10 Expenses You Can Remove From Your Budget to Save Money

By John Brown

With today’s inflation rate, the prices of goods and services are constantly increasing while wages remain stagnant. As a result, decreasing your expenses is more important now than ever. You could also increase your income if you want to have money saved, but lessening your expenses is an excellent method to maximize your savings.

Getting a loan will also help you survive until your next paycheck. However, you must be careful and request only the amount you can afford to pay back. If taking a loan from traditional lenders is not a viable option because of a low credit score, you can try requesting a loan from an online lending platform like GetCash.com. Such platforms work with borrowers of varying credit histories.

That said, we’ve listed 10 expenses you think you can’t live with (but you can) to remove from your monthly budget to save more money. Let’s start.

Cable

Do you really need over 200 channels when you only watch 10? You can do without cable, and if you really need a subscription service for watching movies, you can switch to online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. You can still access your favorite shows for a fraction of the price.

If you’re really attached to your cable service, many providers offer smaller packages with fewer channels for a more reasonable price. Call your provider and see what other options are available to you.

Internet

Similar to your cable service, do you really need the fastest internet speed when you only need it for web browsing and checking email? If you work from home, you may need a higher speed, but if not, downgrade to a slower but cheaper package—or cut off your internet entirely and stick to the data plan on your phone.

Expensive Coffee

That $5 you spend on your favorite beverage—coffee, lattes, or bubble tea—every morning may not seem like a lot. However, if you avoid this expense, it translates to a savings of $1,825 every year. If you really can’t make it through the day without your coffee fix, you can opt to make coffee at home. It costs a fraction of the price. You can also invest in a good coffeemaker that will last you for years and save you money in the long run.

Eating Out

Cooking at home can be time-consuming and challenging, but if you think about all the time you went out to eat because you didn’t want to cook. That will all add up, and it probably costs more than you think. To step up your game, you can plan your meals a week at a time. This will allow you to save more money because you’re lessening food waste. You’ll also have something to eat without spending so much time cooking.

Going to the Movies

The movie theater is an excellent place to relax and escape reality for a couple of hours, but it doesn’t come cheap. A movie ticket alone is expensive, and then you have to factor in the cost of popcorn, candy, and drinks.

Instead, you can wait for the movie to come out on DVD or streaming services. This way, you can watch it in the comfort of your own home for free (or for a small fee if you subscribe to a streaming service).

Alcohol

We all like to let loose and have a few drinks every now and then, but alcohol is expensive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend an average of $579 on alcohol each year, but they spend more on certain days, such as holidays and birthdays. If you want to save money, you can limit your trips to the bar or club or cut out alcohol altogether.

Besides, alcohol is not exactly the healthiest thing for you. If you get sick from too much alcohol intake, that’s another expense on medical bills that you wouldn’t want to incur.

Gym Memberships

Having a gym membership is great if you actually use it, but we know that’s not always the case. If you find yourself going to the gym less often, it may be time to cancel your membership. If you still want to exercise and remain active, there are many free workout videos online that you can follow at home. Just buy some basic equipment, and you can start right away. There are also many parks where you can go for a run or walk.

Branded Clothing

You don’t need expensive branded clothes to look good and presentable. There are many affordable clothes out there that are just as good in terms of quality and style. You can find them online, in thrift stores, or in clearance sections of department stores.

Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning is a necessary evil for some people, but if you don’t absolutely need it, you can avoid it and save money. There are many ways to clean your clothes at home without spending much money.

Personal Grooming

Many personal grooming expenses can add up, such as haircuts, manicures, and pedicures. You don’t necessarily need to go to a professional for these things. You can learn to cut your hair, for example. You just need some basic tools. The same goes for manicures and pedicures. Once you learn how to do these grooming routines properly, you can really save money in the long run.

Final Words

Well, there you have it—a few suggestions of things you can remove from your budget to save money. Obviously, you don’t have to take all of our advice—that would be silly. However, if there’s something here that resonates with you, something you can work on cutting back on or eliminating, you should start implementing it. And if so, congratulations! You’re one step closer to financial freedom. Every little bit counts, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t swing massive changes all at once. Just keep chipping away, and soon enough, you’ll be well on your way to saving major cash.