15 Things to Stop Buying To Save Money Easily (2022)

Over the years there’s been a lot of things I’ve stopped buying to save money. Since I’m only two years out of college, with student loan debt and a car loan, I am extremely money conscious. My goal is to pay off my entire car loan in the next two months and have my student loans paid off within the next nine months. So, to hit both my financial goals for the year, I need to make sure I’m not spending extra money on unnecessary things. This post is going to share 15 things to stop buying to save money easily.

Since, I know there are a lot of you in the same position I am, either struggling with student loan debt, credit card debt, a car loan, or trying to improve your spending habits so you can save money, I thought this post would be beneficial to you!

All fifteen things I’m going to share with you are super easy things you can cut from your budget. I am even going to share some alternatives to some products that you can buy that will actually save you more money in the long run.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase from one of my links. Thank you for supporting Sunday Mimosas Blog 🙂

Looking for more ways to save money, reduce debt and reach your financial goals? Check out these articles below!

Money Saving and Spending Tips To Live By

15 Money Saving Hacks You Need To Know

Pay Back Your Student Loans Faster with These 8 Tips

Here are 15 Things To Stop Buying To Save Money Fast!

1. Hardcopies of Books

I used to only buy new books. I love the smell and the feeling of the crisp, new pages. Whenever I wanted a new one, I’d go on Amazon or go to Target and pick up the book I wanted. As of right now, I haven’t personally bought a book in years. I was finding that I’d read them once and then never pick them up again, so they’d just collect dust on a shelf.

Now I just rent books from the library or read them online through Libby. Which, if you haven’t heard about yet, Libby is an app that lets you read e-books and audio books for free from your local library! It’s so awesome and easy to use. You also never have to worry about losing the physical copy of the book, since it’s all digital!

2. Disposable Plates, Cups & Utensils

I get that disposable plates and utensils are a simple solution when you’re throwing a large party because you don’t have to wash any dishes. However, they’re just so wasteful! You all know I hate buying single-use products, I just think they’re a big waste of money and bad for the environment.

So, we don’t normally use any disposable plates, cups, or utensils in our apartment. If we’re having people over, we always use our normal dishes! You’ll save a ton of money this way and help the environment!

I also started using these reusable sandwich bags from Stasher. Another great option for those of you looking for more ways to live a sustainable lifestyle!

3. Paper Towel

I’ve talked about why I don’t like paper towels in my post here, but I’ll mention a few reasons in this post as well. For one, you buy them, just to throw away! When you really think about it, it’s crazy. Why spend money on something just to throw it in the garbage?

Paper towels also do a TERRIBLE job at cleaning up any mess. All they do is move the mess around. To clean anything up, you have to use like half the roll.

Instead try these highly absorbent and effective biodegradable cellulose sponge cloths or the Nano Towel. These options are so much better for the planet and they’re way more effective at cleaning up spills.

4. Cotton Pads

I stopped using disposable cotton pads when I discovered these life-changing reusable cotton pads off Amazon! They’re made of microfiber and they remove ALL of your makeup with just water! It’s insane. If you follow me over on Instagram you know how much I love these because I talk about them all the time!

Another good replacement to disposable cotton balls is this makeup eraser. It does the same thing the reusable cotton pads do, but it’s larger. It’s still made of microfiber and removes all your makeup with just water.

If you wear a lot of dark mascara and find that there’s still a little left under your eyes, you can use a bit of coconut oil to remove it. Your mascara will melt away!

So now, you’ll spend less money on cotton pads and makeup remover too!

5. Drinks at Restaurants

Drinks add up! Especially if you get a few re-fills while you’re there. When we go out to eat, I only drink water for a few reasons. Money is one. But I also hate the fizz in most drinks! I don’t like the amount of sugar in them. And I hate drinking my calories! I would much rather enjoy a slice of cake rather than drink a 200 calorie bottle of soda. So, all of these reasons combined really make water the best option haha!

6. Plastic Water Bottles

Over one million plastic water bottles are sold EVERY MINUTE around the world. In the U.S alone, only 30% of these bottles are recycled, according to National Geographic. So much plastic gets into our oceans and harms the marine life. It’s so sad. Using a reusable water bottle is one small way you can make a big impact. Want to learn 10 more simple ways you can lead a more eco-friendly life, click here!

If you ask me, this should be one of your first things to stop buying to save money. Using reusable bottles is also a lot more cost effective and you’ll save so much money. You all know I love my Brita Filtered Water Bottle, but here are some other cute stainless steel and glass options I love too!

7. Movie Tickets

Am I the only one that thinks it’s absolutely ridiculous that movie tickets are over $10 per person now? If we really want to see a movie, we’ll wait for it to leave theaters so we can watch it on the internet. Or we’ll wait for the movie to come to Disney+ or Netflix.

I get that going to the movies is for the “experience” but you could do a lot of other things with that money besides going to see a movie in theaters. We have six people in my family, so if we want to see a movie together it costs over $60 just for the movie. Then, include popcorn and snacks. It can easily be over $75 to see a movie as a family! Literally insane.

8. Items Just Because they’re On-Sale

Obviously I am a sucker for a good sale. But, I only buy items that I’ve been searching for that go on sale. There’s a difference between buying something just because it’s on-sale versus buying something that you’ve been waiting to go on sale.

I don’t think you should buy something solely because it’s on sale and at a discounted price. If you don’t need the item and weren’t looking for it, don’t buy it. You’ll save a lot of money if you cut out spending on items you buy purely because of a sale.

9. Car Washes

I never knew how much car washes were until I bought my car last year. And they can add up if you’re getting it washed all the time. I am totally fine washing my car myself, since it’s cheaper and saves me a ton of money!

Since we live in an apartment and don’t have a hose, I wash my car when I’m home at my parents house or when I go to our car dealership. Our dealership offers free lifetime car washes as a benefit to their customers. I would check with yours too to see if they offer something like this for you!

10. Jewelry

Over the years, I have completely stopped buying jewelry for myself. I like to wear classic and timeless pieces that last. I already own the styles that I like, so I don’t feel the need to buy more. My boyfriend, family or friends usually gift jewelry during the holidays or my birthday, so if I get new pieces, that’s how I get them!

I definitely take a more minimalist approach to accessorizing my daily outfits, so jewelry has never been an item that I’m constantly wanting. I feel like having fewer, but quality pieces that you absolutely love and wear on a regular basis is better than having a bunch of cheap, trendy pieces that go out of style. But, again that’s just my opinion!

11. Shaving Cream

Growing up and when I lived at home I always used shaving cream. After going to college though, I completely stopped buying it. One, because I didn’t want to waste my own money on it and two, I just didn’t get the point. Why do you need to buy another gel to use specifically for shaving? Instead of shaving cream or gel, I just use a little bit of my conditioner or body lotion that I keep in our shower and it works perfect! Coconut oil or shea butter work just as well too!

As women, there are so many personal care and beauty items that are marketed to us and they’re all supposed to do slightly different things. But, honestly we don’t need all these different products. You’d be surprised at all the beauty products you can eliminate from your cabinet, if you buy a container of Coconut Oil. Read Allure’s post 30 Coconut Oils Uses for Beauty: Unexpected Hair and Skin Benefits.

12. Food Delivery

For me, I feel like paying for food delivery is the same as paying for shipping on an item. I hate paying for shipping! Paying for the item is enough, I don’t want to pay more money, if I don’t have to. This is the same mindset I have around food delivery. If I want something from a restaurant that bad I’ll drive there and pick up my food, or walk if it’s close.

The food that I order from most restaurants is not healthy and filled with extra calories. So, I consider it a treat if we get fast food anyway. I would hate to spend money on unhealthy fast food AND the delivery cost of the unhealthy food. In my mind, it just doesn’t make sense! So if I REALLY want fast food, I make myself physically drive there.

Sometimes that even deters me from getting fast food, so I’ll make food at home. Which I consider a Win Win! Because it’s healthier and saves me money!

13. Food at Work

I went through a phase of buying food at work and it was adding up each week, so I finally stopped! I just started packing more food for myself to eat throughout the day so I wouldn’t be tempted to go down to the cafeteria.

Lunches add up fast. Even if you spend $5 on a meal each day. That’s $25 a week, roughly $100 a month and approximately $1300 a year. What would you do with an extra $1,300 each year?

14. Name-Brand Medicine

I used to never buy generic medicine because of my experience with generic food. To me, the generic version of most foods tastes so different and just doesn’t compare to the name brand items.

So, for the longest time, that’s what I thought about generic medicine as well. However, that is NOT the case. The generic brand for medicine has the same active ingredients in them as the name-brands, which make them just as effective, without the cost.

Both the generic and the name brand of a drug, will be prescribed to you in the same quantity and strength, with the same instructions on how to take it. So, honestly I see no point in paying more for a name-brand medicine, when the generic brand does the exact same thing!

15. Dryer Sheets

Since moving into our apartment, I have stopped using dryer sheets. They’re costly, they contain toxic chemicals in them, they’re single use products and they really aren’t necessary when doing laundry. I’m not going to go into full detail about the harmful effects of dryer sheets, but if you want more information, you can click here.

I like these wool dryer balls instead! They’re reusable, nontoxic, they eliminate static, they’re fragrance free AND they speed up drying time! There’s too many benefits not to use them. These dryer balls off Amazon are under$10 for 6 balls!

Conclusion

In this post, I shared 15 things to stop buying to save money, but there are so many more! Here are a few more ways you can save money easily:

You can:

Start making your own coffee at home instead of going to coffee shops
Cut back on unnecessary subscriptions
Start meal planning and going to the grocery store instead of eating out for most meals
Cancel your gym membership if you don’t use it
Start shopping at the Dollar Store to find cheaper options for household items
Head to your local thrift store instead of buying new clothes!
Make your own cleaning supplies at home

There are plenty of things to stop buying to save money and cut costs! Remember, small changes to your spending habits can make a huge difference!

If you need some help managing your money, I recommend downloading my Free Monthly Budget Template here! This document will allow you to track all of your your finances, monthly bills, expenses, income and debt in one place! It’s been a game changer for me and has helped me pay off over $38,000 worth of debt in the last two years.