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Little Things Add Up Fast
By Daphne | March 5, 2008
If you have even been to an ala carte restaurant you know that the side dishes, beverages, and dessert will quickly tack on a hefty amount to your bill in no time. In life there are other small fees that you face. Some you can get around and others can eat away at your cash like a boll weevil on cotton.
The small things that really add up for people who live in the city are transportation costs. If you take public transportation and have to pay for each ride you notice more of your transportation dollars decreasing quickly. What you could do is run errands in conjunction with your travels so hopefully you can save a fare or two.
Car washes… If you want a good inside and out a wash it can be as much as $100. If you are ok with the dust inside and just want to wash the outer grime off of your cost you can save about 90% of that cost by getting the best outer wash you can for about $10.
Bottled water is a luxury that some are giving up because of the price. If you live in a large city, the water quality is generally good and some bottled waters are no more than convenient carriers because they are purified. If you want purified water to carry in a bottle, buy a water bottle and a filter for your faucet or a pitcher and gulp to your heart’s content.
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Garbage bags… It may seem like a little thing to buy garbage bags but really the cost does add up.
Not all garbage is messy. Sort through things that can be recycled, and use store bags and non recyclable packaging for trash receptacles. No matter how much you try, you will still end up with some plastic bags so reuse them wisely.
Fees… Even if you borrow books or other media from the library, if you return them late you have to pay a fine. An overdue book will cost you only a dime. An overdue DVD will cost you $2 each. If you know that you cannot make it to the library to return something within the time that it is due, especially a DVD then don’t borrow it. The same goes with making a payment on time for a credit card or other loan. If you can’t make the payment on time, then you should try to avoid being in the situation in the first place. This is especially true for revolving credit debt involving a nonessential purchase. Even when you want to go to a play, most box offices charge a handling fee. So, even when you get a great deal on that prime seat, you still have to pay so seek out the best deal because the service charge doesn’t change depending on the seat.
Delivery charges… Once in a while you want to splurge and get take out. Cool remember that with the price of gas, delivery has increased as well. Delivery that used to be $1.50 is now $2 or $3 or more with a minimum purchase price. Try to use a coupon if possible, reduce the amount you have to pay before delivery, or forgo delivery all together and pick up the food before you go home.
ATM Machines… if you need cash use your own bank’s cash machine. Otherwise your bank and the bank’s machine that you use will tag on hefty fees. If this isn’t possible and you have a debit card, use it or charge the purchase and pay it in full later. Why rack up $6 in fees just to get $40 out of the bank?
When you keep in mind that these little extras can slowly make your wallet leaner, you can try to avoid them or seek out the best deal. With the economic downturn, cutting back has become the norm whether we like it or not.
Topics: March 2008 |
March 6th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Great list! We reuse our plastic bags that we get from the supermarkets as garbage bags. Our kitchen bin are specially design to hold these supermarket plastic bags, so the mess is a lot less!