3 Things I Stopped Buying to Save $200 a Month

    Discover how I stopped buying three everyday items and saved $200 a month. In this friendly, easy-to-read article, I walk you through practical tips, real-life examples, and simple strategies you can start using today to boost your savings.

3 Things I Stopped Buying to Save $200 a Month

Saving money doesn’t have to mean giving up everything fun. Sometimes, it’s about spotting small habits and making tiny changes. Over the past few months, I looked at my spending and realized three things that I kept buying simply by habit—and by stopping those, I found myself $200 richer every single month.

Here’s what I stopped buying, why I stopped, and—most importantly—how you can stop them too.

1. Daily Coffee Runs

Why I Stopped

I used to buy coffee almost every morning. Not just a home-brew but a café latte or iced coffee from a trendy shop. At first, it felt like a harmless treat. But when I added it up: $5 each time × 20 work-days = $100 a month (or more). That’s half of my $200 target right there.

Practical Tips You Can Apply

• Make coffee at home or at work: Buy a decent coffee maker or brew with a French press. It takes 2–3 minutes and costs maybe $0.50-$1 per cup.

• Pack a reusable cup: Many cafés discount if you bring your own cup.

• Limit café visits to special occasions: Maybe once or twice a week only. On other days, you’re home-brewing.

• Set a “coffee budget”: Decide you’ll spend no more than $10/week on coffee trips. Everything above that goes into savings.

Real-Life Example

Here’s what I did: On Monday I made a latte at home. On Wednesday I treated myself and went to the café (but brought my own mug for the discount). On Friday I opted for plain black coffee at home and saved the extra money. Over four weeks, my café visits dropped from 20 → 4. I paid about $20 for those 4 visits (with discounts), compared to $100 before. That saved me $80 a month.

2. Impulse Online Shopping

Why I Stopped

Do you ever browse an online store "just to look"? I did. I’d add small items—fun gadgets, t-shirts, home décor—to my cart, hit “buy”, maybe regret it later. All these $10-$30 purchases piled up, and the total began to creep up. I realised I was spending about $70 a month on impulse buys that I didn’t really need.

Practical Tips You Can Apply

• Use a 24-hour rule: If you see something and want to buy, wait 24 hours. Often by then you decide you can live without it.

• Unsubscribe from shopping promo emails: Less temptation = fewer impulse buys.

• Make a “wants vs needs” list: When you’re tempted to buy, ask: “Do I really need this, or do I just want it right now?”

• Set aside a “fun shopping budget”: Say you allow yourself $20/month for little treats. Use that instead of unplanned purchases.

Real-Life Example

I found I was buying small items almost every weekend—average $17 each time × 4 weekends = $68/month. So I implemented the 24-hour rule. One weekend I saw a cute gadget for $25. I bookmarked it and waited. The next day I realised it was a fleeting want, so I skipped it. That weekend I ended up spending $5 on a small necessity instead. At the end of the month I’d spent $10 instead of $68—saving $58/month.

3. Subscription Services I Didn’t Use

Why I Stopped

Subscription fatigue is real. I had streaming subscriptions, a gym membership I barely used, a monthly snack-box, and a magazine subscription. Individually they weren’t huge—maybe $10-$20 each—but combined they added up to about $45/month. Over a year, that’s more than half a year of Netflix or a big shopping haul.

Practical Tips You Can Apply

• List all subscriptions: Every service you pay monthly or annually.

• For each service ask: “How many times do I use it a month?” If it’s fewer than, say, 2-3 times, pause or cancel.

• Check free trial auto-renewals: Often you signed up and forgot.

• Consider cheaper alternatives: Instead of a pricey gym, try a home workout or local outdoor group. Instead of multiple streaming services, keep one and rotate.

Real-Life Example

I had:

• Streaming Service A: ~$12/month, used ~4 times a month

• Streaming Service B: ~$8/month, used ~1 time a month

• Magazine subscription: ~$7/month, only read 1 issue in 6 months

• Snack box: ~$18/month, I sometimes forgot to eat them

Total: $45/month. I cancelled B, cancelled the magazine, and paused the snack box for 3 months to test if I missed it. After a month I didn’t. That saved me $35/month immediately. And if you count annual saving: $35 × 12 = $420/year.

How It All Adds Up

Here’s a quick summary of how I hit the $200 mark:

Item	Approx. Monthly Spend	Approx. Monthly Savings
Daily Coffee Runs	~$100	~$80
Impulse Online Shopping	~$70	~$58
Subscription Services	~$45	~$35
Total	~$215	~$173

To reach a full $200/month savings, I added two small tweaks:

• Replacing one take-away lunch per week with a homemade lunch from home, saving about $10/week = ~$40/month.

• Switching to a cheaper mobile phone plan, saving $10/month.

With those extras: ~$173 + ~$40 + ~$10 = ~$223/month saved.

Bonus Tips to Keep the Momentum

• Track your savings: At the end of each month, note how much you saved by these changes. Seeing the number grow motivates you.

• Redirect your savings: Put the money saved directly into a savings account or investment, so you don’t “spend” it.

• Treat yourself occasionally: Don’t feel like you have to be ultra-strict forever. Choose one Friday a month to reward yourself with a café visit or a small impulse buy—but know it’s within budget.

• Be flexible: Life changes. If one of these habits stops working, adjust. The point is conscious spending, not rigid restriction.

• Review every 3-6 months: Your priorities may change. Maybe you’ll want to upgrade some service or treat yourself more, but if you’re aware of what you’re spending you can adjust without losing control.

Why This Works

• Small changes add up: You don’t need to quit everything or live like a monk. Skipping one $5 coffee every day adds up.

• Mindset shift: Instead of “I can’t have this”, it’s “Do I really want to buy this?” That tiny pause gives you power.

• Focus on value, not deprivation: I didn’t stop coffee because I hated it. I just changed how I enjoyed it. I didn’t stop subscriptions because they’re evil—I just made sure I got value from them.

• Builds habits: Once I got used to home-brewing coffee and waiting 24 hours before buying, those became habits. They took less mental energy over time.

Potential Challenges (And How to Overcome Them)

• Temptation returns: Holidays, peer pressure, sales events. When you see "50% off", it’s easy to forget your goals. Solution: Have a “waiting list” of items. If you still want something after 24 hours, consider it.

• Feeling deprived: If you never treat yourself, you may burn out and revert to old habits. Solution: Build in small rewards. Maybe one café coffee a week.

• Hidden costs creep in: Lowering one expense may shift your spending elsewhere (e.g., you stop subscriptions but start buying more books). Solution: Keep a general budget or weekly check-in.

• Lifestyle changes: Maybe your income increases or your needs change (e.g., family grows). Solution: Revisit your spending list every few months and adapt.

Why It’s Worth It

Saving $200 a month means $2,400 a year. That could cover:

• An emergency fund buffer

• A down payment for a holiday

• Paying off a credit-card debt

• Investing for your future

Plus: the mental benefit of control. You’ll feel empowered. Not like you’re denying yourself, but like you’re making smart choices. That confidence is priceless.

Final Thoughts

Changing spending habits isn’t about perfection—it’s about awareness and making better choices. By stopping:

1. Daily café coffee runs

2. Impulse online shopping

3. Unused or barely-used subscriptions
   … I managed to save over $200 each month.
   I didn’t give up what I enjoyed; I just enjoyed smarter.

If you’re reading this and wondering where to start, pick one of the three items. Focus on it for 30 days. See how much you save, and how your mindset changes. Then move on to the next. Before you know it, small tweaks become automatic, and your savings grow.

You’ve got this.

Conclusion
    Budgeting doesn’t have to be scary or complicated. It can be as simple as rethinking everyday habits—like coffee, shopping, and subscriptions. With a bit of intention, you too can save $200 a month (or more), without feeling like you’re missing out. Start small, stay consistent, and let those savings pile up.