I was going through my twitter timeline and saw a link to a post written by Kristin Colella for Yahoo! Finance and found an article entitled “12 Things to Stop Paying for in 2012″. Her list includes the following,
- Coffee Shop Visits
- Incandescent Light Bulbs
- Disposable Water Bottles
- Baggage Fees
- Subscriptions You Don’t Use
- Baby Food
- Credit Score Fees
- Cable
- Landline Phones
- Cleaning Supplies
- ATM Fees
- Home Repairs You Can Do Yourself
My Two Cents about a few of the points…
Coffee Shop Visits
A few years back, I decided to cut my Starbucks trips drastically until one day I woke up and I couldn’t remember the last time I paid for Starbucks. I know it saved a lot of money and I’m sure my waistline enjoyed it. However, since working for Bold American Events I have gotten back into the habit of Starbucks on a fairly regular basis. As of today, I am going to cut my Starbucks visits down to twice a month. ABC News confirmed that Starbucks will indeed increase prices for 2012, so I guess I picked a good time to reduce and hopefully kick the habit. Will the price increase affect your Starbucks habit?
Incandescent Light Bulbs & Disposable Water Bottles
Right before the turn of the New Year, I went to IKEA and bought a recycle organizer for less than seven bucks!! I started recycling my old plastic water bottles that day. I can’t make any promises, for personal reasons, but at the moment I can be okay paying for my bottled water :/ I know, I know, I could save money and the planet on this one. Let’s just say that I will make the extra effort to reduce the amount of bottle water I purchase. As far as incandescent light bulbs, I recommend energy efficient light bulbs all day!!!
Baggage Fees
Baggage Fees suck!!! I remember the days when you did not had to worry about these random fees, your bag weighing under 50lbs, and when your carry on included stuff like your laptop, passport, camera, and mini emergency cosmetic kit. Nowadays, people pack their lives in their carryon bags. For your pleasure trips where your carryon just won’t work, I would suggest mailing your clothes to the hotel or friends’ homes. You can track it via UPS or FedEx and it costs a heck of a lot less than baggage fees. … JUST a thought I had when I was going to visit Leslie, one of my college besties, in New York.
It is going to take several posts to tell you all of the great financial/saving ideas I have so 2012, so be sure to check back often. In the meantime, if you are interested in reading Kristin’s full article, click here! I think it is worth a look.
What is on your list of things to stop paying for in 2012?
Let us know…
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