Looking to cut back? Time Magazine has compiled a list of items and services “You Should Just Stop Buying.” Take a look!
- Homeopathic Flu Remedies: the CDC says they don’t work.
- Credit-Card Payment Insurance: expensive and with a bunch of restrictions and exclusions.
- Dirt-Cheap Paper Towels: they don’t work and you end up using more of them
- Bottled Water: expensive and often misleading, i.e., it’s NOT real spring water.
- Premium Gasoline: unless you drive a really high-performance car, it’s a waste of money.
- Super-High SPF Sunscreen: unless you are prone to skin cancer. SPF 30 blocks about 97% of UVB rays.
- Auto Service Warranties: Again, expensive and contain many restrictions and exclusions.
- 100-Calorie Packs of Snack Foods: Portion control is a great idea, but buy the big box and some baggies, and save a bunch of money!
- Lottery Tickets: you are 3 times more likely to be hit by a meteor than to win the lottery.
- Unlimited Cell Phone Minutes: these plans are one reason why our cell bills have gone up $20 in the past 5 years, even though we aren’t really talking any longer.
- Brand New College Textbooks: Grrr! I am still resentful about this one after 20 years!
- Extended Warranties: A lot of the time, these are redundant, and you can get similar coverage from your credit card for free. Exception: your laptop. Every one I ever owned broke down after the warranty expired!
Much more info in the article…check it out!
Very interesting article. It’s amazing how often we get sucked in to “bargains” and products because of “creative” advertising.
yep. and, though I dont think it’s any big conspiracy, they play on your fears. “how will you make your payments if you lose your job? sign up NOW!”
So we do the best we can in today’s life. If you need to pinch pennies then do it, If you don’t have to go anywhere so you don’t have to spend money on gas then stay at home and do things around the house. Until things get better if they get better all we can do is keep our heads above water. And if you don’t need those Extended Warranties then don’t get them you don’t need to spend the extra money. You don’t need to buy Brand New College Textbooks:you can always get used ones from the college book store and save on the cost of new books. Also you don’t need to spend money you don’t have on Lottery Tickets. When you go shopping cut back on the snack foods. Auto insurance and the Auto Service Warranties: Again, expensive and contain many restrictions and exclusions. Find an auto service warranties that has what you need but don’t cost so much. Instead of paying a lot of money on cell phones just pay enough mins to last you a month. All you need to do is be more knowledgeable on what is going on in today’s economy.