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Thread: 15 non-essential expenses I could live without if I really needed to

  1. #1
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    15 non-essential expenses I could live without if I really needed to

    These are things I currently splurge on, that I could live without if I needed to:
    1) Our cat
    2) Our car (would walk, use public transport, bike, or bum rides)
    3) Meat (use other protein sources exclusively)
    4) Our washing machine and dryer if they broke (washboard, tub, hang dry)
    5) A lot of decorative items and keepsakes that increase the size of home we have to have to hold it all.
    6) The TV ""
    7) Internet at home (would bike to the library or wherever there is public wifi)
    8) House phone (would just use the tracfone)
    9) U.S. dental care (cheaper to just fly out of country to get the teeth done)
    10) New clothes (I would just use what I have)
    11) Hot water heater if it broke (boil on stove/solar heat for dishes)
    12) Paper towels, napkins (use old cloths, newspapers, etc.)
    13) Hotel rooms (camp, couch serf, or stay home)
    14) Restaurant/fast food (always pack a lunch)
    15) Too much food (I could eat half as much as I do and be perfectly healthy)

  2. #2
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    I could purge:

    1. Cable TV
    2. Health insurance: seems drastic but I'm pretty healthy (knock on wood)
    3. Eating out
    4. cigars and alcohol (speaking for DH here)
    5. New store-bought clothes for every day use
    6. Smart phone (ooh.. that's a tough one)
    7. One of our cars: I vote to keep the Prius; I'm sure DH would vote to keep his Honda Fit.
    8. Christmas gifts that are store-bought
    9. Subscriptions to internet newspapers & journals
    10. Our 1900 sq ft home
    11. Costco membership (I'm scraping here.. looking for 15 things)
    12. Meat
    13. Land line (why didn't I think of that earlier?)
    14. Internet (another tough one.. but I suppose I could rent an apartment within walking distance of the library)
    15. I am only putting my dog last because I guess in theory I could give her up if I have to, but it's not a happy thought
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by catherine View Post
    I could purge:

    1. Cable TV
    2. Health insurance: seems drastic but I'm pretty healthy (knock on wood)
    3. Eating out
    4. cigars and alcohol (speaking for DH here)
    5. New store-bought clothes for every day use
    6. Smart phone (ooh.. that's a tough one)
    7. One of our cars: I vote to keep the Prius; I'm sure DH would vote to keep his Honda Fit.
    8. Christmas gifts that are store-bought
    9. Subscriptions to internet newspapers & journals
    10. Our 1900 sq ft home
    11. Costco membership (I'm scraping here.. looking for 15 things)
    12. Meat
    13. Land line (why didn't I think of that earlier?)
    14. Internet (another tough one.. but I suppose I could rent an apartment within walking distance of the library)
    15. I am only putting my dog last because I guess in theory I could give her up if I have to, but it's not a happy thought
    Good job Catherine; only things on your list that I currently splurge on, are internet in my home, land line, meat and gifts. We have health insurance but it is free. Oh I thought of another thing I could do without, but don't want to: some classes I take in a personal interest area, that include a textbook. Pricey!

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    There are plenty of things I could dispense with if I had to. Basic Training and college come to mind as pretty low-overhead periods. Mark Twain had something of a point when he referred to civilization as the endless multiplication of unnecessary necessities. But I'm very fond of many parts of civilization, and see no particular virtue in minimizing my impact on the universe. If that's the benchmark, the greatest achievement would be swallowing a dose of organic hemlock from a borrowed cup and fertilizing some deserving weeds.

    I think the worthiest challenge is in figuring out what's worth your time and pursuing it. That may or may not involve earning and spending money.

  5. #5
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    I would never go without health insurance and we barely use health services.

    health insurance is a way to protect your assets. It is a financial thing, not a health thing.

    there are about 856 things Imcould do without. So what? Perhaps a more pointed discussion would be:biggest bang for the buck items to give up, or a "Find $100/month" challenge.

  6. #6
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    I would never go without health insurance and we barely use health services.

    health insurance is a way to protect your assets. It is a financial thing, not a health thing.
    My thinking was just risk it until I get to Medicare age, which is just 9 months away. But of course I'm not going to do that. In fact, the next thing on my to-do list is make my $1567 monthly payment.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
    www.silententry.wordpress.com

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    health insurance is a way to protect your assets. It is a financial thing, not a health thing.
    yes of course there are enough loopholes that even then (a lot of those declaring medical bankruptcy supposedly have insurance), but better than nothing.

    I have my doubts anyone can really eat half as much as they do and not be chronically hungry, yea there are techniques to reduce one calories consumption without chronic hunger (eat healthier food of course, sometimes eat less) but half ... doesn't sound likely.
    Trees don't grow on money

  8. #8
    Moderator Float On's Avatar
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    I already gave up:
    1. 4 magazine subscriptions
    2. home internet
    3. home phone
    4. deep freezer (even being small it used more energy than I thought it should)
    never had:
    5. cable TV

    would like to give up:
    6. cc debt (working on it slowly right now)
    7. truck loan (accelerated)

    will probably be giving up in the next year (due to expected death):
    8. very old dog
    9. cancer kitty

    I wouldn't mind giving up:
    10. our home/property upkeep (I'd love to go smaller than our 1500 sq ft house and 800 sq ft shop/studio)
    11. our ford escape but I'd probably replace it with an older used 4wheel dr truck (sometimes DH and I fight over who gets the little truck for the day)
    12. dryer (I like line dried clothes but DH doesn't)
    13. microwave (I don't use it)
    14. piano (I rarely sit down and play it, could just play keyboards in the church when I wanted)
    15. sofa (it just feels too long for my living room, I'd keep the love seat and add another occasional chair)
    Float On: My "Happy Place" is on my little kayak in the coves of Table Rock Lake.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    1. Dog food for my dog. He likes all kinds of food, including spinach raw
    2. My car
    3. My freezer
    4. My dishwasher
    5. The W/D in my apartment
    6. My coffee table
    7. My bean bag chairs
    8. One of my blankets
    9. My laptop
    10. Cheese grater
    11. About half my silverware


    I dunno... that is all I got.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    I would never go without health insurance and we barely use health services.

    health insurance is a way to protect your assets. It is a financial thing, not a health thing.

    there are about 856 things Imcould do without. So what? Perhaps a more pointed discussion would be:biggest bang for the buck items to give up, or a "Find $100/month" challenge.
    I think you're quite right thinking that way. Properly understood, I think about half of Finance at the government, corporate or personal level is risk management. Another big chunk is getting a good handle on marginal utility and return on investment to assess your bang-to-buck ratio.

    I sometimes think this would be a better world if more people got MBAs.

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