We are living in a society where it’s easy to forget our previous huge expenses. This has caused an average family to owe so much money to the back and credit card providers. Many people don’t keep track of their monthly spending and they don’t write down all transactions. They don’t know where the money go and how they can trim their debt. There are things that we can actually live without. By avoiding acquiring specific things, we will lighten our financial burden. Unfortunately, we may actually take things for granted and we don’t really enjoy all the little and simple things that can provide us with equal enjoyment.
- Owning an extra car: It’s surely nice to own an extra car for weekend and other purposes. Some families purchase a more stylish car that consumes more fuel. They are not used for daily commute to the office, but mostly become a shiny toy that spend much if its time in the garage. However, having an extra car for entertainment purposes will cost us significantly in terms of parking, car washing, fuel, maintenance, depreciation, insurance, repair and others. A stylish car could require us to pay more than $15,000 each year in various expenses. With that amount of money, we could save it for emergency purposes.
- Owning a house phone: Now, almost everyone has a cellphone, even a third grader. This would be the time to ask ourselves, whether it is still necessary for us to own a house phone. The land line may cost us nearly $50 each month. The money can be used to enlarge the amount of our savings account. Today, it is already acceptable for us to rely fully on wireless communication, even people in rural areas. Modern wireless communication already allows us make affordable voice calls over IP technology, so we should take advantage of this situation. With modern communication technology, people could become more intimate with one another.
- Going to cinema: Going to the cinema is still considered as the best movie-watching experience. Nothing can be beat looking at the huge screen and listening to the solid stereo audio technology. Between parking, fuel, popcorn, soda, meals, babysitting fees and the tickets themselves, it is possible that a young couple to spend $50 for a trip. If they do this for each weekend, the couple could lose more than $2,500 a year. With the amount of money, it is better to get movies from rent boxes, where we can obtain and return DVDs. This is a much cheaper solution than spending so much money by going to the cinema.
- Eating out: Many families want to eat out, at least on weekends. They often do this during dinnertime, which is the most expensive way to put food into our mouth. Instead, during Saturday afternoon, the family could cook together in the backyard with portable stove, grill or wood-fired cooking places. There are foods that the family can cook together, such as burgers, steak or pizza. Instead of eating out, it is better to invest on affordable cooking areas in the backyard.