5 Unnecessary expenses that help save money

Repeat after me: “It’s not my money that matters. It’s how I use it that determines it’s value.”

On my journey to living a simply bliss and debt free life, I’m all about keeping as much money as I can. That means not spending on anything deemed unnecessary. It’s actually how I managed to add an extra $500 to my debt a few months ago.   That means if it’s not something I need for work, for Little Prince’s well-being, survival or health I’m not buying it. Of course, it varies but that’s the gist of it.

However, once in a while I get soft and I buy things that maybe I don’t need  just help make life a little easier. Some things were justifiable and others, not so much.  I’ve learned that trying to be cheap and spend the least money is the fastest route to spending the most money. For example, I learned that buying the cheapest pair of shoes around was the fastest way to heartache, headaches and holes in your pocket. I also found out that buying the most inexpensive skillet was a surefire way to spending even more money once the initial skillet shows wear rather quickly. Below are just a few of the the trivial and unnecessary expenses that help save money.

Cleaning Person: One of my favorite unnecessary expenses to date is a cleaning person. I’m a tad ashamed to admit that my husband and I aren’t always the cleanest people. We certainly do try though. It just gets tough with careers that constantly have us traveling, plus handling little prince running around. Because we aren’t always the cleanest or the most organized, we lose things frequently which means we always have to spend money to replace lost or damaged items. The cost of cleaning varies depending on how big your home is. For us it’s about $60 to $85 per visit once a month. While the cost adds up, it definitely helps save money once you consider how much we don’t spend on lost items and the time saved in knowing where everything is.

Meal plan Service/HelloFresh/Blue Apron – I don’t purchase them often, but I am a user of Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. To be quit honest, I’ve only used each service about twice. However, whenever I do, I’m never disappointed.  That’s a necessity considering these services are usually about $55 per order. While, it can definitely be costly I’ve found that it saves me a bit of time. Believe it or not, even at $55-$60 per week for three meals, the meal planning services can definitely save me money on the weeks that I don’t have time to cook and would have ended up purchasing fast food or going to a restaurant. Not to mention the headache it saves me from going grocery shopping with a toddler in tow. (If you are interested in trying either of these services for the first time, shoot me an email! From time to time I get free meals I can send to friends)

HelloFresh may not be a necessity but definitely helps me save money on those days I’d most likely eat out.

ShopRite From Home – Speaking of grocery shopping with a toddler in tow, ShopRite From Home has almost completely solved that issue for me. For 10 percent of your shopping purchase up to $150 the folks at ShopRite will pick up your selected groceries, bag them up and put them in the car for you. Yes, I wish it wasn’t 10 percent of my grocery bill. But when I consider how much I could spend on junk and processed foods that catch my eye while aimlessly going down store aisles, I realize that fee to shop from home is definitely a steal. Plus, I never have to worry about forgetting an item or leaving a coupon at home as I can download them on my shopping list all from my computer. I only wish my beloved Wegmans and Trader Joe’s in the area would jump on the bandwagon too. It’s definitely an unnecessary expenses that helps save money.

Wash and Fold service – My husband and I made a big mistake when moving into our apartment. We opted for the unit without a washer and dryer because the rent was cheaper. What we didn’t account for was the cost of paying to wash clothes in our complex.  Boy did that money add up. We ultimately ended up buying a mini-apartment washer, (no dryer though). While the washer helps, it’s certainly time consuming and uses a lot of water.  Plus, we didn’t buy a mini dryer so thats means taking the time to hang dry or paying to dry it in the machine. It’s all pretty frustrating mostly because I can’t stand laundry. However, from time to time we splurge  by dropping our clothes off at the laundromat to have them  wash and fold the laundry for us. At $1 a load it surely saves us time, frustration and even some money. When we compared how much it costs to wash and dry clothes in the complex, the laundry service is definitely more cost effective. It’s definitely an unnecessary expense well spent.

Dance classes/Gym membership:  I’ve mentioned on here a few times that my dance hobby is extremely expensive. Seriously one class is $18 to $40 and when I take several in a matter of months the cost can definitely add up. Considering, I have significant student loan debt one might argue that I cut my dance and gym budget and apply that money saved towards necessities or my debt. While I did consider doing just that, I decided against it for several reasons. Some may be shocked to find out that as costly as these activities are, they actually save me money. It keeps me healthy which could mean less in medical costs and serves as socialization which means less spent on expensive bar outings and restaurant dates. And it make me happy which helps me get dig through that debt even faster.

What unnecessary purchases do you make that save you money or even some sanity?

TERRIfic Quips: “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau