Small Budget Items that Can Break your Budget

[Tierra Lemieux]

I was on MSN today and they had a great article on how small budget items can break your budget. They include:

• banking fees
• credit card fees
• magazine subscriptions
• water heater rentals
• dry cleaning
• gym club memberships
• land line phones
• transit tickets (rather than a monthly pass)

I have bolded the less obvious ones on this list.

Also convenience fees are mentioned in other articles. For example when a SaskTel recording says " for.75 cents we will complete your call" or "for .50 cents we will notify you when the busy line becomes available."

[Natalka]

Those are good.

I stopped buying magazines years ago - yes, I miss some of them, but just so unnecessary an expense.

When I stopped teaching, no more dry cleaning expenses for some dresses and suits was a big savings.
Now, it's just occasionally for a coat or jacket.

We have a landline phone, no cell phone, so it's a necessary cost for us.

[Anna Michele]

Love this
I would add anything from the dollar store
It won't last it won't work therefore it's not worth it.
I avoid the dollar stores at all cost. I see my mom go in and come out $50 or more less money in the bank crazy
Especially since most of items could be found under a dollar elsewhere

[Darth Penguin]

Landlines can be better than cell phones depending on where you are. Out in the sticks where cell phone coverage is spotty..land lines are needed.

I'm close to my local town..but H3ll is the best carrier..Blodgers has large non-useable areas. And the smaller companies just don't have much coverage this close to Montreal.

[Granger]

Coffee!!! we just got rid if our landline. Thinking about buying a hot water heater.

[lilo0003]

I so agree about the coffee. I am down to buying one a week, its my Saturday treat. we just ditched our cogeco phone and now pay 4.00 a month for ooma. we have kids with no phone so were not ready to give up the landline., But for 4.00 I cant complain.

[FallenPixels]

Water heater rentals can be better than buying if they come with free repairs. Ours has been a nightmare since they put a new rental in, they have repaired it 4 times and gave up and put a new one in again. We didn't pay a cent for repairs but would have if we owned it, the invoice for the part on the 2nd repair was $450

[Frugalbigmama]

And some areas have hard water and it is silly to buy your own as it reduces its life

[Natalka]

About coffee, we've just never gotten into buying coffees out - neither fancy nor simple.
Always have just made it at home - husband takes his big cup to work.

I never understood the fascination of it all... so we've saved a lot of money that way.

[thriftygranny]

About coffee, we've just never gotten into buying coffees out - neither fancy nor simple.
Always have just made it at home - husband takes his big cup to work.

I never understood the fascination of it all... so we've saved a lot of money that way.

Add me in on this opinion too..I just don't get it period. the only time coffee is purchased is when we are on the road and need one in the morning.I drive by tims on my way to work and see the insane line ups and shake my head everyday!

[FallenPixels]

I walk through Union Station and see the long line of people waiting
I get maybe 2-3 teas from Timmies myself in a week but you couldn't pay me to stand in a line like that

[MistyEyez]

Landlines can be better than cell phones depending on where you are. Out in the sticks where cell phone coverage is spotty..land lines are needed.

I'm close to my local town..but H3ll is the best carrier..Blodgers has large non-useable areas. And the smaller companies just don't have much coverage this close to Montreal.

We just got a landline after having cell phones for the past 12 years as we just moved into an area that has little to no cell reception. I felt like we were going back to the caveman days when we got it! LOL

[FallenPixels]

We keep our landline (well VOIP through Vonage) because we make a lot of international calls, and long ones, I think nothing of chatting to my sisters for an hour at 4c/min but on my cell I would hate that bill

[bargain_hunter_lola]

I've been trying to get DH to agree to drop our landline. $40+ a month just isn't worth it. We both have cells so we barely use it.

I agree with coffee, etc. out, we've agreed to limit ourselves to 1 a week (besides I don't need more ice Capps than that. Lol)


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[Natalka]

We keep our landline (well VOIP through Vonage) because we make a lot of international calls, and long ones, I think nothing of chatting to my sisters for an hour at 4c/min but on my cell I would hate that bill

We use Skype free to relatives in Yugoslavia.