Part of being a frugal person is taking a step back and having a nice, long look at your budget. As a frugal person, you have to figure out where you can stop unnecessary spending, so that way you’re able to save the most money. Now, there are some things in your budget that you simply can’t go without, but there are other things that are unnecessary. Unfortunately, as humans, we’re so used to paying these unnecessary bills that we actually begin to think they’re necessary. Scroll through this list and you’ll see what unnecessary bills you’re paying.
#1. Cable Bill
Now, I know your husband won’t be able to survive without ESPN and you’ll find it difficult to live without BRAVO TV, but paying for cable is likely one of your highest recurring bills you have in your home and it’s completely unnecessary. If you have the Internet, you should consider axing your cable bill. Instead, you could take advantage of services like YouTube, NetFlix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc…
#2. Cell Phone Bill
Your cell phone bill is another expensive bill that you pay for every single month, but do you really need it? Now, I’m not saying you should cancel your cell phone plan, because I think everyone should have a cell phone for at least emergency purposes. However, you don’t really need the unlimited talk, text and data plan; do you? Instead of signing up for a two-year contract, you should go with a cheap, month-to-month plan. For instance, you could sign up with Virgin Mobile for as little as $35 per month.
#3. Electric Bill
I know that you’re not going to be able to go without heat, but you can save some serious money on your heating bill just by lowering the thermostat. For instance, you can save 3% on your heating bill for every degree you go down in temperature. So, if you keep your thermostat at 72 degrees and you go down to 69 degrees, you’ll save 9% on your heating bill.
#4. Eating Out
Eating out at restaurants or fast food places is always going to cost more money than preparing the food yourself and eating at home. It can be tempting to go through a fast food restaurant here and there, but you should definitely try to resist the urge, because eating out is a horrible habit that can wreak havoc on your budget.
#5. Gym Membership
It’s nice to have a gym membership, but it’s not needed and most people don’t take advantage of their membership, anyways. Instead of going out to the gym, you could always go outside for a quick walk/jog or you could load up some fitness videos on YouTube and follow along with them.
#6. Starbucks
I know how tempting it can be to go to the local Starbucks and pick up your favorite latte, but it’s extremely expensive and doing this on a regular basis can really add up. I highly advise that you break this habit and get something like a French press or a Keurig. That way, you’ll be able to whip up some of your favorite drinks at home and you’ll save a ton of money.