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Things That we Do Not Spend Money On

--Address Labels (we get endless free labels from charities)
--Air Fresheners
--Alcohol (out) - not a big drinker anyway, but infinitely cheaper to buy for at home
--Bank or ATM Fees
--Books (Thank you library!)
--Brand Names (This applies to just about EVERYTHING)
--Cable
--Candles
--Collectibles
--The newest cell phones (hoping to keep my smart phone for 4 years; 3 years in!)
--Coffee (none of us drink coffee)
--Disposable/Plastic Bags
--Disposable cleaning supplies (i.e. swiffer products)
--Disposable diapers (we used cloth, when we had babies)
--Disposable Products (plates, cups, silverware, wipes, napkins, paper towels, etc. We use cloth napkins, rags for cleanup and re-usable tupperware for lunches)
--Dry Cleaning (would never use, too sensitive to the chemicals)
--Dryer Sheets
--Envelopes
--Expensive/Excessive cell plans
--Food Delivery (we can just pick up ourselves. We NEVER pay for this)
--Greeting Cards (we buy once in a blue moon; mostly only buy Thank You cards)
--Holiday Decor
--Investment/Brokerage Expenses (beyond very low expense ratios/index funds)
--Knick knacks
--Maid/cleaning
--Magazines
--Newspapers
--Make-Up/Lotions/Beauty Products - I will wear a little lipstick on rare occasions, but that's the extent of my "beauty" spending
--Hair Products - I'd rather just keep it simple, mostly just use a brush. I'd prefer to never color my hair. (As I get more grey, will see).
--Movies out @ full price (we do free advanced screenings or matinees)
--Movie rentals (Beyond Netflix, we can get free rentals with google credits)
--Multiples of bedding or clothing (For example, I only have one pair of jeans. Beds only need one set of sheets)
--Organic Food/Other Food Fads
--OTC Medicines (we pretty much never use, so doesn't clutter up our medicine cabinets)
--Pads of Paper (we get endless free list pads from local realtors)
--Plastic Bins/Containers (I've got three in my whole house. Just for photo albums and kids' art work and pictures. Apparently that's the only stuff I feel is worth storing).
--Multiple Purses (just need one)
--Salon Visits
--Software (the basics) - We use free anti-virus software and Open Office
--Stamps to pay bills (we pay bills online, free)
--Stickers
--Storage (thinking to like adding cabinets or storage space in a home. It's easier to just not accumulate "stuff" in the first place. A lot of our attitude about this is growing up in San Francisco, where space comes at a huge premium, and wanting the flexibility to move back if need be. We only use our garage for cars, accordingly. Not sure if we can afford a garage if we ever move back closer to home)
--Souvenirs
--Vitamins/Supplements (would be totally different if they were prescribed by a doctor or we had a real need)
--Warranties (Extended warranties) - Absolutely never paid for one of these
--Weather Expenses - I get the sense that we just don't have a lot of expenses that people in other parts of the country/world do. Our cars tend to last forever in the mild weather, we don't need clothing for various seasons, etc.
--Wrapping Paper & Gift Bags (we use paper that we have lying around and re-use gift bags, tissue paper and gift boxes)

As an aside, frugal bloggers or gurus often say that you need to be *handy* to get ahead financially. I think it's good to have some skills, so that you aren't always paying for everything. But being *handy* is not the only valuable skill. I will add some more substantial things that we don't pay for because of our personal skills and strengths:

--Computer/IT (my husband has this covered; we'd never pay anyone for IT type services)
--Financial Planning
--Investment fees (thinking to both financial advisory fees ($$$$) and also to load mutual funds and high expense ratios)
--Tax Prep or Tax Advice**

**I think this alone will dramatically increase our wealth over the long run. Though, not over-paying for investments (over a lifetime) is probably a close second.

I got a chunk of this list from creditcardfree, as a starting point. Trying to add to it as I think of things. I think it's good to have a list to think about, if you are working towards saving money or more frugality. Most of this is lifelong habit, for us, so it's not particularly front of mind.

This list is also useful as to de-cluttering and minimalism.


**A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE**

This list is ever-evolving and changing. There are things we never would have paid for in the past that we do now. There are some luxuries we have added with age and means. This is definitely not a *I would never pay for that* kind of list. I think it's just good to have the reminder that we can survive without these things. & you might not even miss them if you let them go.