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Food, water, shelter, clothing, these are the necessities. Though it seems more and more items have been added to this list in the last several years. Things people swear they can't live without. A more accurate term for these items would be entitlements. Many of us raised in America have this sense of entitlement. We're working 40-50 hours a week, at jobs we often hate, so we convince ourselves that we deserve that morning coffee. If we're not careful this attitude will lead to financial destruction. Here's a list of items that have become new necessities.
Daily Coffee - Put the blame on Starbucks for this one. Did you know a cup of coffee from Starbucks can cost 100 times what a homebrewed cup of coffee does? To put that in perspective it would be like paying $1,000 for a pizza. Cut out your daily coffee and you can save yourself around $1,300 a year.
Cable/Satellite TV - My satellite bill runs around $50 a month. The sad part of this is 70% of the time I'm watching local channels that I could be getting for free. Cutting your cable can save you $600-$800 a year.
Manicure/Pedicure - This is not one I have an issue with, but many people do. The cost is unbelievable. Standard manicures average $10-$15, while pedicures run $15-$25. This cost goes up around 60% if you have it done in a spa or salon. If you saved the money and did your manicures yourself, you'd be saving $600-$1200 a year.
Bottled Water - Can you believe we've got to the point where our water has to be bottled? I think about those kids in Africa who have absolutely no clean water to drink, and we're busy worrying about our tap water. Many studies even say tap water is better for our kids because it contains fluoride and other minerals. Cut back on the bottled water and you could save around $300 a year.
Cell Phone - Have you noticed the trend of cell phone carriers getting younger and younger? Since when do 5 year olds need to be able to text their bff's? You can save $40-$50 a month for every cell phone you eliminate.
These are just a few of the one's that generally apply across the board. I left off such things as lawn care, pet grooming, and second cars. I imagine most of us are guilty of having a few if not all of these new necessities. The sad part is, we get all these things because we think they'll make us happier, but actually the opposite is true. We just end up having to work longer hours to pay for it all.
What is your new necessity? Are there any you have committed to live without?
Daily Coffee - Put the blame on Starbucks for this one. Did you know a cup of coffee from Starbucks can cost 100 times what a homebrewed cup of coffee does? To put that in perspective it would be like paying $1,000 for a pizza. Cut out your daily coffee and you can save yourself around $1,300 a year.
Cable/Satellite TV - My satellite bill runs around $50 a month. The sad part of this is 70% of the time I'm watching local channels that I could be getting for free. Cutting your cable can save you $600-$800 a year.
Manicure/Pedicure - This is not one I have an issue with, but many people do. The cost is unbelievable. Standard manicures average $10-$15, while pedicures run $15-$25. This cost goes up around 60% if you have it done in a spa or salon. If you saved the money and did your manicures yourself, you'd be saving $600-$1200 a year.
Bottled Water - Can you believe we've got to the point where our water has to be bottled? I think about those kids in Africa who have absolutely no clean water to drink, and we're busy worrying about our tap water. Many studies even say tap water is better for our kids because it contains fluoride and other minerals. Cut back on the bottled water and you could save around $300 a year.
Cell Phone - Have you noticed the trend of cell phone carriers getting younger and younger? Since when do 5 year olds need to be able to text their bff's? You can save $40-$50 a month for every cell phone you eliminate.
These are just a few of the one's that generally apply across the board. I left off such things as lawn care, pet grooming, and second cars. I imagine most of us are guilty of having a few if not all of these new necessities. The sad part is, we get all these things because we think they'll make us happier, but actually the opposite is true. We just end up having to work longer hours to pay for it all.
What is your new necessity? Are there any you have committed to live without?
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