Heather Allen

It occurred to me that perhaps I might have strange money habits when it comes to certain purchases. For instance, I rarely buy clothing full price, but what about other habits? I thought I would prepare a list here of things that I do that maybe others might not, but with the caveat,  that I certainly can’t be the first who has thought of this! I think some of these habits developed in college and have carried on with me as I moved to NYC and started working full-time, but never really feeling secure enough financially to just GET A DANG HAIRCUT.

Food:

• Buy generic groceries
• Essentially, buy the same groceries every week.
• Bring my lunches to work (with occasional treat days)
• I’ve been a vegetarian for over 12 years and I’m now discovering how much I’m saving by eating meatless – from restaurants to home cooking. But only recently have I started to rely less on pre-packaged foods, i.e. Morning Star, and this is saving me money in each grocery run.
• Avoid ordering food from Seamless (will occasionally splurge on this)
• When going out to eat, avoid alcohol, if the occasion does call for a glass of wine, order the 2nd cheapest.

Banking:

• Only going to ATMs that won’t charge me for cash withdrawal (or getting cash when checking out at a register that offers it)
• Checking my account regularly to avoid overdraft fees. I also called the bank once to ask them to waive the fee once so that can work if you use it sparingly.

Shopping:

• Use the library!
• I refuse to get my hair cut unless it will be cheap or free/ I can’t stand the length.
• Don’t upgrade my phone right after paying it off.
• When shopping online, always get free shipping or a discount. I use the Honey Google Chrome extension that looks for discount codes.
• Never buy things full price.
• Always look at the clearance rack.

Life:

• Wash my hair every other day to save shampoo. (The trade off to this is that I’m spending on dry shampoo so really it’s pretty neutral.)
• Using bar soap in the bathroom, rather than liquid soap so it lasts longer.
• Avoid paying for pedicures or manicures.
• Wearing tops at least twice before doing laundry (unless there’s a stain), washing jeans/pants infrequently. (I smell fine, thanks)
• Infrequent travel unless it is to visit family.

Any of these things seem familiar to you? Let me know if you do any of these things too!

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