How to Reduce Convenience Purchases
Carry an aluminum or plastic bottle of water., Keep healthy, filling snacks in your car, pocket, or purse., Take a thermos to work., Chop your own fruits and vegetables for meals and snacks., Keep track of the cost of your convenience buys., Portion...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Carry an aluminum or plastic bottle of water.
Perhaps the costliest convenience purchase is also the easiest one to avoid making.
Rather than facing the steep markups for bottled water, carry around your own reusable water bottle and refill it as you go about your day.
Not only will you be kinder to your wallet, but you’ll also help diminish the billions of pounds of plastic bottle waste that accumulates in landfills every year.To stay motivated and remember your reusable bottle day after day, try keeping a 'proceeds jar' where you deposit the money each day that you would otherwise have spent on disposable water. -
Step 2: Keep healthy
While vending machines and other on-the-go snack options offer you a simple, quick way to get your snack fix, they charge you a hefty price for the convenience.
Most of the constituent items cost at least twice as much as they do at the supermarket, and that’s not even considering the invariably skimpy nutrition and empty calories of these options.Instead of resorting to these money-gobbling machines when you feel a hunger pang, keep a little baggie of nutritious, filling nuts, seeds, or dried fruit in your bag or car. , Stopping for coffee can become a morning ritual as standard as brushing your teeth or eating breakfast, but keep in mind that this daily convenience costs you dearly.
While making your own coffee costs about half a dollar or euro, getting it to-go at a café or convenience store can cost you four or five times as much.While single-use coffee pods like Keurig pods are more cost-efficient than to-go coffee, they’re twice as expensive as regular beans or instant coffee. , It can be argued that the preparation and expertise costs of deli salads, hot dinners, and baked goods are worthwhile expenditures—after all, if you’re not a good baker or cook, you’re paying for something you couldn’t produce yourself.
Paying two to three times over for a shop employee to wash, cut, or peel your fruits and veggies, though, is downright defenseless if you’re looking to cut convenience purchase spending.For example, a package of chopped pineapple will cost you about double what the equivalent of uncut pineapple will, while a package of pre-washed, chopped kale costs five to six times as much as the untreated variety!, Stores continue to charge extra and produce convenience goods because people continue to purchase them.
People continue to purchase them because, among other things, they don’t realize how much more these goods cost in the long run.
You can show yourself the light by writing down every bottle of water, packaged snack, and on-the-go coffee and totaling them up at the end up of the month.In the same way, measure how much time it takes for you to wash and chop veggies so that you can keep track of how much time you’re really saving yourself when you crumple to convenience. , Even if you’re buying snacks or beverages in bulk, you could be paying a premium for the packaging.
Rather than buying a bulk case of individually packaged bags of chips, bottles of water, or cans of soda, divide large, unpackaged volumes into daily portions.
Buy big jugs of water, family size bags of chips and nuts, and two-liter bottles of soda, then portion them out in household baggies or bottles.Single-serving yogurts, puddings, chips, and dry cereals are some of the worst packaging offenders, as they use thick plastic, bags and boxes which need to be separated for recycling, or multiple layers of aluminum foil., If you still need another reason and incentive to trim your convenience purchase spending, consider the unhealthy contents of these items.
After all, the vast majority of convenience goods are processed in some way or another, meaning that they tend to contain higher levels of fat, sugar, and sodium than their unprocessed equivalents.In addition to added calories, sugar, and salt, convenience goods also contain chemical additives, such as mold inhibitors or preservatives designed to grant them prolonged shelf-lives. -
Step 3: filling snacks in your car
-
Step 4: pocket
-
Step 5: or purse.
-
Step 6: Take a thermos to work.
-
Step 7: Chop your own fruits and vegetables for meals and snacks.
-
Step 8: Keep track of the cost of your convenience buys.
-
Step 9: Portion your bulk items rather than paying for individually sized packaging.
-
Step 10: Review the health-related costs of convenience foods.
Detailed Guide
Perhaps the costliest convenience purchase is also the easiest one to avoid making.
Rather than facing the steep markups for bottled water, carry around your own reusable water bottle and refill it as you go about your day.
Not only will you be kinder to your wallet, but you’ll also help diminish the billions of pounds of plastic bottle waste that accumulates in landfills every year.To stay motivated and remember your reusable bottle day after day, try keeping a 'proceeds jar' where you deposit the money each day that you would otherwise have spent on disposable water.
While vending machines and other on-the-go snack options offer you a simple, quick way to get your snack fix, they charge you a hefty price for the convenience.
Most of the constituent items cost at least twice as much as they do at the supermarket, and that’s not even considering the invariably skimpy nutrition and empty calories of these options.Instead of resorting to these money-gobbling machines when you feel a hunger pang, keep a little baggie of nutritious, filling nuts, seeds, or dried fruit in your bag or car. , Stopping for coffee can become a morning ritual as standard as brushing your teeth or eating breakfast, but keep in mind that this daily convenience costs you dearly.
While making your own coffee costs about half a dollar or euro, getting it to-go at a café or convenience store can cost you four or five times as much.While single-use coffee pods like Keurig pods are more cost-efficient than to-go coffee, they’re twice as expensive as regular beans or instant coffee. , It can be argued that the preparation and expertise costs of deli salads, hot dinners, and baked goods are worthwhile expenditures—after all, if you’re not a good baker or cook, you’re paying for something you couldn’t produce yourself.
Paying two to three times over for a shop employee to wash, cut, or peel your fruits and veggies, though, is downright defenseless if you’re looking to cut convenience purchase spending.For example, a package of chopped pineapple will cost you about double what the equivalent of uncut pineapple will, while a package of pre-washed, chopped kale costs five to six times as much as the untreated variety!, Stores continue to charge extra and produce convenience goods because people continue to purchase them.
People continue to purchase them because, among other things, they don’t realize how much more these goods cost in the long run.
You can show yourself the light by writing down every bottle of water, packaged snack, and on-the-go coffee and totaling them up at the end up of the month.In the same way, measure how much time it takes for you to wash and chop veggies so that you can keep track of how much time you’re really saving yourself when you crumple to convenience. , Even if you’re buying snacks or beverages in bulk, you could be paying a premium for the packaging.
Rather than buying a bulk case of individually packaged bags of chips, bottles of water, or cans of soda, divide large, unpackaged volumes into daily portions.
Buy big jugs of water, family size bags of chips and nuts, and two-liter bottles of soda, then portion them out in household baggies or bottles.Single-serving yogurts, puddings, chips, and dry cereals are some of the worst packaging offenders, as they use thick plastic, bags and boxes which need to be separated for recycling, or multiple layers of aluminum foil., If you still need another reason and incentive to trim your convenience purchase spending, consider the unhealthy contents of these items.
After all, the vast majority of convenience goods are processed in some way or another, meaning that they tend to contain higher levels of fat, sugar, and sodium than their unprocessed equivalents.In addition to added calories, sugar, and salt, convenience goods also contain chemical additives, such as mold inhibitors or preservatives designed to grant them prolonged shelf-lives.
About the Author
Christopher Barnes
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in DIY projects and beyond.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: