We work long gruelling hours for our money and it is just a terrible shame when our whole pay cheque gets eaten up in bills and fees. We try to spend our money as wisely as possible, but there are a lot of hands in our pockets trying to grab every penny. Fortunately, there are some things that you really shouldn't have to pay for. A lot of things are actually free! Here is a brief list of things that you shouldn't have to pay for:
1) Bank Fees/ATM Fees - There's nothing worse than having to pay the bank to get access to your own money. The bank is making money by lending your money to others. Usually you get a measly interest rate on your savings. It is nothing compared to the rates that the bank lends at. On top of that they charge you fees to access your money. What nerve! There are many accounts that have no bank fees at all, or no bank fees if you keep a minimum balance. Be sure to ask for details and be sure to keep the minimum balance to avoid the fees. I currently have a joint account with my father, and since he is over 65 all my banking services are free, including cheques! Be sure to try this trick out. Also, do not take money out at any other bank than yours, since other ATM's charge a ridiculous convenience fee. There are now iPhone applications that can help lead you to your nearest ATM.
2) Books - There is no point in wasting a bunch of your hard earned cash on books. Stop spending at Amazon.com and Chapters, and get a library card. Also, there is no point in cluttering up your home with a bunch of books. Sometimes you may need to buy books if you're planning to give them away as gifts, in this case you can buy gently used books. For more information about the library check out my archived article http://reynold-savemoney.blogspot.com/2010/07/free-books-magazines-dvds-and-music-cds.html .
3) Pets - People are always giving away kittens and puppies in the classifieds. When someone forgets to spay or neuter their pets the consequences are usually a litter of kitten or puppies that would be to time consuming and costly to take care of. As long as you don't mind a mutt (a mixed breed animal) than it should be okay. Also, mutts tend to be healthier!
4) TV - With high speed Internet most of the shows we want to watch are now streaming online. Try Project Free TV http://www.free-tv-video-online.info/ , most shows can be found on this site. Another plus is you won't be exposed to as much advertising, which will in turn cut down on your spending. If you know of any other sites please leave the site address as a comment. If you don't cancel your cable TV completely, at least try to downgrade to only the channels you watch. Most of the time nobody is even watching the "Paint Drying Network."
5) Water - Bottled water is really an unnecessary expense. Municipal tap water is treated to a very high standard in Canada, especially in Ontario (ever since the Walkerton disaster). All the plastic bottles that end up in the land fill afterwards is also very bad for the environment. So get a stainless steel bottle or a BPA-free plastic bottle and fill'er up!
1) Bank Fees/ATM Fees - There's nothing worse than having to pay the bank to get access to your own money. The bank is making money by lending your money to others. Usually you get a measly interest rate on your savings. It is nothing compared to the rates that the bank lends at. On top of that they charge you fees to access your money. What nerve! There are many accounts that have no bank fees at all, or no bank fees if you keep a minimum balance. Be sure to ask for details and be sure to keep the minimum balance to avoid the fees. I currently have a joint account with my father, and since he is over 65 all my banking services are free, including cheques! Be sure to try this trick out. Also, do not take money out at any other bank than yours, since other ATM's charge a ridiculous convenience fee. There are now iPhone applications that can help lead you to your nearest ATM.
2) Books - There is no point in wasting a bunch of your hard earned cash on books. Stop spending at Amazon.com and Chapters, and get a library card. Also, there is no point in cluttering up your home with a bunch of books. Sometimes you may need to buy books if you're planning to give them away as gifts, in this case you can buy gently used books. For more information about the library check out my archived article http://reynold-savemoney.blogspot.com/2010/07/free-books-magazines-dvds-and-music-cds.html .
3) Pets - People are always giving away kittens and puppies in the classifieds. When someone forgets to spay or neuter their pets the consequences are usually a litter of kitten or puppies that would be to time consuming and costly to take care of. As long as you don't mind a mutt (a mixed breed animal) than it should be okay. Also, mutts tend to be healthier!
4) TV - With high speed Internet most of the shows we want to watch are now streaming online. Try Project Free TV http://www.free-tv-video-online.info/ , most shows can be found on this site. Another plus is you won't be exposed to as much advertising, which will in turn cut down on your spending. If you know of any other sites please leave the site address as a comment. If you don't cancel your cable TV completely, at least try to downgrade to only the channels you watch. Most of the time nobody is even watching the "Paint Drying Network."
5) Water - Bottled water is really an unnecessary expense. Municipal tap water is treated to a very high standard in Canada, especially in Ontario (ever since the Walkerton disaster). All the plastic bottles that end up in the land fill afterwards is also very bad for the environment. So get a stainless steel bottle or a BPA-free plastic bottle and fill'er up!
6) Personal Finance Information - If you're reading this you've just stumbled upon the best source of personal finance information. Seriously though, there is tons of literature for free. You don't need to pay for expensive seminars to learn everything you need to know about taking care of your own finances. It just starts with the desire to learn and the bookmarking of this site http://reynold-savemoney.blogspot.com/ .
7) Your Comments - Ok so I left this last one for all the readers. Please leave a comment for the 7th thing that we shouldn't be paying for. Give us your best tip! Nothing vulgar please.
Just a comment about #3. Many times dog breeders will give away their breeding dogs once they are 'retired'. And so if you are stuck on pure-breds...you can still find mature pure-breds for free. Doesn't hurt to ask your local breeder.
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