12 Subtle Ways You May Be Wasting Money Without Realizing It

It’s not always the big expenses that drain our wallets. Sometimes, it’s the seemingly insignificant ones that prevent us from saving money.

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You can read more tips in my newest book, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life:

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You can read more tips in my newest book, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life:

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[bluejasmin]

Love how his videos start the moment you press play! Thank you for sparing your audience of the unnecessarily long intros!

[daryljohnson]

My journal frequently has the phrase “Beware the $20 purchase.” It’s surprisingly effective.

[valerierogers]

Save eating out for rare treat. Don't waste on expensive takeout coffees. Start adopting great depression mindset. Going to need it.

[kakylong]

Joshua, Great video! I want to add a huge thank you to you. Earlier this week, my sister & our nephew came in from out of town, took 2 days & helped clean out our garage except for a small portion. We ran out of time. The before & after is amazing. It has taken me 24 yrs & watching a lot of yours, Dawn's & Cass's videos to come to the point of being able to let go of the items. I only kept 3 totes of things. I cried some tears but felt so relieved afterward. Thank you. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. 😊

[conniesoares]

I have learned to think about a purchase for a few days before buying!

[jeanmariemclain]

I used to get satisfaction when watching videos of people clearing out their clutter. The “before and after” views are great. But now I can hardly watch any more. I just keep yelling at these people on the screen, “All that stuff used to be MONEY!” I can’t imaging being so thoughtless with money as to own 50 t-shirts, or 30 pairs of shoes, or so much food in the pantry, bought in bulk during “Costco hauls”, that you forget what you have and it goes bad. This behavior is thoughtless, meaning” people do it without thinking. Thank you for your message and for reminding people to THINK. If you can’t treat everything in your home with respect, then you have too much stuff.

[AnnLeachYT]

A couple things I do that your ideas remind me of 1) Allocate $10 per month to clothing and I can only access it in transition months - March and September; 2) Set up a Subscriptions area in my budget where I list a subscription when I start it. This way I don't lose track of subscriptions. Additionally, only one streaming service at a time because seriously - who needs more than one?; 3) In winter months, I developed the habit of going for a 10-minute walk when I'm home and feel cold rather than turning up the heat. This way I keep the thermostat at 18C and save money.
Good work, Joshua! I look forward to your videos each week.

[williamclark]

I do much of what is on this list. Once I started cooking more often at home I have not wasted any food. 
Here is a tip: 
Place produce at the top of the fridge where you can see it and place any packaged items in the crisper. You'll be more likely to use the perishable items first. Therefore reducing waste.

[tikoy]

Good informational video. I do not have any food wastes anymore since March 2023. I changed to a carnivore diet. There is no bread, veggie or fruit wastes. My labs are great and lost 47 lbs.

[lynnschweer]

here’s what i do to thrive financially: i go thrifting for my clothes (bonus: no one else has my pieces), i don’t have children, i’m a minimalist, i have roommates, i should lowkey cancel my gym membership, we keep the air off when possible, i drink at home, i shop at walmart for groceries typically the great value brand when possible, i have cooking skills so i don’t have to eat out often. thanks for the video

[goodenoughgirl]

Ha ha. I had a massive French fry craving yesterday. I went and got some. Checked my budget book and realized I haven’t had fries in 45 days. 😂😂 So I think it’s fine that I went ahead and finally had my little fast food meal. Lol. Pretty cool that I hadn’t missed them at all until 45 days later. Ha ha.

[SharonAnnMenefee]

We have carry out food on Saturdays as a treat. We cook at home all week and eat leftovers.

[dianahake]

Thank you Joshua! I enjoy listening to you so much! God is using you to bless others lives in so many ways!

[bobbijonichols]

I love that your videos are even minimal & straight to the point. Thank you so much! I love your channel.

[cjhoward]

We have a 3, 000 sf home. And I’m so thankful because now my 90 year old dad lives with us. We’ve also housed some folks who were in desperate need of temporary housing. Having a bigger home makes it able to have more private spaces. It’s a blessing to us that we share with others 😊

[janetstonerook]

I soft-heartedly took in an orphaned feral kitten that somehow landed on my front porch. I already had 2 old toms and had planned to phase out pets once they'd gone to kitty heaven! Since then my cat food and litter costs have doubled and my vet bill has been over $800 in three months! And I still have two followup appointments left before years end. Could you make a video about frugal pet management? I know the easiest thing would have been to let the kitty perish. I had no transport at the time and anyway our rural no kill facility had no room for more cats. And she wormed her way into my heart and hearth.

[growsinhouseherbiculturali]

Meal planning is the key to financial success, I’m convinced of it!!

[gramarye_cottage]

I’ve saved $300 in 2 months by not going thrifting. Pre-my new minimalist journey I thought buying thrifted items for a few $’s was nothing. Well I proved that to be very wrong. I no longer thrift after decluttering my cottage. I’ll just replace things as i need.

[pnwflipper]

The statistic about food waste literally made my jaw drop. We waste no food at our house. Zero. I freeze odds and ends and put them in soups, muffins, or quiche. And any scraps humans won’t eat go to the chickens or the garden worms.

[pippas]

My biggest way to save money is to buy second-hand. I have found items that were purchased but never used by their original owner, and the cost was a fraction of buying new. I have a really good quality winter coat and leather bag that I could never have afforded to buy 'new', yet buying them as 'unused secondhand' (still with store price tags attached) they were as cheap as low-quality 'last for one season only' items.

We only eat out for our birthdays and wedding anniversary. Because it happens so rarely, even if we go somewhere fairly cheap, it's still a real treat. I know people who eat out every week and it's so much harder (and more expensive) for them to find somewhere 'special' for a big occasion.