15 Common ‘Necessities’ That Frugal People Don’t Buy

Are they really a necessity?

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Chapters

00:00 Start Here
00:57 An Amazon Prime Membership
01:57 Anything Unnecessarily Fast And Convenient
02:32 Fiber Internet
03:17 Expensive Phone Plans
03:50 Unlimited Data
04:34 New Cell Phones
05:11 Organic, Gluten Free, Free Range, Farm to Table, blah blah blah blah blah
05:59 Meat
06:50 Single Use Bottled Water
07:39 Supplements
08:49 Paper Towels
09:16 An Excess of Animal Stuff
10:21 Work Lunch
11:00 Tips
11:55 Debt

A huge reason many people are struggling financially is because of the inability to know the difference between a want and a need. And the reason it is becoming harder is because society has become so complex that so many things that were once wants are starting to become needs to function in society. In this video, I share 15 common necessities that frugal people don’t buy because they’re not necessities.

1. Amazon Prime Membership

In many ways we do need to buy things on Amazon because they have certain things that you can’t find anywhere else; however, we don’t need an Amazon Prime membership because as long as you spend over $35, you will get free shipping.

2. Anything Unnecessarily Fast And Convenient

Big Tech companies have made everything unnecessarily fast and convenient; however, this hasn’t improved our lives but it has just made people impatient and homebodies. Frugal people are more patient and don’t seek these fast and convenient things.

3. Fiber Internet

In order to live in the modern world, you do need to have the internet. Many people, however, choose to get extremely fast internet speeds like getting fiber. You do need speeds that fast in order to have a good internet connection.

4. Expensive Phone Plans

Having a cell phone is another thing that you need to function in the modern world; however, you do not need to choose one of the main carriers. Frugal people choose to use cheaper plans like Mint mobile for $15/month.

5. Unlimited Data

In addition to a cell phone plan, you need to have data to function in the modern world; however, you do not need unlimited data. Frugal people choose data plans between 5-10 gbs of data in order to not overpay.

6. New Cell Phones

Although we need cell phones to function, whenever you need a new cell phone, you do not need to buy a new one. Frugal people choose to buy used cell phones on ebay to save money.

7. Organic, Gluten Free, Freerange, Farm to Table, blah blah blah blah blah

Food companies and restaurants often use fancy words to get people to spend more money on foods; however, these words are often just empty. Frugal people buy good quality food, but avoid spending more on these fancy words.

8. Meat

Eating meat in moderation is good for your body, but most people end up eating two times more than they need in a day. Frugal people eat meat, but only in moderation.

9. Single Use Bottled Water

Everyone in this world needs water in order to survive, but nobody need to overpay for bottled water. Bottled water costs substantially more than tap water and is just as good.

10. Supplements

If you eat a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, then you do not need to take supplements. Frugal people do not buy supplements and instead eat a balanced diet.

11. Paper Towels

Paper towels are in the kitchen of most people; however, they are completely unnecessary. There are some situations where you do need paper towels, but for most cases rags are fine.

12. An Excess of Animal Stuff

Having a pet around the house is not anti-frugal. Many people, however, choose to spend a bunch of money and shower their pet with presents, but this is unnecessary. Frugal people shower their pets with love and peanut butter.

13. Work Lunch

Many people choose to eat out for lunch every day at work, which costs a lot of money and is unnecessary. Frugal people choose to bring lunch to work to save money.

14. Tips

In recent years, tipping has become more normal in industries where it was not normal before and many people feel the need to tip everywhere. Frugal people choose to pay in cash to avoid tipflation.

15. Debt

The final common necessity that frugal people don’t buy is debt. Many people think that you need debt in order to live a comfortable life, but it is completely unnecessary.

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[georgeseymour]

Don’t know any frugal people who would pay 6 bucks for a cup of coffee.

[vzimmer]

I DO NOT shop online! If I can't find it in a store, I do without! Amazon is ruining our towns and cities!

[ludivinahahn-santiago]

😂 The chicken harness was hilarious. Me and my coworker cracked up 😂😂

[andreabellini]

As a vegan I spend $30-40 a week in groceries. Rarely ever buy fake meat products, tofu is $1.80 a package

[TeamPowah]

Pro tip for avoiding Amazon Prime: get your order in over $35 for free shipping and you can usually can get additional orders under $35 for free as well within the next day or so. They'll usually ship all this together.

[marshaphonda]

Well, in my opinion it is very important to eat organic food.
Pesticides kill bugs and worms right away, it won`t kill you that fast, but it will make you sick and kill you over time.
I am very frugal, but organic food is a must-have for me.

[jimt]

Re: Organic, I'll just recommend that people check out The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15 put out by Environmental Working Group. There may be some things that you may wish to buy as organic to avoid some pesticides unless being frugal somehow helps us not get cancer from chemicals. Cheers., I enjoy your content.

[the_bohemian_drifter]

Awesome video, am onboard with all of it 😂 Took early retirement 20 days ago after clearing all my debt, including my mortgage, over 4 years then saving like mad by being frugal and working very hard. Currently watching your video from my campervan( paid for in full!) in Île de ré, France while supping glass of my fav red wine (€3.60 per bottle) cheers Austin, hugs to Star 😊

[nygrl]

Disagree about the food. There are so many pesticides and chemicals and harmful additives in our food. Read the labels. Do some research. Eat garbage get garbage health. And I'm way too old to be a hipster. I care about my health tho.

[CundaliniWantsHisHandBack]

It's ironic that these clips are preceded by advertisers urging us to buy their shit.

[georgeandrews]

Adding white vinegar to your laundry softens the water and reduces the amount of detergent needed.

[JoATTech]

I agree on cellphones. I would gladly use my phone I bought 10 years ago, but all my phones died on me, because they are made that way ... to die 2.5 years after you got them.

[pensacola]

Free shipping, streaming, music, books etc. Is Amazon Prime necessary? Of course not. But it can deliver a decent value

[suzannederringer]

People have different priorities. I buy the freshest best quality food I can find. I'm 76, live alone, don't eat much and not expensive food, but it has to be fresh and organic if possible. Never ate much meat. Not into 'Gluten-free' etc.
Don't have a car and have a bad Knee, so i cant get around very well. AMAZON is essential. Everything from out-of-print or foreign-language books to cat litter. I have Prime. One reason? Extra discounts at WHOLE FOODS. I do buy WHOLE FOODS' brand of Spring Water in gallon jugs for drinking and cooking because the Tap Water is horrible in this city.
I use Paper Towels in the Kitchen because - who has an unlimited supply of Rags???
But my Cat gets Food and Love. Period. No Toys and no 'Treats.' That's all she wants.
TIPS - I'm against them. Also a lot of stores are asking you to donate to some charity. This is another scam. YOU donate - the Store gets a tax write-off.

[overcomingwithin]

i agree with you on all of them but not number 7 (organic in particular). a lot of studies have been done on organic/non organic & some are worth paying. i’m happy to spend money on a few organic items like strawberries, look up the ingredients between a gmo & organic strawberry. tho not everything. just the few part of the dirty dozen

[flohough]

As someone who has a life threatening allergy to wheat, I am thankful for the increase in gluten free products available. But I do agree it has been a bit of a scam, convincing people who don't really need those products into buying them. Plus a lot of it is total garbage. I have to admit that I was 🤣🤣🤣at the paper towel uses--those are basically the ONLY reasons we have them around! And even with the dog pee, frequently we'll just use an already dirty bath towel to clean that mess up. Great video. The picture of you and Star is absolutely wonderful.

[wortelsorbet]

I buy biological milk, because it has higher animal welfare standards in Europe than non-biological milk. For the same reason I do not each meat, and that's why I use B12 supplements to ensure I do not lack that vitamin.

[mashort]

I see value in the Prime Membership for one big reason: it enables you pull the trigger on products you’re tracking at the moment the price dips to something you’re happy with. If something is listed for $19.99 and they run a deal where it’s $13.99, you can’t buy that item without buying more things or paying for shipping. Prime lets you lurk then and buy at the best prices. Of course you have to be patient and diligent in your tracking for this to work, but my wife and I use Amazon *a lot* and we’ve gotten well beyond the price of our Prime membership in discounts.

I also just want to say this: not often, but sometimes you DO need things in 1-2 days.

[theresaarnold]

Food and grocery delivery can be a necessity. Not everyone can hop in the car and drive. Some people have issues that prevent them from driving.

[solidstate]

I won't save on the expense of animals. I won't buy the cheapest food with the worst living conditions for the animals involved. This isn't frugal, it is egoistic on the expense of feeling beings.