Every day I come across people willing to spend their hard earnt cash completely unnecessary luxury items which eventually end up discarded and wasted. Frequently these are bought by people who are financing it with debt and using the luxury as a small distraction from their real money problems.

Worse than this however are the items and services people pay for despite them being available for free!! Whether it’s paying for the convenience or status associated with a brand name.. there’s really no sane excuse for splashing the cash on some of these, and yet people continue to do so. Madness.

Water

This absolutely essential item is delivered to practically every house and workplace in the western world. We can obtain on demand an almost unlimited supply of cool, clean and safe water within our own homes and yet millions still purchase bottled water at 100x the cost. The UK bottled water market is worth over 1.7 BILLION pounds from over 1.9 billion litres produced. That’s an insane amount of expense and waste produced if people would only use their taps and refillable bottles instead.

Books

Free libraries have existed for thousands of years and yet people still spend on books to read once before discarding to a bookcase for the next 40 years. Additionally the internet now provides new content produced at a rate faster than anyone could possibly begin to keep up with. There’s so many options to cut back on book expenses: Libraries, On-line content, 2nd hand purchasing, Electronic readers and Book swaps.

Parking

I currently ride an insanely cheap motorbike which means I never have to pay for parking. Alternativly you could cycle to your destination and also avoid the cost. If you absolutely must use a car, don’t pay the extortionate fees demanded by shopping malls and local attractions. 2 minutes spent searching a map beforehand or looking at the local council website will present a list of free or greatly reduced fee parking locations. We went to visit a castle last year which had an on-site carpark for £6 whereas across the road was a council run carpark for £1… and yet the £6 carpark was almost full while the council one sat empty. Save yourself a fiver and take the extra 30 seconds to cross the road!

Gyms

I can’t stand gyms. If you go along for the weights; chances are you could buy a decent set for the same amount as a few month’s gym membership. As for the cardio machines.. Why jog/cycle on the spot when you could be doing the same outside whilst enjoying the passing scenery and encountering natural challenges?! For thousands of years humans have managed to stay in shape without brightly lit air-conditioned rooms for you to run on a conveyor belt.

Medicine Brands

What’s the difference between Own-brand Paracetamol at 25p a pack and a branded ‘headache relief’ pack for £4.99? Absolutely nothing.  The great thing about purchasing medicine packs is that they must legally list each specific ingredient on the back. Take a look at the actual ingredients of some of the premium branded items and chances are that it’s either paracetamol or similar with a little bit of caffeine. Stop spending mega cash on the premium brands and buy the exact same chemical for a fraction of the cost.

There’s literally too many items and services to list which can be obtained for free or at a vastly reduced cost. Why do people keep paying for these items and the expense of a little bit of convenience?

What other examples do you guys have? And any great tips on how to get them for free?? Please let us know in the comments below.