Life is expensive enough when you pay average prices for things that you want or need. Some things are so overpriced that once you realize how overpriced they are, they will probably lose their appeal. For example, did you know that celebrity fragrances cost fifty to sixty percent as much as similar scents that do not have a famous face associated with them? Perfume and cologne smell nice, but that pricing scheme just reeks.
Printer ink is another item where it is easy to lose money. You can have many ink cartridges refilled for a fraction of the price of buying a new cartridge. You can also buy generic refills for many printers. Nip this problem in the bud by looking at ink consumption information, including the cost of ink, before you buy a new printer so that you can choose one that is not as costly to operate.
When I went to get a card for a friend a month or so ago, I was reminded of just how expensive greeting cards are. Seriously. Sure, there are some that you can get for a dollar but there are others that cost three, four, or even five dollars. For a card. Skip the pricey paper and send an e-card, or make your own hand made heartfelt greetings instead.
More and more grocery stores are stocking their produce departments with precut vegetables and fruits. These items have a shorter shelf life than their whole counterparts, and they cost quite a bit more. By taking a few minutes here and there to slice and dice your own fruits and vegetables, you will save money and reduce waste due to overspending and spoilage.
Of course, there are many items at the grocery store that have generic options sitting on the shelf right next to the pricey, name brand items. Some name brand items really do taste better or work better than their store brand counterparts, but I have found in large part that the store brand products are quite good. The quality varies from store to store, but do your own experimenting to see if there are savings that you could take advantage of without sacrificing taste or performance.
Photo by gtrfrkbob on morguefile.com