I Don't Do Manicures

I Really Don't Do Manicures

I love it when penny-pinching bloggers post lists of the stuff they no longer spend money on—mostly because it reminds me that there are a PLETHORA of ways to save money for almost every lifestyle out there. That and I get the occasional chortle from some of the more ridiculous things people "give up."
--
Today, I stumbled upon a blog that listed 25 things that the author stopped buying in an effort to save money to pay off their $75K student loan bills. Half of the list included things that never even make it into my world ($60 shampoo, manicures, perfume, dry-cleaning, waxing, tanning, etc.). Which just goes to show that people from ALL walks of life are looking for ways to cut costs... while the rest of us are clearly... pasty, rumpled, and perhaps a bit musky (it's okay, after a while, you can't even smell it).

There were 5 things in their list that crossed over onto mine. They're kind of pedestrian, but I'm guessing also a bit familiar:

1. Haircuts—Generally my wife cuts my hair, saving about $15 a month, although she would rather have her hair cut by a professional & I can't say as I blame her. My idea of a haircut might be a bit on the avant garde side. "What? You mean you didn't want asymmetric bangs?"
2. Books—Look, I still buy books, but I buy A LOT fewer than I used to. For anyone who knows me, this is a BIG thing b/c I collect books. I now share an Audible and Kindle account with family members, and we share the actual books we do buy with one another (mostly). I also hit the used bookstore and trade-in old for "new" every once in awhile.
3. Starbucks—We buy a lot less coffee out than we used to, but we still "treat" ourselves on occasion.
4. Movies—We don't go out often, but there have been A LOT of good movies that have come out recently, so we signed up for the cinema rewards card, and bought cinema gift cards at 20% off from Sam's / Costco. We also sneak in our own popcorn because I don't want to have to take out a second mortgage (that stuff is more expensive than the movie ticket).
5. Eating out—We used to eat take out at least once a week, now it's more like once or twice a month, but we could still cut down.

A few other rather mundane things that made their list, and have probably already been cut from yours:

1. Magazines—Opting out of the subscriptions & browsing the library's selection instead. (We also have family members that give us their magazines when they're done. Then we pass them along to friends and coworkers when we've finished with them.)
2. Dryer sheets—Giving up completely. (We have felt dryer balls, but I know some people use aluminum foil balls—just, you know, make sure there's no leftover food on those puppies.)
3. DVDs—Opting for streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon.
4. CDs—Opting for streaming or Youtube. (If you still have a CD player in your house / computer / car, you can get cheap CDs from the thrift store or used book / record stores. <-- yes, there are still such things.)
5. Clothes—Opting to buy from thrift stores or second hand.

Of course, unless you pay a boat load of money on this stuff (which a person who spends $60 on shampoo might do), it'll take a lot of scrimping and saving to pay off that $75K of debt.

I'm not one to criticize. Between the two of us, we probably have $100K in student load debt, so I definitely feel the pain. And while it's not going away quickly, we are slowly winnowing that number down. But I really don't do manicures or make up or perfume or pretty much any of that primping stuff that a great many other people do—which apparently costs A LOT of money. $60 Shampoo? That's my shampoo budget for the next two years (and I could probably stretch that to three, given my self-styled pixie haircut—asymmetric bangs anyone?).