Things We Do NOT Spend Money On

We were going to post today on how we spend $25,000 per year as a family of 3 but thought we should do a preliminary post outlining all the things we DO NOT spend money on first to help frame our setup. And don’t worry, we have a future post lined up next week detailing all the things we DO spend money on too – stay tuned for that post 🙂

There are SO many things we think we need thanks to advertising and marketing being shoved down our face.  So many people are stressed and stuck in the hedonic treadmill of work-spend-work-spend that they don’t have a chance to take a step back and reassess what expenditures are actually bringing in value vs just fluff.  Creating that time and head space to actually decompress is so important.  You’ll find you no longer need the extravagant 2 week cruise or trip to Europe.  Rather, it really is the simple little things that actually bring you joy.

What We Don’t Spend Our Money On

As you read through this list of things we don’t spend money on, remember that these are just things we’ve chosen to give up. Everybody’s values are different, so what works well for us may differ from what works well for you and your family.  So much of this has to do with you and your family’s priorities. What do you value? What is important to you?  I’m not suggesting that it’s frivolous or wrong to spend money on the things listed below nor am I judging you if you do. I’m adding this disclaimer because I don’t want anyone to assume that I’m scolding them in any way.

Here are some items that we do not spend money on:

• Books
  • No need to buy books when you have the library.  During these COVID days, we’ve been utilizing ebooks and audiobooks from the library using the Overdrive App on our phone.
  • If there is a book we absolutely love and want on hand we have no issue purchasing it to support the author after reading it for free from the library.
• Manis/Pedis
  • Never understood the point of these.  Call me crazy but I’m happier with a freshly clipped unpolished set of fingernails.
• Makeup
  • Be you and embrace it all.
• Haircuts/Color
  • We’ve been cutting each other’s hair for 4+ years.  Nic still doesn’t trust me…
• Special Hair and Beauty Products
  • Here’s what lives in our bathroom: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, loofah, razors, towels, tooth brush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, night guard (life changer for anyone who clenches or grinds their teeth), soap, deodorant, lotion, tissues, menstrual cups, panty liners, nail clippers, tweezers, hair brush (which to be honest I hardly ever use), chap-stick (obsessed!), q-tips, ibuprofen, and band-aids.
  • Pro tip – buy men’s products for a fraction of the cost! #pinktax
• Tampons/pads
  • As noted above we use menstrual cups.  This item deserves it’s own line item as this topic is not discussed enough in my opinion (any guys reading this can just jump to the next bullet).  Not only are tampons costly but they also are bad for the environment.  We have been using the Diva Cup for years and have no regrets with the switch!  It is very comfortable and has saved each of us over 1,000 tampons.  If you’re still on the fence because you don’t know your size, just go for the larger one.  Buy it once, use it for years.  My cup has paid for itself more than 10 fold so far.  Anyways, girl, if you have been wondering about the cup, go for it. It may seem odd at first but you’ll get used to it and won’t look back.
• Dry Cleaners
  • We don’t own things that need to be maintained at the dry cleaners.
• Jewelry
  • The only jewelry I wear is my wedding ring (which did not break the bank).  I took my earrings out when Finn was a little baby as she kept grabbing at them and haven’t felt the need to put them back in.
• Belts
  • I suppose this is the beauty of wearing sweats for the most part?!  Somehow I’ve weighed the same for the past 14 years, give or take a pound or two, so all my clothes are the same size and have consistently fit.
• Purses
  • Don’t need anymore.  Oddly enough, since starting my first “big girl” corporate job in 2009 I’ve only ever used one single purse for work – thanks shift work (7.5 years and counting) where I use a backpack (which is actually from high school) and working from home for 1.5 years in the past.
• Hats
  • I loathe hats. Not a hat person at all.  Love toques though 🙂
• Watches
  • Microwaves, ovens, alarm clocks, clocks in your car, clocks on your phone all suffice.  Although leaning towards getting a digital watch to help avoid picking up my phone so much.
• Professional Clothing
  • Thank you FI 🙂 Nic no longer works and I only work night shift which means I can wear sweats and a hoodie.
• Unnecessary Phone Data
  • Utilize free WIFI (when safe) and use your phone less.  Understand you don’t need a lot of data and you could have a $13 / month phone plan.
• Cable or Satellite TV
  • Haven’t had cable since 2017 and don’t miss it one bit.  My brother let’s us use his Netflix which we use only a handful of times a year.
• DVDs and CDs
  • Do people still own these let alone still buy these?
• New Cars/Car Payments
  • Used baby, used – paid upfront in cash.  Only buy a car you can truly afford!
• Roadside Assistance
  • We get this for free with our Canadian Tire Triangle credit card (along with some free / discount oil changes too).
• Apps, Video Games, In Game Purchases
  • Never been into video games.
• Music
  • We’ve been using the free Google Play Music app on our phone for years.  Coffee Shop Acoustic or Classical in the morning and Bastille channel the rest of the day for me!
• Online Content
  • Never felt the need to pay for online courses as there is SO much great information to be had for free.  Depending on your field / interests some online content could definitely be worth the cost.
• The Latest Electronics
  • Delayed gratification at it’s finest!
• Excessive Living Space
  • One of the fastest way to reach financial freedom, live in a home that fits your needs.  Why do we now need 3 living rooms each complete with 65+ inch tvs?
• Private Mortgage Insurance
  • Avoid by saving 20% for a down payment.
• Credit Card Debt/Interest
  • Pay off your credit card balances IN FULL each and every month!
• Uber
  • Our bar hoping days are over so no need for a designated driver anymore (this is not a knock on Uber, please be responsible when drinking!).  Our drives mainly consist of going to work, going to the mountains, going to the cabin, going to visit friends/family, going to the grocery store – all of which tend to be pleasurable experiences.  I personally don’t like driving but Nic loves to drive so I have a personal chauffeur 🙂 Major kudos to you if you are able to be car-free and utilize car sharing options for the few times you need a vehicle.
• Gas Station Food
  • Pay for gas at the pump, collect credit card points, and you’re on your merry way.
• Many Household Cleaners and Products
  • Dawn + vinegar works wonders.  Cut up an old t-shirt to use a rags vs paper towel.  Tide powder and Bar Keepers Friend have been added to the repertoire thanks to the ever talented Go Clean Co (Calgary represent!).
• House Cleaner
  • Personally, I get a lot of satisfaction cleaning so I enjoy cleaning the house myself.
• Furniture
  • Man, 90% (or more) of our furniture was either gifted to us by family and friends, built ourselves, or purchased at a major discount (or for free) from others in our neighborhood looking to get rid of items.  Nic’s dad built our kitchen table, coffee tables, Finn’s toy box, and Finn’s kitchen helper/stool.  Nic built our shelves, end tables for all our bedrooms, a front entry bench, and smaller bench for Finn.  We’ve had various family members looking to downsize when we purchased our townhouse in Canada and were gifted 2 couches, 3 dressers, 2 queen beds (hardly used from guest rooms), a foam mattress topper, and a TV (which sits dormant in our basement).  We picked up a dresser for Finn’s room, a lamp, and a lounge chair second hand.  We bought new our kitchen chairs, bar stools, and living room rug – that’s it.
• Fancy Home Decor
  • We’ve painted our own canvas wall pictures, crafted our own light fixtures, built our own mountain shelves, and installed our own vanities.
• Loads of Baby Stuff
  • I cannot rave enough about Varage Sale which is similar to Facebook Marketplace for our town. Simple searches have saved us thousands.  (A breakdown of our baby costs from year 1 is coming out in 3 weeks.)
• Car Wash
  • We wash our cars a few times a year with a simple bucket, rag, and water.  We also will use our vacuum to clean the inside ourselves.
• Gifts For Each Other
  • A simple hand written note, a surprise adventure, a homemade meal – those are the best gifts.
• Rental Car Insurance
  • Covered through our car insurance policy and / or credit cards.
• Soda
  • Empty calories and lots of burping, no thanks!
• Bottled Water
  • Brita and reusable bottles all day 🙂
• Newspaper and Magazine Subscriptions
  • Most articles can be found online for free.  Sadly this is a dying industry.
• Monthly Subscription Boxes
  • Mainly junk / fluff which we avoid.
• Office Supplies
  • We try and go paperless as much as possible.
• Single Use Kitchen Appliances
  • SO many silly kitchen appliances these days – avocado slicer, pizza scissors, strawberry huller, specific fruit and veggie storage containers, apple slicer, garlic press, cherry pitter, grape slicer, lemon squeezer, egg slicer, and dare I say it – toaster (use a toaster oven instead that can be used for SO many things).
• Many other single use items – plastic bags, wrapping paper, paper towel, etc.
  • It’s not that we can’t afford these items. But rather for us the thrill and challenge is to see how many uses we can get without having to buy more.  Mother Nature appreciates it as well.
• Garbage bags
  • Rather than have a large garbage bin with large plastic bags that need to be purchased to line them, we have a small bin since a majority of our waste goes either in the recycle bin or compost bin.  We use plastic grocery bags to line these and re-purpose these bags.  90% of the time we use reusable bags (thank you grocery stores for charging $0.05 for plastic bags to motivate people to switch to reusable!) but for the few plastic bags we do accumulate, we repurpose.
• Extended Warranties
  • Buy good quality and take care of your items instead.
• Unnecessary Life Insurance
  • Since we have reached FI, the need to pay for life insurance does not apply to us as we have enough passive income to not need to rely on insurance to get us through if one of us passes away.  For those with dependents who are not yet FI, life insurance is generally a must.  Check and see if you receive coverage through your employer.  Typically term life insurance (for the length of time until you’re FI or close to FI) is the route to go.
• Prescription Medications
  • Thankfully none of us need to take any routine medications.
• Doctor & ER Visits
  • Thank you Canada and your universal coverage.
• Lottery Tickets
  • Poor man’s retirement plan.
• Movie Tickets or Rentals
  • Couldn’t even tell you what movies have been released the last 10+ years.
• Virus Protection for our Electronics
  • Thank you 11 year old Mac for not getting viruses.  We installed a new hard drive ourselves last year and it runs great.
• Animals
  • Taking care of a child is more than enough work / responsibility for us at this moment.
• ATM Fees
  • Thank you Charles Schwab for an awesome High Yield Investor Checking account / card with no foreign transaction fees, minimums, monthly fees, or ATM charges worldwide.
• Checking Accounts
  • Because we are so conservative and keep a lot of cash on hand, we pay $0 for our checking accounts which require minimum balances (note there are others out there with no minimum balance requirements, such as EQ Bank).
• High Interest Savings Accounts
  • No fees or minimum account balances with our Motive account.
• Brokerage Accounts
  • No fees to buy EFTs with our Questrade accounts.

$0 Cost Items

What are some no cost items that bring joy to our lives?

• Picnics
  • Super simple way to change up your meal time routine.  Can be as simple as having one in your backyard.
• No-Cost Museum Days
  • Most museums (and zoos) will have free admissions days each year.
• Free Events Hosted By Our Town
  • From monthly night markets to out house races (hilarious) to winter festivals to fireworks, we try to make it out to all the free events and markets around town.
• Free Walking Tours
  • Our first go-to activity whenever we travel to a new place.  Remember to tip your tour guide though if it was a valuable experience!
• Farmers Markets
  • We love strolling through all the artisan stalls and trying out samples.  Strolling comes at no cost but we also support local and it’s well worth the cost to us.
• Camping
  • One of the best free things out there to truly disconnect with the busyness of life. Note you can camp on federally owned BLM land in the States or Crown land in Canada for free.
• Photography
  • One of Nic’s favorite hobbies.  She loves figuring out the best angles and lighting to optimize a landscape shot.
• Library Books
  • We love our library not only for free books but for so many free kids activities & classes, their tool lending program, their summer lawn games lending program, and their hiking lending program.  We also love all the free little libraries around town.
• Crossing Things Off the To-Do List
  • This just might be my favorite thing to do.
• Volunteering
  • Make a large deposit in your karma bank and help a person or group that needs assistance.  Nerd alert – in high school I won an award for the most volunteer hours logged, over 800!
• Attending Meetups
  • Shout out to our local ChooseFI Calgary meetups!
• Walking
  • Every day we get outside for a walk.  Nature is our therapist.  We back out onto a nature conservation area and enjoy watching the deer eating, eagles soaring above, hummingbirds drinking (for a split second), and the creek humming along.
• Listening to Podcasts
  • I listen to about 5-8 episodes a week.
• Board Games
  • Great way to connect with others and use your brains!
• Cooking
  • We love being able to dedicate the proper amount of time to make a savory home cooked meal.  Our current favorite is this spicy creamy miso ramen along with any worldly recipes from Wandercooks.
• Meeting Our Neighbors
  • Community is so important!  We have neighborhood bbqs, one set of neighbors is constantly giving us hand-me-downs from their 2 kids, and another is always offering to lend us tools to borrow.
• Cleaning the House
  • Really scrub the tub, toilet, floors, window sills, everything.  You can do it put your back into it.
• Cleaning the Car
  • Bye-bye random gas receipts and snacks flung around by the toddler.
• Hiking
  • We are so grateful to be 40 minutes from the Canadian Rockies which allows for hundreds of hiking opportunities.  Let yourself get absorbed into nature and simply enjoy the journey.
• Blogging
  • You can spend countless hours blogging, trust me I know 😉
• Reading Our Favorite Blogs
  • I’m subscribed to about 10 of my favorite bloggers out there.  Most post weekly so this gives me 10 articles to read through each week. If you’re reading this, you’re probably at least a casual reader of at least one blog.  What you might have forgotten, is that most worthwhile blogs have tons of useful and entertaining material in their archives.  Dig deep into the archives of one of your favorite blogs.
• Building Net Worth Spreadsheets
  • No surprise here that I enjoy taking inventory of our finances.
• Learning the Basics of a New Subject
  • It’s never been easier to learn so much about so many different topics for free.  You can get a college-level education on virtually hundreds of topics for free online. Great options include Coursera, Khan Academy, Open Yale Courses, and edX (a partnership between Harvard and MIT).  You can also watch thousands of TED Talks online.  Same goes for learning a new language with apps like Duolingo (there is a kids version too).
• Organizing
  • Another fav! I love tidying up the house each night once Finn goes to sleep.  10 minutes of work and deeply satisfying!
• Yoga
  • I admit I’m bad at this, but we need to stretch and take better care of our bodies.
• Lifting Weights/Calisthenics
  • Our gym setup in the basement was free thanks to getting a free set of adjustable weights through Varage Sale.
• Neighborhood Cleanups
  • Take an empty bag with you the next time you go for a walk and pick up garbage along the way.
• Catching Up With Family & Friends
  • We try to connect with loved ones that live far away every few weeks.
• Building Forts
  • Free and fun! And guess what, you don’t need kids around to do this!
• Making Homemade Gifts
  • We’ve been giving homemade gifts over the holidays for years.  Banana chocolate chip muffins, cinnamon buns, Saskatoon jelly, and choke cherry syrup have been the fan favorites so far.
• Napping
  • When the little lady naps, we rest.  Much needed relaxation decompression time in our house.  Man on man I wish I could add sleeping in to this list.  But alas our little energizer bunny is up by 6:30-7:00 am every damn day.
• Sitting
  • Have you ever just sat and let your mind wander?  Maybe you stare out the window?  Maybe you lay in bed and look at the ceiling?  If not, try it!  I know it sounds silly, but it’s such a great way to create space and creativity.
• Blowing Bubbles
  • A kid fav activity for whatever reason.
• Flying a Kite
  • A great way to enjoy a windy day.
• Writing A Letter To Our Daughter
  • Every holiday season as part of our daughter’s holiday present we each write her a hand written letter, date it, seal it up in an envelope, and put it in a manila envelope that we plan to give her on her 18th birthday.
• Learning a Musical Instrument
  • Nic’s uncle is a musician and gave her a guitar that she tinkers with.
• Planning Our Next Trip
  • Being a type-A planner, I love dreaming, researching, and chatting about future trips – even if less than 10% of them actually pan out into something.
• Reading Our Town’s Free Newspaper
  • Each week we get two free local newspapers delivered to our doorsteps.  They’re free reading that keeps us informed about the local area and also lets us know about free upcoming events.
• Skipping Rocks
  • Finn & Nic’s favorite activity.  Finn likes to “clunkkk” big ones to splash us and Nic skips em.
• Watching Clouds Pass By
  • I get Finn to lay with me outside for a few minutes to cloud gaze and watch the clouds move and morph into different shapes / animals.
• Exchanging Massages
  • I’m horrible at this and my poor little hands and fingers get tired after 5 minutes.  Yep, I’m the worst – sorry Nic!
• Writing Letters
  • When was the last time you wrote a letter with actual pen and paper, folded it into an envelope, put a stamp on it, and mailed it out to a pen pal?  Go send a loved one a note and let them know what you’re up to.  It will brighten their day!
• Taking Our Daughter To a Playground and Actually Playing With Her
  • Let the kid in you come out!
• Taking a Long Bath
  • When was the last time you treated yourself to a long, relaxing bath?  Fill up a tub with hot water, pour in the bubbles, strip down, get in, and relax.  Just stretch out and soak for awhile and allow your stress to melt away.  Maybe not so much in the warm summer months but this is a daily ritual for us in the winter.
• Watching Tiny House Videos
  • We’re obsessed…. we particularly enjoy Living Big in a Tiny House for free on YouTube.
• Decluttering
  • Sort through the closest, basement, under the beds, and in the dressers.  It’s time to let go.  Let your inner Marie Kondo shine.
• Donating Items to Charity
  • Not only will you have a cleaner and tidier home, you’ll have the good feeling of knowing your items are going to be used by someone who actually needs them.  It’s a great feeling to be able to give back.
• Stargazing
  • We love checking out the dark night sky when we are out at Nic’s family’s cabin which is located in a dark sky preserve area.  Shooting stars galore!  One time we saw the international space station fly from one end of the skyline to the other within seconds.  Super cool!
• Building a Snowman
  • Gotta wait for the right temps but when the snow is perfect snowman snow, get at ‘er!
• Collecting Rocks
  • When I was little I was that nerd that had a rock collection.  Looking back, I would have loved to have been a geologist.  I still love finding unique rocks when we’re out on walks.
• Listening to a Thunder Storm
  • While we do not get a lot of rain, whenever we do, Finn and I sit outside and listen for thunder together.
• Writing a Gratitude List
  • Sometimes it’s just a matter of noticing just how very lucky we really are.  Take notice of all the big obvious things (a roof over your head) as well as those things that may seem trivial but also help to make your life really enjoyable (a warm sunny day).
• Making Meaningful Contact
  • Tell everyone in your life why you love / like them and what you appreciate most about them.  Don’t miss the chance to bring more goodness into the world and don’t miss the chance to make someone feel great and appreciated.
• Being Anonymously Nice
  • Leave random notes around town, drop loose change on the walking path as you pass by, pay for the coffee / toll / bus fare for the person behind you, etc.  Spread kindness and it will come back to you.

There we have it!  So when people hear that we spend $25,000 and think that we are doing nothing with our lives, there’s a very good chance we are doing multiple things listed above!  It’s very easy to stay entertained and fulfilled without spending a lot of money.

Stay tuned for the second part of this post next week that digs into the things we actually DO spend money on.

What are some things you don’t spend money on?  Are there other $0 costs items / activities that you would add to the list?

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We believe in stacking up life hacks to keep your enjoyment levels to the max without depleting your bank account.  Here are some ways to further educate yourself and save thousands of dollars over your lifetime by making some simple adjustments:

• Investing Newbies: Check out our free Investing 101 Series.
• How much are you paying for your phone plan?  Canadians, learn more about Public Mobile, and see how we are paying $3/mo for our cell phone plan.
• How much are you paying for internet?  Canadians, learn more about the various Independent Service Providers out there to see who services your area so you can lower your monthly bills.
• How much are you paying for home insurance?  We were able to reduce our rates by 25% by switching over to Square One Insurance.  If you live in BC, AB, SK, MB, and ON, check out Square One for your home insurance, landlord insurance, and/or tenant insurance.  Use this link to receive an extra $15 off your quote.  (Note that you must use this link to start the process to get the $15 off even if you prefer to pay over the phone.)
• How much are you paying for your monthly utility bills?  See how you can likely save on this monthly expense.

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