Ways You Might Be Overpaying

There are two ways to save money. The first way is to simply stop buying things, but that usually involves giving up things that you’d rather have! The alternative is to choose less expensive options when you make your purchases. Most people unknowingly overpay for things on a daily basis so going with the least pricey option is a great way to save money without giving up your favorite things and activities.

Paying for Labels

While brands can be an indicator of quality, the difference between a less expensive brand and an expensive one is usually minor. Many people simply assume that a brand name is better than its competitors without doing their research. This is particularly common with food products at the grocery store, where various brands often get their products from the same factory, simply package them differently and then charge different (often higher) prices. Do your research before you buy anything so you can find out if the expensive brands are actually any better than the cheaper ones, and then choose the economical option if they turn out to be the same thing.

Paying for Things That Can Be Free

Some products and services out there don’t need to be purchased as you can enjoy them free of charge – like music! There are plenty of different streaming services for music on the Internet, and many of them are completely free for the user, such as Pandora. Bottled water gets expensive very quickly and, in many cases, is just bottled tap water. Drinking tap water with a reusable filter costs much less. Even though these items seem minor, these add up over the course of even just one year.

Paying for Convenience

Convenience can cost a pretty penny! Paying to have dinner delivered to your home or paying a little bit extra to buy pre-chopped food in your produce aisle may seem convenient at the time, but it’s a habit that adds up fast. Preparing your own food will only take a little bit longer, and it will save a lot of money. Try to plan in advance! Using apps, such as Pinterest, can help you come up with recipes for the week before you go shopping, so you’re only buying what you need and not being wasteful. As long as you shop smart and plan in advance, you’ll find that you save huge amounts of money simply by cooking your own meals and avoiding heavily processed ingredients.

Overpaying for Utilities

Most of us don’t even realize how much we overpay for our utilities or notice as our bills slowly and sneakily increase in price as time goes on. Even if you do notice, it might be hard to find the free time to call and negotiate them. Who wants to do that anyway? Well, Billshark does! Billshark’s app (coming soon!) allows you to easily send them your utility bills with your smartphone and they take care of the rest. Easy as pie!

Now that we’ve shared some insight as to how you might be overpaying with your hard-earned money, why not put these tips into action? We can all easily save by making minor changes in our regular routines. Small changes equal big savings!