I never buy these 44 things! Via Shutterstock.
We talk a lot about ways to save money on the things we DO buy, like groceries, gas, and gifts, but it occurred to me recently that I’ve never written about saving money by flat-out not buying stuff.
Rather than scraping the earth for ways to shave a few dollars off cable, or eating out, how about simply not purchasing ________in the first place?
So I made a list of things I never buy, and it turned out to be quite long.
What’s on your I-Never-Buy list?
1. Soda
2. Celebrity magazines (though I have gotten free 3-month trial subscriptions to People and Us through triathlons)
3. Paid apps
4. Pre-chopped fruit
5. Valet parking
6. Veggie platters
7. Fruit platters
8. Personal trainers
9. Frozen pizza
10. Seasonal fashion items (like the brightly colored skinny jeans that are in vogue)
11. Baby food products (she eats whatever we’re eating)
12. ATM fees (my bank lacks its own ATMs, so it reimburses me 100% for every ATM fee I’m charged)
13. Fast food
14. Single serving cheese slices, yogurt, and milk
15. Single serving smoothie drinks (only exception is when sometimes when I’m flying)
16. Disposable napkins
17. Clothes at retail prices (though I do have a weakness for the new Nordstrom Rack that just opened in RI)
18. DVDs
19. CDs or MP3s
20. Books
21. Fancy tp (for a few weeks I gave up tp all together and used cloth wipes)
22. New cars
23. Movie tickets (ok, I’m lying a teeny bit…we see about one movie in the theaters a YEAR)
24. Candy at the movies (I sneak a candy bar into the movies, which some would argue is unethical)
25. Gardeners (but my house cleaners are totally worth it!)
26. Frozen dinners
27. Lunch kits
28. Daily coffee
29. Pre-mixed marinades
30. Boxed rice
31. Candles or any type of “home scents”
32. Perfume
33. Cookies (gotta make ’em if you want ’em)
34. Cable TV
35. Disposable diapers (we’re rocking cloth diapers!)
36. Hair treatments
37. Hair products
38. Regular hair cuts (twice a year is plenty)
39. Manicures
40. Pedicures
41. Eyebrow waxing/threading
42. Gym membership (though that may change soon because I want to get Lucy in the pool)
43. Salad dressing (we mix olive oil, vinegar, and a flavor packet, which, I’m sure you guessed, is cheaper)
44. Car washes (stopped as soon as I moved out of LA!)
UPDATED ITEMS READERS REMINDED ME THAT I DON”T BUY:
45. Cigarettes
46. Lottery tickets
47. Condoms
48. Powdered drinks
49. TiVo, RoKu, Apple TV
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
I stopped buying gift wrapping paper after I read a cool magazine article. Now I use either the Sunday comics (the ones in color) or large brown paper bags (the blank side) and decorate it with craft supplies on hand.
@Tami I wish I could say I never buy wrapping paper, but I do. I wrap my presents about half the time with my own decorative paper and about half the time with wrapping paper. Trying to kick the habit! How did you transition? Does it take a lot longer?
My list is shorter: coffee (instead I load up on diet coke!), cigarettes, condoms, flips flops, and turtleneck shirts or turtleneck sweaters.
@Chris Ha! I don’t buy cigarettes or condoms, either, though I did recently purchase a turtleneck sweater. I know it’s not the best look for me (or anyone, really) but sometimes it’s so cold I want to feel like I am wrapped up in a blanket. (I draw the line at snuggies. :))
I don’t like things wrapped around my neck – hence turtlenecks are on my list. So I guess scarfs need to be added to my list too. I don’t like that strappy thing between my toes – so no flip flops for me ever.
Okay, here goes. I never buy, marijuana, narcotics, cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, spittoons, ash trays, hookah lamps, coffee, beer, wine, hard liquor, gift wrapping paper, fruit cakes, avocados, eggplants, artichokes, beets, turnips, escargo, caviar, lobster, walnuts (deathly allergic), pecans, hazelnuts, coconuts, asparagus, brussel sprouts, stinky cheeses, rat meat (a.k.a. vole), bugs as a source of protein, soda (love it, but had to cut it out of my diet completely), valet parking, novelty gag items, cheap playing cards, cat food, tank tops, hats, pocket watch, VCRs, VHS tapes, audio cassettes and vacuum tube TV sets.
@The Unethical Man That’s a nice long list! Surprised to see so many green veggies listed. What veggies do you eat?
As the ravages of age is starting to take its hold, I am trying to eat better. Currently, I will happily eat carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, learning to like broccoli somewhat, tomatoes (yes, I know they’re really a fruit), corn (technically a grain), potatoes (yes, the starchy vegetable). Can’t think of anything else right now.
@The Unethical Man You gotta start somewhere. I highly recommend cooking veggies with butter, and garlic if you like garlic. Also, mix them into things you do like, such as lasagna.
No, no butter! Steam ’em (microwave is ideal) and flavor with whatever pleases your palette.
I don’t buy soda, fast food, like you, no chopped veggies or fruits, no ice tea mixes ( I make my own), and I try to buy produce grown in the USA (that’s really hard!). No frozen dinners, packaged cookies or baked goods….I buy coffee because I love the flavor (I use decaf) and drink water other times.
Do you use cloth napkins? You must do laundry quite often!!
@Michelle Ventresca We are sort of napkin-less, unless we have guests over. I’m not a neat eater – I spill on the table – but not usually on my hands. We do have cloth napkins, and I want to get in the habit of using them more. Just forget to pull them out of the kitchen linens drawer. Since I already do very frequent laundry, a few more napkins is not a big deal.
I admire you for only buying produce grown in the USA. That’s easier to do in CA (and especially SoCal) than in RI. Not much produce has a sticker identifying where it was grown, so how do you tell?
Our produce has a little stamp on it that tells where it was grown! Maybe it’s only law here in California – Even our garlic which is loose, has a little sign that says where it is grown(3 cheers for Gilroy) but sometimes they package it and it will say grown in China! Will not buy any foodstuffs made in China. Lord knows what they put into their stuff!
@Michelle Ventresca Perks of living in a progressive state – food origin labels! We do not have those in RI. But some companies voluntarily share the info, which I see most often on fruit.
Paid apps is definitely high on my list of things that I NEVER buy. There are soooooo many free apps there is just no need to buy one. I hate frozen pizza too….. tasteless……..
I would also say that I never buy bin liners for office bins, I just reuse plastic bags or paper bags for the purpose.
@Mark Cash You and I share a loathing of paid apps. I don’t use many apps, anyway, so it’s not usually a problem for me. I often reuse grocery bags to line our garbage cans, except in the kitchen where the trash can is so big that we have to buy bags.
equal or sweet and low. steal it from restaurants .
@Yvonne I’m puzzled by your comment. Few people would admit to stealing, yet you volunteer the information. Have you no qualms about stealing? Or do you admit to stealing sweetener from restaurants because there is no penalty?
After reading a lot of negatives about produce from China (there are no regulations for quality there), I’ve started to pay particular attention to country of source for all produce. Trying to buy only grown in USA, especially CA, which means eating seasonally. Not a problem in general. I’m also trying to buy only products made in the USA, following a series on the ABC Nightly News with Diane Sawyer. It’s been an eye-opening education for me, and I found I’ve cut down on what I buy in general, just by following these guidelines.
@Ellie There is so much talk about things – products and produce – from China being unsafe. But I haven’t actually done much research or reading on my own, other than seeing stories about lead in children’s toys. It’s time for me to research produce grown in China, as you mention.
Your decision to only buy items made in the USA is admirable and must certainly be a challenge for a bargain hunter like yourself. USA made products often (but not always) carry a higher price tag. What are the things you no longer buy? Because they’re just too expensive or you simply can’t find them for sale?
@BB ~ Gotta disagree with some of your “never buys.” We buy Ralphs frozen pizzas because the price (even when not on sale) is far less than the “real” kind. Of course, the pizza is also smaller, but we make a large fresh salad and, together, these are filling. We buy certain fast food when we have a coupon or there is a special, e.g., Carl’s often has 2 Famous Stars for $3, and currently we have Whopper coupons for buy one, get one free. We get either kind with no mayo(!) but with mustard, ketchup, pickles, onions. Also, we “beef” it up (get it?) with another tossed green salad. Unfortunately, the Carl’s near us died. While we don’t get frozen dinners, we buy healthy types of frozen entrees ON SALE for our weekday lunches: Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, and the like. We rarely pay more than $2 if that much. Two weeks ago we bought at Target 10 Lean Cuisines at $1.89 each AND got a $5 Target gift card. I calculate $1.39 for each lunch. Finally, I disagree with you about turtlenecks not looking good on anyone.
@Diane Your comment made me laugh. I can always count on you for an opinion!
I know fast food and frozen dinners and lunches are often cheap, but I avoid buying them on the grounds that they contain a lot of fillers and super processed ingredients. I’d rather boil pasta and defrost sauce I made weeks ago.
@BB ~ I’m more concerned about fat, salt, calorie, and fiber content than fillers, etc. In that regard, I would be interested in your opinion after you looked at the labels of a few of the selections I mentioned.
Not sure how to take your first paragraph. I was serious in all respects. I suspect the opinion comment had to do with turtlenecks. I believe someone else first expressed her opinion on those as well. 🙂
@Diane I’ll try to remember to take a look at the packaging next time I’m at the grocery store (hubs usually does the grocery shopping). That you made me laugh was intended as a compliment. It takes a lot of research and boldness to have opinions.
My hubs–I mean husband, spouse, S.O.–also does the shopping. But we both read the packaging info. I anticipated you were not laughing at me but with me, yet had my fingers crossed nevertheless. As to your last sentence that it takes research and boldness to have opinions, not always. Too often they are based on stupidity. However, this would NOT apply to US!
BB, I am right there with ya on 36 of your 44 items! (I do buy #9, 14, 22, 26, 38 and 42). I rarely “buy” parking — I have no problem walking a bit further because it saves money & burns calories…and I would never buy a lottery ticket or other items that might fall under “vices.” One of my biggest pet peeves, however, is when people eat grapes in the grocery store, as if they’re on a buffet rather than for sale. Yvonne’s “free” sweet & low is actually not free to the customers or store owners, so from a karmic standpoint, I couldn’t do that.
@Jeannie Right on! I’ll add lottery tickets to my list, thanks for reminding me. I agree with you on Yvonne’s comment about sweet & low. The intention is that you’ll only use what you need while at the restaurant. However, business owners must realize that some patrons will take home extra, and build that into their prices. If they really didn’t want people to take home extras, they’d hand out a small dose with the order, like they do with sauce packets for chicken mcnuggets at McDonalds.
My list includes some of yours, just not such a long list. No cokes, lottery tix, house cleaner, gardeners, every 6 wk haircuts (BB, how do you not buy hair products?? Isn’t shampoo a hair product?). I also don’t purchase TiVo, new clothes each season, candy, or junk food.
@Cee You got me there, shampoo and conditioner are hair products, and I do buy them. I was thinking of the many spritzes, sprays, mouses, and other bottles of goop that are available for hair, which I don’t buy. Bad hair day = ponytail.
I do buy candy, though try to only very occasionally. Yesterday I bought myself a Snicker’s bar for Saturday, when we are going snowboarding. I’m going to need the extra energy to get through the day!
I don’t buy many of the things already mentioned and will add PAPER TOWELS. I have many many cloth dish towels, never have a need for paper towels.
@Donna K. But of course! I forgot to add paper towels to my list. Sweet, now I’ve hit 50 things I never buy! I am curious how you drain bacon, though. We realized that draining greasy bacon was our last real use of paper towels. Now I put hot bacon on brown paper bags, which unfortunately cannot be recycled once they have lots of bacon grease on them. What do you use to drain greasy bacon?
We don’t cook bacon anymore (I do eat it for breakfast out on an occasional Sat.), but I used to cook it in the microwave, placing it on a special raised bacon rack which allowed excess fat to drain off into a container placed below the rack. I recall in the “old days” my mother would save various varieties of fats (from bacon, meat, and such) in a can kept in the refrigerator. In those days, someone picked up the accumulated fat for use in some way that I can’t recall. Some of today’s cooks (like EllieD?) might use the saved and hardened fat in certain recipes.
BB welcome to the Northeast! I must have missed your move, was on and off your site for a while. Anyway, living in Boston, I don’t own a car, so i don’t buy gas, or insurance or repairs – thankfully!
And i don’t buy garbage bags, always use the shopping bags from the supermarkets.
@Melinda Thanks for the welcome, neighbor (sort of!) I would love to not own a car, but it’s challenging in a small town and with a baby and cold winters. We’d be cooped up or get used to going out in single digit temperatures, I guess! We’ve contemplated going down to one car, but for the same reasons I mentioned above, it would be a major lifestyle change that I’m not totally ready for. Kudos to you for living with out a car!
Seems like skipping condoms could wind up being a whole lot more expensive in the long run.
@Nelson ~ You are so right!!!
@Nelson and @Diane Perhaps @Chris is using an alternate form of birth control. Not too long ago, Yazmin compared the relative prices of 10 common forms of birth control (because women often pick up the responsibility AND cost of birth control). Condoms were one of the cheaper options!
Plastic food containers for holding leftovers. There are so many foods that come in reusable plastic containers that you rarely have to spend money on them. My favorites are the containers for the Hillshire Farms lunch meats, and the big yogurt containers. Even when you eat out, there are a few restaurants that use nice, plastic (non-styrofoam) containers with snap-on lids for soups that can easily be re-used.
Soda, used to play the ‘who has it on sale’ crazyness every week. Saves lots of money in the long run. Got rid of cable, does that count? 100.00 a month baby! Going to trade that dough into a cleaning service.
Love all of the lists! I drain bacon on 1 piece of paper towel, placed on top of several sheets of newspaper. The bacon grease and bits that remains in the pan, I pour into a mug I keep in my fridge door. I use it later for cooking fried potatoes and onions, or something else that needs flavor (homemade beans, green beans and potatoes when I have no ham, etc). If I have burned the bacon, I throw away the grease.