20 Things to Stop Buying to Pay off Debt

There are a lot of things to stop buying to pay off debt. When I look around my house I always see things that we bought and we could have gone without.

We have become lazy, we rely too much on ready-made products and we waste money on things that we barely use.

We create more waste and pay even more for the waste to be taken care of (not to mention the fact that is going to be in the landfill for years to come). 

While there are so many obvious ways to save money, there are also small things that we can save money on.

There are things that we are so used to buying that we don’t realize we can save money on or replace them with something that will save us money.

I don’t even want to think about how much money we wasted and could have saved for our retirement or to pay down the mortgage faster.

The average person doesn’t have enough money saved to pay for a $500 emergency. Many people don’t have a fund in place for emergencies.

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20 Things to Stop Buying to Pay off Debt

1. Paper Towels

Globally we are discarding 254 million tons of trash every day. The pulp and paper industry is among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases among U.S. manufacturing industries.

When you cut paper towel spending, you not only save money, but you’re also helping the environment by cutting fewer trees and less waste into the landfill, hence less money spent on taking care of the waste.

Invest in cloth towels that will pay for themselves in no time.

2. Bottled water

Some might say I need to buy bottled water, I live in an area that doesn’t provide good tasting water or that you need it for when you are on the go.

Even if you are in a situation like this you have alternative options for wasting your money and creating tons of waste.

If you don’t have access to clean, good tasting water buy refillable water containers or a water pitcher with filter and if you are looking for new appliances take into consideration buying a fridge that has a water filter.

When you are on the go opt for a refillable water bottle.

3. Books & Magazines

Amongst the things to stop buying to pay off debt are books and magazines. I admit it, I am one of those people that love reading the real stuff and we do own a pretty nice collection of books that we consider to be valuable for our children.

Most of those books we have were not new when we bought them.

I agree the authors work hard and deserve the compensation, but given the option, I will choose to also save my hard worked money.

On top of me saving money by not buying new books, I like to believe that I am contributing to a good cause and also save some waste.

Reading e-books is also a good way to save some money and a few trees.  You don’t need to have a Kindle to be able to read, you can download the app on your devices (phone, tablet, computer etc.).

I have an e-book reader but I also use my computer and sometimes my phone if I’m on the way. 

If you love books but you are also very busy and you don’t have time to sit down and read check out audio-books.

 I love listening to books especially when I have to do mindless chores or when I have a long commute. If you are a runner you could take your books with you.

Choosing to read an e-book or listening to an audio one,  you create less clutter in your house and simultaneously helping out the environment by creating less waste.

If you don’t want to spend any money visit the library, you can get even e-books now. Don’t forget to return the books in time to avoid the late return fees.

4. Food

You might think that food should not be on a list of things to stop buying to pay off debt, and you are correct up to a point. In reality, we all waste lots of money on food. 

Food is a need but is a need where I know for sure our family is still spending more money than actually necessary. We are having some problems with staying on track with how much we spend on food and I know we are not the only ones.

You can cut down your spending by planning your meals and cooking them from scratch. Stop buying prepackaged food that will end up costing you more money and learn how to cook.

Start following a blog page like Minimalist Baker, where you can find free and very easy recipes.

Don’t like cooking? Get an Instant Pot and you can throw in a few ingredients and have your meal done 30 min or the next day.

You are going to save a lot of time also. I use my instant pot for almost every meal; I even make my own yogurt in it.

Find a great blog with instant pot recipes or a Facebook group.

When meal planning use store flyers and plan around the sales, use coupons and eat out less are other ways you can control your food spending.

Buy generic instead of brand named foods, there’s a generic version for almost all of the branded ones. Most of the generic versions are made by the same manufacturer as the brand name and are usually way cheaper.

5. Bread

Some might argue with this but for us making our own bread makes more sense financially. We don’t like the fluffy puffy bread that you can buy for $1 and the bread that we liked is $4 and up.

It does take time to make your bread from scratch but you can opt to use a bread maker and the results will still be way better than the $1 dollar store bought bread.

Yes, the bread maker is a little investment but you don’t need to buy a brand new one. I’ve seen lots of bread makers in the thrift stores for a fraction of the cost.

Some of them were looking almost brand new. On top of making bread, it’s going to save you time and effort when you need to make dough.

6. Cut your entertainment expenses

When you’re in a need to trim your budget one of the first places to look is your entertainment expenses. Entertainment is not a need but is one of the things that make us feel good and keeps us going.

Even when crawling out of debt the trick is to remember that it’s important to maintain a quality of life. When you take away everything that brings you pleasure it’s going to be hard to stick with your plan to save.

So, when you trim your entertainment budget leave some room for fun. There are numerous ways to enjoy yourself and have fun while sticking to a realistic budget. You just need to be a little creative and for sure you will find free or affordable ways to have fun.

7. Cable

We cut our cable around 4 years ago and we don’t regret it one bit. We had just basic cable but we got an offer for one year so it went up after the year passed and we were not watching TV too much anyway.

Since cutting the cord we saved around $1000 per year.  With less than what we used to pay for cable per month, we bought a digital antenna and we have more channels than will ever need.

Streaming devices and services are another alternative to cable and are significantly cheaper, or just find free TV online.

8. Extra warranties

If you would buy all extended warranties that are offered to you, there is a good chance you’ll go bankrupt in no time.

I would advise you to just skip them, but if you can’t go without them, be aware of the fine print and all the exclusions that they have.

In most cases, a warranty is not worth it because of strict rules, the high deductibles, and so on.

9. Bank account fees

Bank account fees are a huge waste of money, and there are lots of people that pay these fees. You can easily find free banking accounts.

I, for example, have an account that has a fee but because I opened a savings account with them the fee was waved.

You should never, ever have to pay ATM fees.

10. Vitamins and Supplements

I know lots of people that take supplements and vitamins on a regular basis.  My whole life I only took prenatal vitamins and iron during my pregnancies and that was because the doctor said so.

You should take your vitamins from your diet and not from a bottle.

Go to your doctor and ask for professional advice before spending your money on vitamins or supplements.

11. Maintenance cost

Do maintenance on your home, appliances, cars, etc., and fix small issues by yourself.  Figure out how to do basic things yourself, you can find YouTube videos on how to fix anything.

Make sure you assess the situation and be sure it is something you can fix; you don’t want to stick your fingers into something that endangers the safety of your house or yourself.

When your issues involve gas, for example, call a professional.

12. Ditch Subscriptions and memberships

Monthly box subscriptions can add up fast, and if you have several it can add up to hundreds per year.

People spend $500 per year on average on a gym membership.

There are amazing trainers that have YouTube channels so you can work out in your living room.

You will not only save the membership money but you also save time and gas.

13. Tampons and pads

I bet you’ve seen at least one or two articles about the side effects tampons and pads might have or the fact that the ingredients in them are not as regulated as they should. You can read more about this here.

On top of all that, we also need to think of all the waste that goes into the landfill and how it affects the environment.

First, we pay so we can use them and after we pay for the waste to be taken care of.

You can opt for the cloth pads or invest in a Diva Cup. I personally switched to The Diva Cup and I love it. I was not the person to use tampons and that’s mainly due to discomfort and pain.

You might think that is the same with the cup but it’s actually not; the cup does not expand as the tampons do.

Another option would be period panties. These panties are very absorbent and leak proofed.

If you don’t have a very heavy period these can be great for you. Initially, you need to invest in at least a couple of pairs but with the proper care, they can last you even 2 years.

14. Cleaning supplies

Cleaning supplies can be pretty expensive and can add up very fast.

You can learn to make your own at home and save some money.

After we moved into our house I stopped buying window cleaner. I stopped not to save money but time.

Between all the windows and the mirrors, we have in the house I was wasting too much time cleaning them so I searched for something that will cut the time I was spending on cleaning my house.

Now I use a few drops of liquid dish detergent in warm water and a squeegee, and I’m done in no time. And let me tell you, it never fails, no cloudy windows, no marks.

I also use dish detergent for stains, it works wonders on grease stains and even on the nasty deodorant stains, you get on your shirts.

It is not homemade but I don’t have to buy two extra cleaning supplies and is less clutter. Dish detergent is also cheaper than the special cleaning products for stains for example.

15. Personal care supplies

Most personal care supplies can also be made at home. You can read and learn how to make some of them in this post.

16. Mani and pedi

We all love to have nice looking nails but for that, you don’t need to spend $50 every 3 weeks.

Do your own mani and pedi at home! If you like the gel nails, no problem, invest in a kit and go on YouTube and learn how to make your nails look like a professional did it.

  Doing your mani at home once a month can save you $600 per year. OMG, I was soo guilty of this, but who doesn’t love perfectly manicured nails 100% of the time?

 17. Cut your own hair

Growing up my mom used to cut my hair and it stuck with me. A simple trim would cost me $40 without the tip.

I find it hard to pay so much money for trimming my hair. I did go a few times to the salon and it feels nice to be pampered but I’ll rather keep my money.

Trimming my hair every 3 months or so would cost me $160.

If you never cut your own hair before I do recommend you do some research before you do it. I don’t sport a very complicated hairstyle, mine is just layered and the fact that is curly also helps.

My hubby also started having his hair cut at home around 8 or 9 years ago. We also have 2 little munchkins and they love when I cut their hair.

A man cut costs around $15 and my husband is cutting his hair once a month.

That is $180 saving just for him and if I consider that my sons have to cut their hair only every 2 months is another $180.

 18. Dye your own hair

If you are just covering your grey hair you can easily do it at home. Dyeing my hair or having highlights at the salon would cost me at least $150.

Touching up my roots would be around $70 every 6 weeks (time frame recommended by hair stylists for root touch ups).

Dye your hair one color and you can easily maintain it at home. I dye my hair a color that is close to my natural one so I can go longer without having to touch it up. Usually, I do it every 3 months or so.

I buy my dye from Sally Beauty Supplies and it cost me around $8 per dye. You also need a developer that is around the same price.

I usually use half of the dye at once so it’s costing me $4 per touch up and the developer is going to last way more.

I have mine for more than a year and I still have a lot. Even if it would cost me another $4 it would be $8 per touch up compared to $70 (before tip) at the salon.

You can save $62 per touch up and if you do it like me 4 or 5 times per year you can save $248 to $310.

 19. Female version of products

As women, we usually spend more on things like personal care products and clothing and that is because we are expected to maintain a certain image and we also love too.

But did you know that you are also paying more for the products and services marketed to women?

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs released a study in which they compared price differences between products marketed to men and women.

Personal care products marketed for women cost on average 13% more than the ones for men.

Services like dry cleaning or buying a car might also cost you more if you are a woman.

To save some money stop paying the “pink tax” and make your own personal care products or simply buy the ones marketed for men. A blue razor will do the same job as the pink on but on less money.

20. Fancy coffee

Buying your coffee every morning on your way to work can add up very quickly and if you like fancy coffees even more so.

Buy a coffee maker and brew your own coffee. You can also learn how to make those fancy coffees yourself. Just youtube it!

During the weekdays I don’t brew my coffee at home. I do it at work because it’s FREE.

All these tips won’t help you save millions but will definitely help you cut into your debt and help build a hefty emergency saving’s account.

What other things to stop buying to pay off debt are you using?

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• 150+ Ways to save money on a small income
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• Save money on entertainment
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20 Things to Stop Buying to Pay off Debt