
Things worth the money to me:
- Fitness classes/races: I will gladly pay for yoga or fitness classes and races because they help me with my health/self-care/fitness goals.
- Good food: I would rather go to a nicer or healthier restaurant than fast-food place. (Who wouldn’t?) I also try to visit locally owned restaurants as much as possible.
- Self-care goodies, such as bath bombs.
- Plants.
Things I want to cut spending back on:
- Food takeout/delivery: I can’t say I want to eliminate this, but I would like to reduce spending on takeout. In my first trimester I constantly ordered via food delivery apps because I was too exhausted to cook anything and felt sick. Also, I am not a native Chicagoan, so when it’s cold I tend to be a chicken about going out in the cold to get food. That’s why we spend more on takeout/delivery than I’d like.
- Parking: This is kind of unavoidable in Chicago, but if possible I’d like to cut back on parking costs.
- Shipping: I used to never pay shipping, but lately I have been ordering more and it’s not always from companies that offer free shipping. I don’t really like adding more items to my shopping cart just to hit a threshold; I only like to order what I need.
Is there anything you’d like to cut spending on?