5 Things I Can Do Without (2026)

Saving money on things can without does not have to be complicated. We rounded up the essentials so you can spend less and skip the guesswork.

Key Takeaways

• SharePinTweetShare0 SharesWe have all got things in our lives that we are paying good money for, but we don’t need.
• Things that we used at one time, but no longer get any real benefit from.
• These things have a way of taking over our lives, draining our bank accounts and creating stress.

SharePinTweetShare0 Shares

We have all got things in our lives that we are paying good money for, but we don’t need. Things that we used at one time, but no longer get any real benefit from. These things have a way of taking over our lives, draining our bank accounts and creating stress.

So here is my list of 5 things that I can do without this year (or at least will try to do without):

Quick Navigation

Toggle

• 5 Things I Can Do Without
• Gym Membership
• Expensive Gadgets
• Video Games (and accessories)
• Fast Food
• DVDs

5 Things I Can Do Without

Here are five things that I can do without - because of their ability to drain my bank account.

Gym Membership

My wife and I have belonged to a lifetime fitness for some time. The club is beautiful, state of the art, and a huge drain on our finances. While we do enjoy being able to go there and use their pool in the summer or all of the equipment in the winter, it just isn’t an expense that we need to have. We have a nice home gym with weights and a treadmill, and that is really all we need. So we’re cancelling all gym memberships.

Expensive Gadgets

I am a self-confessed technophile - I love gadgets. It doesn’t matter if its the latest MP3 player, or a hot new DSLR Camera. I love ALL the new gadgets, and I want them all. Of course buying all the new gadgets can be a strain on the old budget. So this year, I’m going to be limiting my budget for new electronic gadgets - as painful as that may be. No new HDTVs or MP3 Players this year!

Video Games (and accessories)

Last year I bought my first new game system in 6 years - an Xbox 360. While I bought the system with money I got from selling other gadgets that I owned, (an old Sega Dreamcast gaming system and a DVD Recorder), I didn’t realize how expensive a video game habit could be! Not only do you need to purchase the system, but then you need to purchase games, controllers, memory cards, batteries, battery chargers, more games, headsets and more games! Did I mention games? Not only is the video gaming habit expensive, but it can be a drain on your personal life as well when you get sucked into that video game for 6 hours straight. So I am going to try and limit my video gaming time this year, as well as only buying one or two of the new games that I want.

Fast Food

My wife and I are both afraid of a kitchen - or so it might seem to an outsider. We eat out probably 5-10 times a week, and those charges add up. It doesn’t seem like much - but 5 dollars for lunch here and $25 for dinner there adds up to hundreds/thousands of dollars over the year. This year I am going to be trying to bring my lunch to work more frequently, and learning to cook (shudder).

DVDs

My wife and I love watching movies. One of our favorite things to do is to go and get a couple of movies and have movie night. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, except that we also tend to purchase a lot of movies that we enjoy. We have probably over 200 movies stacked up next to our entertainment center, and I’ll bet we’ve only watched about 1/2 of them. So why do we purchase them? I’m not sure. I think renting the DVDs is a much better use of our money. Not only is it cheaper, but since we discovered renting from the Redbox at Mcdonald’s - its free! Check out my post on the subject.

Even better if you’re paying for cable TV, there are ways to forgo that and pay less for your video entertainment options.

Conclusion

So those are some of the things that I’ll be doing without this year. Its not an exhaustive list, but its a start. If we can do without those things I know we’ll save hundreds if not thousands of dollars this year.

So what are your five things that you can do without? Post below in the comments or leave a link to your own post!

Related Posts

• Ways To Watch TV Without Paying An Arm And A Leg For Cable Or Satellite

  Watching Television doesn't have to be expensive, and you don't have to pay for Cable TV. Here's how to watch TV for free when you…

• 5 Ways To Give To The Homeless Without Giving Cash

  There are plenty of low cost ways that you can give and make a difference in the recipient’s life as well as your own life.…

• Cutting The Cord And Getting Your TV On The Affordable (Without Using The Big Bad Cable And Satellite Companies)

  Cable and satellite TV bills continue to rise. It's time to cut the cord, and find cheaper video content options. Here's how we do it.

SharePinTweetShare0 Shares

Final Thoughts

Before you check out, double-check things can without against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.

Originally published at biblemoneymatters.com.