X Spot: Things you might be overspending on
Myles Peterman
Happy Tuesday!
You know what I realized I haven’t done for some time? Given you an X Spot with some great money saving tips!
Today, I was thinking about things that people overspend on (namely me).
I thought I should point out a few things that we ALL tend to pay too much for or overspend on, and hopefully it will help you realize to cut back!
Bottled water
At least you’re drinking water! However, if you want to save a few shekels, you should consider carrying around a water bottle with you and refilling it. I recently have just been refilling an old water bottle that I had and that’s been keeping my constantly hydrated through my renovations. Fun fun.
The movies
If you’re not going Dutch, a night for two at the movies can be a fairly costly thing. $12/ticket and if you get snacks it’s even more. It can end up costing upwards of $30-40. Instead, wait for the movie to go to the ‘cheap’ theaters – just make sure to avoid spoiler sites at ALL COSTS. I didn’t see Star Trek until about 3 weeks ago or so, and it only cost me $2.50.
Another alternative would just be to stay home, pop some popcorn, and catch up on the new releases on iTunes or from those RedBoxes found at larger chain stores. RedBox movies cost you about $2 for the newest releases. You can’t lose.
A cup of java and a raspberry Danish
Skip Starbucks and buy your own beans and a thermos or nice travel mug. You can make your own coffee for much cheaper in the long run than it is to pick up one or two cups of Joe from a coffee shop. Plus, you can support farmers buy purchasing organic free trade coffee. I believe they call that a win-win-win.
As for the raspberry Danish, just skip it entirely. If you MUST have something, just get some raspberries, melt some dark chocolate and drizzle it over them. It is a delicious snack, and I saw it on The Biggest Loser, so it can’t be wrong.
The tunes
Buying CD’s is starting to seem to be a thing of the past. You can get most new albums off of iTunes for around $10, or just download individual songs. You can also download whichever songs you like from the album off of Amazon. It’s much better than paying $20 for a CD and then not liking it. Which is also why the library is good, to sample CD’s!
Pre-cut fruits and veggies
Save yourself some money by slicing up your own fruits and veggies and storing them in Ziploc bags. It’ll take you about 5 minutes and you’ll be saving a lot in convenience costs.
Credit-card fees
Set up automatic bill payment so you’re getting your bills paid on time and not building up a bunch of interest.
Bank Fees
This one’s pretty easy. Get a Young & Free Chequing account at any Servus Credit Union location. There are no fees, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Hopefully you’ll be able to use some or all of these tips to save your money and spend smarter on certain things. Do some research, if you think you are paying to much for something, chances are you can most likely find a way around it.
Don’t overspend. You don’t have to!
Have a great Tuesday!
Myles 'Supposably is not a worb' Peterman
