This article was written by MoneySupermarket.com.
When it comes to buying things and spending money, there are some things that I’m sure some of you enjoy buying, and other things that some of you don’t. I’ve taken this argument one step further and asked myself the question, what things should I and shouldn’t I be paying for?
Of course, I’m not talking about breaking the law, if you drive a car on the road then you have to make sure you have auto insurance, (even if you don’t like paying for it), but there will be things that you pay for that you shouldn’t, and here’s a few of them.
Yard and lawn maintenance
When I was a young boy growing up, my parents would always have me in the garden, learning how to mow the lawn, use hedge trimmers, and generally take care of the basic maintenance tasks. I’m sure that unless your circumstances mean that you can’t take care of your garden, or you have a garden the size of a football field, then you shouldn’t really pay someone to do these basic tasks for you.
I think that paying for doing basic things on your lawn or yard is simply a waste of money, and it’s an excess that we could do without in the current economic climate.
Basic auto maintenance
If you have a vehicle then there are some elements of auto maintenance that you will have to pay for, but there are many basic things that we can all do from home ourselves.
Things like changing a tire, changing your oil or changing a tail light, these are all things that we should be able to do from home, and all they need is a bit of basic knowledge. Taking your vehicle to a garage to undergo basic auto maintenance can cost you a lot of money.
Car wash
A car wash by hand will always be better than a car wash from an expensive machine. Let’s be honest washing your car yourself isn’t a very hard task, it’s only a 30 minute job, and you can save quite a bit of money from doing it at home. Plus, you don’t have anyone to blame but yourself if you miss a spot!
House cleaning and laundry
House cleaning and laundry will be routine for most of us, we don’t like cleaning and washing clothes but it’s one of those things that has to be done, paying for these services on the hand is a totally different ball game. I simply don’t understand why people would pay someone to clean their home for them, unless their circumstances meant they couldn’t actually do it on their own.
What other things do you think people shouldn’t pay for?
photo by quaziefoto
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I actually pay for all 4 of these things, lol. Sometimes it is just worth it to pay someone else.
Very true. I’m sure there are things that each of us pay for that others don’t. That’s why I love reading articles like this.
Fully agree with you.
I don’t understand why people pay for car wash and lawn maintenance services. Sure mowing the lawn is not fun but it is good for you and one can get a a lot of satisfaction when the job is done.
How about get the kids to help and have some fun with them.
Thank you for a great post!
I can definitely see having fun with kids in the yard. Lawn service can be very expensive and is something that is relatively easy to cut out and do yourself.
Newspapers….all of their content can be found online.
Yeah, I’m a little surprised that there are so many still around!
@ Tim – It is definitely much cheaper – and usually healthier – to bring lunch from home. Good point.
@ Kristen – When my parents purchased a house, I was stuck doing the yardwork! I hated it!
@ Techbud – I love the library for books, music, and DVDs! Nothing beats free.
@ Lisa – I never found it relaxing, but then again, my parents made me do it!
This is a great list of things that you should not pay for. I actually find yard work therapeutic. It is time I can ponder my thoughts and relax. The end product of a nice looking yard is rewarding too.
Books. Hit your local library.
Yard and lawn maintenance – isn’t that why we have kids? I can’t wait for my kids to be old enough to cut the grass
Another thing you shouldn’t pay for is lunch at work. Bring your own lunch or make your own coffee and bring it to work. Sure, you have to buy the food (you have to buy the soap to wash your own car) but you’re saving money by making your own lunch and bringing it to work.
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