Save Money

Don’t Spend Money (25 Ways & Tips to Help You)

October 2, 2022

It’s not that hard to NOT spend money if you are really serious. This article shows you 25 powerfully effective ways to not spend money.

Importance

When it comes to money, there are two ways that money can be utilized.

It can be used to spend or can be saved.

The choice of how to use one’s money is strictly up to the individual and is dependent upon their goals and strategies.

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The other dimension for spending money is how the money is spent.

It can be spent on things that are needed or things that an individual may want.

As with anything, a balance is often a good way of approaching decisions that are made in our life.

In regards to money, sometimes we are overtaken by compulsive spending and use our money unnecessarily on things that we crave or want at the moment.

To help us counter this spontaneous spending, let us look at some ways that we can use money in a more balanced manner.

Personal Story

I had a craving for pizza.

I looked at three of the major Pizza retailers and was trying to decide which pizza to order.

The problem was that if I ordered a two-topping pizza, it was well over $14.

Trying to save money and cut back on my grocery bill, I opted for a different method and ended up buying pizza crusts.

There were two crusts packaged together and came with pizza sauce.

I had sausage at home and ended up buying black olives as the additional topping.

When it was all done and said, I satisfied my craving for pizza and saved money in the process by baking my own.

25 Best Tips to Help When You Don’t Want to Spend Money

1. Unused Subscriptions

To maintain our physical health, we go in for yearly checkups to be seen by the doctor.
Often a physical exam is involved, laboratory tests, etc., to ensure that our health is good and that there are no issues.

The same is true of our financial health, and we should do yearly checkups or even more frequently.

As part of the checkup, we should make sure that we are evaluating the various monthly subscriptions that we are paying for but possibly not utilizing.

Examples of subscription-based items that we have purchased or may not be used include

Gym memberships
Magazine subscriptions
Entertainment subscriptions
And so forth.

Often, we don’t either use them fully or forget that we are paying for them.

An app that can help us maintain control over these subscriptions to ensure that they are being used or not forgotten about is Rocket Money.

2. Question Yourself

A great question to ask yourself whenever you make a purchase as to what is necessary is the question of why.

This question can be asked when it comes to buying technological devices, the use of entertainment subscriptions, clothing purchases, extra food items, and so forth.

Before making these purchases ask yourself why you are doing this and if you can come up with a valid reason, then, by all means, do so.

However, if the question of why raises some doubts, then perhaps it needs further research as to why the purchase is being made.

3. E-mail

Often, our e-mail inbox is inundated with messages that are designed by companies to separate you from your money.

This strategy is powerful for the marketing people as often they will stimulate your thinking and possibly provide discounts and provide an offer that would be difficult to refuse.

The best way to stop the influx of advertisers flooding your e-mail is to opt out of receiving these e-mails, and this is a provision embedded in the body of the e-mail as required by law.

4. Shopping List

Another way that money is spent unnecessarily is that whenever you go grocery shopping do you shop for food based on your shopping list?

The discipline that you should exert is that unless it’s on the shopping list, it doesn’t get into the grocery cart.

This will cut down on spontaneous buying and, frankly, buying items that, at the moment, look very appetizing.

Also, in addition to shopping off of the shopping list, it is best to go grocery shopping when you are not hungry.

Also See: How To Stop Spending Money Unnecessarily.

5. Leave Cards at Home

A practical way of not spending money that you don’t have or making unnecessary purchases is to leave your credit cards at home.

A good way to incorporate this strategy is to only go shopping when you have cash.

Often, it is easy to purchase an item using a piece of plastic rather than handing over a $20 bill or more for the purchase of an item.

It is a psychological thing but paying in actual cash is harder than actually making a purchase with the ease of a credit card.

6. Life Energy

Spending money unnecessarily can be a lack of discipline in your mind.

To help discipline your mind, perhaps a powerful way of thinking when you spend money, think of it in terms of your life energy that was utilized to earn that money and therefore give you pause to contemplate how your money is being spent.

In other words, if you earn $20 an hour, that was $20 worth of life energy that you expended, and when you purchase an item, then how does that equate to the investment of your time and energy in making that money?

7. Be Intentional

Another possible way to adjust your thinking as it relates to purchasing and buying unnecessary things is to be intentional.

Intentional spending means that if you spent money on an item that really wasn’t necessary, then how long will it take, measured in hours worked, to match that money spent?

For example, if you gave in to a purchase of $100 and if you’re saving for a vacation, what can that $100 buy you on your vacation rather than that unnecessary purchase that you made?

That $100 could equate to a night’s lodging and excursion within the vacation, a number of dining out opportunities while on vacation, and so forth.

By being intentional, you purposely choose to purchase an item or not purchase an item based on better ways that that money can be utilized.

8. Sleep On It

Frequently, unnecessary purchases are done in the “heat of the moment” or spontaneously.

If considering a major purchase such as a new computer, latest technology device, modern appliance to make your life easier, etc., an important strategy is to wait.

Specifically, waiting for a period of a few weeks or a month has passed is a good strategy and then if that desire is still there to make the purchase, then, by all means, do so.

Most likely, that desire to purchase will have subsided within that period of waiting as you are provided an opportunity to think more about the purchase and whether it is actually needed or not.

9. Shopping

Putting yourself in a position where the temptation to purchase an item is presented can disrupt disciplined spending.

In other words, avoid the temptation of unnecessary spending by not going to places where that temptation possibility exists.

For example, rather than walking around in the mall or doing window-shopping and having a day out, find another activity.

Such activities could include walking, exercising, reading a book, watching TV, etc., as an outlet that will not require spending or being tempted.

10. Out With the Old

Another dynamic that you can incorporate is that if you do purchase something, then to balance out that purchase, what can you sell to make up for the cost of what is being bought?

In other words, if you bought a pair of trousers or a dress, look in your wardrobe closet and see what can be sold to offset the cost of the new clothing purchased.

There are, as it pertains to clothing, consignment shops that you can work with to sell the item and recoup some or the entire purchase price of the new article of clothing being bought.

11. Competition

Sometimes as human beings, we enjoy competition.

A good way to cut down on unnecessary spending is to compete against other individuals who have this same desire in their financial life.

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As a competition, at the end of each month, you can compare notes and see who did the best as it relates to not buying items that were unnecessary and see who was able to save the most money from their income.

The individual who did the best would be declared the winner, and the reward could be that the winner would have their car washed by the other individual, possibly a meal prepared, or another agreed-upon reward.

12. Online Shopping

Until you can work up to disciplining yourself by going into a grocery sure and shopping without picking up extra items, why not try online grocery shopping?

By accessing a site such as Instacart, you can shop online and don’t have to worry about being tempted to put other things into your cart or somehow these items mysteriously jumping into your cart.

13. Reminders

A simple trick that might help remind you about not buying unnecessary items is to put a note to yourself in your wallet or purse.

The note can be as simple as one word, such as remember with exclamation marks or, in a joking matter, pen the question, Do you really need that?

14. Free is Good

Before you spend your hard-earned money, why not try to get something that you need at no charge?

You could check with your family and friends to see if they have something that you need and no longer are using, or you can go to the website known as Freecycle.

Below are some very helpful articles on ways to get free stuff:

15. Downsize

Another unnecessary expense that you may be experiencing is paying for items that you are not entirely using.

For example, if you live in an apartment complex and the apartment complex has all the amenities, such as a racquetball court, tennis court, spa, swimming pool, etc., and you don’t fully utilize these items, then consider moving.

16. Lunch

During the course of the day, you obviously need to eat to keep your energy levels up.

Rather than purchasing a meal at a restaurant, consider packing your lunch on a daily basis to avoid the unnecessary costs of dining out.

17. Bank Fees

If you have an account with a bank that charges you various fees, you may wish to consider changing financial institutions.

To be charged for using the ATM, being assessed a fee for not maintaining a certain balance in your account, etc., are unnecessary expenses that you shouldn’t have to pay.

18. Use Cash

A way to cut down on unnecessary charges is to utilize cash.

The benefits of using cash will help you to think twice about making a purchase because spending a large amount of cash has more of a shock value rather than using a credit card.

Also, when using credit cards and you don’t pay off the balance, then you will be paying interest on any outstanding balances that you carry.

This, too, is an unnecessary expense.

19. Financial Log

A good tool to utilize is known as a financial diary or log.

The process involves recording every expenditure that you make during the course of a month.

The listing of money that you spent could include your rent, utilities, insurance, and even the smallest of items such as a coffee, soda, donut, chocolate bar, etc.

The point of this discipline is to have an accounting of where all of your money goes during the course of the month.

At the end of the month, you may be surprised at all of the money that you spent unnecessarily on items that were in the spur of the moment or spontaneous that perhaps you didn’t really need.

Other Interesting Money Related Articles To Consider:

20. Cook at Home

Sometimes, at the end of a long day, it is a chore to go into the kitchen and cook the evening meal.

This is understandable and eating out occasionally is a good reward for a hard day’s work.

However, as much as possible, it is important to eat at home because when you think about eating out and how that money could be better used to buy groceries, then it is not necessarily a good use of your money.

Perhaps, on the weekend, when you have more time and are less involved, you could prepare your meals for the week, freeze them, and then simply during the weekday have a delicious meal prepared without any stress or being tired at the end of the day and not wanting to cook.

21. Conserve Food

It is also important to cook just what you need, and if there are leftovers, not throw them away but use them within the timeframe allowable in which food is still edible.

Throwing away food is an unnecessary expense and a waste of good quality food.

22. Barter

Also, an opportunity to keep your money in your pocket is by bartering.

Bartering is a system in which one individual trades their service to another individual in exchange for what that individual can do for them.

For example, if you need some work done around the house that requires a person with expertise in plumbing, you could exchange their service of plumbing by doing their lawn, washing their vehicles, etc.

23. Budget

A helpful tip that you might find useful in cutting out unnecessary spending is to create or follow your budget.

The budget divides the income and the expenses, with the income being all of the household sources of money and the expense side of the budget being all of the expenses that need to be paid.

The use of a budget is a tool that will help you to understand and manage your money and help to identify and eliminate unnecessary expenses.

The powerful statement that perhaps may resonate with you is that if it is not in the budget and not in the bank, then you can’t spend.

24. Automate

Another way to help you stop spending unnecessarily would be to automate your expenses and your savings.

Through your banking institution, you can set up automatic payments that will trigger when the designated time has been set up to automatically pay your bill.

Also, you can automate your savings and have that amount of money sent to your savings vehicle utilizing the same process.

The automation process is valuable because it will make sure that you pay your bills on time and not spend any unnecessary money on late fees.

25. DIY

If you are a homeowner, there are a variety of things you can do around the house rather than spending money on having somebody else do those repairs or maintenance actions.

For example, you can watch YouTube tutorials and learn how to fix a leaky faucet, repair drywall, etc.

Even if you don’t own your own home, you can extend the life of certain appliances.

For example, changing any filters on your refrigerator and cleaning out the lint trap can all extend the life of the appliance.

Also, it is important to adjust the thermostat either up or down depending upon the season to help conserve energy costs and not spend needlessly on climate control.

FAQs

What is Retail Therapy?

Retail therapy is the use of money and spending on items to make you feel better.

Perhaps you had a bad day, your feeling bored, you want to feel better about yourself, and so you buy an item to make you feel good and help you get through that particular feeling that you are experiencing.

Spending money on something you don’t necessarily need can be therapeutic at the moment, but then later on, because you bought compulsively, you might, later on, feel guilty for indulging.

What Are Some Unnecessary Expenses That You Can Immediately Cut From Your Spending?

Some of those items can include

Banking Fees
High-Interest Credit Card Debt
Cellular Data
Dining Out
Cable TV
Brand Names
And much more

You Can Do It

The good news is that you have money and you recognize that sometimes you’re spending is not on necessary things.

This is half the battle in recognizing this aspect of your money management.

Now you want to address that issue by looking at ways that you can be more intentional about your spending.

Conclusion

Money is an important commodity in our life.

Generally, you have worked hard for your money and use it to spend on things that you need and things that you want.

Balance is the key as it relates to the use of your money.

It appears that the best strategy for the use of your money is to utilize your hard-earned earnings to purchase the things that you need and then balance the use of your money in purchasing the things that you want.

In doing so, you can utilize a strategy that provides the best of both worlds as it relates to our finances.

Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members: