My "Don't Need" List

I was reading Mina's blog entry last week and have been thinking of my own don't need list. I am trying to conserve money and resources and I love the idea of determining what you need versus what you want. Though I do think that I do deserve some splurges, I think I can get too relaxed and go overboard sometimes. So... here goes.

1. I don't need a $5 cup of coffee from Starbucks every weekday. That adds up to $100/month! Okay so it is actually a $3.62 venti iced coffee with an extra shot, skim milk and a splenda... AND I tip $1 b/c I believe in karma. I now make my own hot coffee in the French press when I wake up and do an extra pot of coffee and throw it in the fridge for my own diy iced coffees in the middle of the day. So far, so good. I compost the coffee grounds and with the coffee press this leaves no waste whatsoever.

2. I don't need more than one lunch out per week. I have been eating lunch out a little too often and it is adding up. I spend an average of $13/lunch about twice a week. I am not cutting out my weekly Ladies Who Lunch. By cutting down to one a week I will save $52/month. Nice. I've also been trying to save really good leftovers so I can have good lunches.

3. We do not need a home phone line. I just bought us a Skype number and subscription which adds up to $60/year. We were spending around $90/month on our phone line with long distance. So trading it in for Skype will save us $85/month.

So with just those three things I will save about $237/month. Not bad for just a few adjusted habits and bills. Not to mention less waste from the Starbucks cups! Other things I am considering for my next round of "I don't needs": 20oz diet sodas in the checkout line; take-out on Wednesday nights; parts of our premium cable subscription; and our 3-movie subscription on Netflix.