One year in the summer I said I would pay my 2 kids $100 each , not to play baseball, go to summer camps. My kids thought that they were rich. $200 was a drop in the bucket for what I would have spent. We went to parks that summer, visited museums, visited relatives, swam in lake that was in our subdivision, we went on walks. My grownup kids said that was their best summer.

1. Subscription Boxes 2. Extravagant kids birthday parties 3. Valentines Gifts 4. Trendy Tennis Shoes 5. Apps I Don't Use 6. Name-Brand Kitchen Basics. 7. Multiple Kids Sports, Camps & Extracurricular

Amen to all of these. My husband and I have been married 28 years and stopped buying extra gifts for the smaller holidays like Valentine's Day years ago. We would rather go for a hike, go for a drive, or something less stressful than trying to pick out a gift because the marketing people say we should. I sometimes buy myself a box of chocolate just because I love chocolate but it's usually half-price after the holiday. I never had a "friend " birthday party as a kid because I had 5 siblings and as a missionary kid, we lived on a VERY low budget. I DO remember all the wonderful, homemade animal-shapedl cakes my mom made. I do not feel deprived at all.

For the kids activities/sports: we implemented chores years ago, we paid for their needs, they paid for their wants. On larger ticket items like sports and extracurriculars, we match them on the costs. It’s a win! Sometimes we find they only want something when someone else is paying! There are so many benefits to paying for chores and letting them pay for their wants!

This year I'm pretty much ignoring everything. Started my babysteps back in September and already paid down 20% of my over all debt. Throwing 80% or my tax return at my debt also. 20% is going to small repairs that are needed around the house.

Your suggestions make a lot of sense! So much marketing geared to separate us from our hard earned money. We appreciate your help to make us aware! ❤

You nailed it about Valentine's Day! My husband actually has a commitment that night, and I'm glad! We can celebrate with a simple but nice dinner at home on another night. I will make sugar cookies for him and my grown son and his wife.

My husband and I have one subscription. Netflix. And we watch free KZfaq. No cable TV either.

Love this, Rachel! Simplifying helps us enjoy the little things more.

My husband and I are about to retire, and it's January, so I've been pouring over finances and what we spend money on. I've been keeping every receipt for every single item I've bought, and I looked closely at my checking account and credit card statements and found several items that are on going subscriptions that I didn't realize I had. Got rid of those - about $50 per month. I'm going to go more with the store brands this year, also. There's a couple of items I know I can't, but most are the same. Thanks for the ideas. I'm going to make a list up over the next couple of days.

I love keeping my phone streamlined. About a year ago, I deleted social media apps (still have on my iPad), and have been working through all the phone apps too. So nice to have my phone uncluttered, and giving my energy and attention to loved ones ❤ instead

My hubby and I rarely celebrate Valentine's day. We go on regular cost effective date nights, and spend time together regularly so when Valentine's day comes we're just like...🤷🏽‍♀️. Plus it's hard to even get a table at a restaurant. We also did big birthday parties for our kids on milestone birthdays, like 5, 10, 13... etc... every other year we just did a small family gathering at home, with a cake and the cousins.

I don’t have kids so I can’t say anything about the parties and the kid activities but for all the other things like tennis shoes, Valentine’s Day, paid apps, subscription boxes I 100% agree on. I went though my 2022 budget and said that in 2023 I wasn’t going to be wasting my money on stuff I may use but end up in the trash when I declutter. In 2022 I tossed out bags of “beauty subscription sample boxes” subscription boxes are a great idea but nah it’s more junk IMO. Love Rachel’s no buy list!

You have valid points on everything!! Thank you for the inspiration!!

This is a great exercise for everyone to undertake. As you said, the list will be different for everyone, but examining where your money goes and making informed decisions is good for everyone. Can't say that I can cut any of these things because they aren't things I do. As a very frugal person, it's more challenging to find things not to do or to substitute, but there is always room for improvement. We didn't think we could make do with one car until a car was totaled in an ice storm. Almost a year later, we're making do thanks to public transit and careful planning. Can't say I like getting up before 4 a.m. some mornings to make it work when it's too early for public transit to get us to work on time for early shifts, but it has caused me to go to bed earlier. There's always a bright side if you're willing to look for it.

Good stuff! We stopped doing big birthday parties long ago. We plan two of our yearly trips around our kids' birthdays, and we celebrate then. I totally agree on the subscription boxes. I've tried the meal kits, but they just haven't been worth it. And YES!!Buying generic has saved us a HUGE chunk of our grocery spending!! We live a pretty basic life all-around, but that allows us to do occasional fun spurges. For example, for Valentine's Day we are going to have some iconic food shipped--either Philly Cheesesteaks from the original or a package from Katz Deli (When Harry Met Sally.) A lot cheaper than a road trip!! 😃

This is a great list! For me, I'm not buying any new clothes for myself (for the kids, only as needed), no take out food or coffee, canceled some subscriptions we had and like you, not spending on extra kids activities.

You are awesome Rachel!! I love all your money saving tips ❤ thank you!

I was friends with the owner of a steakhouse and helped him out one year for Mother's Day. I will never do that again and every year since then I refuse to eat at a restaurant within a week before or after a holiday. Everyone was stressed, frantic and exhausted. Now for holidays such as Valentines Day, my husband and I add a little extra money to the date night budget and go somewhere we normally don't during that month and take advantage of the seasonal candy options to enjoy together. Holidays are more of a reminder for us to splurge a little on ourselves from time to time.

Great video Rachel! Totally agree with you! My kids are married now but when they were young we never had big kids parties. We had family parties and they invited a few friends to our house. They always had fun. We couldn’t justify spending $400 on a kids party. My kids went to plenty of their friends parties and I knew many of the parents couldn’t afford it. I have no regrets!

I follow these as well. I also started having a weekly menu for dinner and that has helped with the grocery bill. Love your show! 😊

My 3 year old birthday party back in the early 70's was me, mom, dad and a Pepperidge Farm coconut cake. I was all smiles blowing out the candles.

Inspiring. I need a list. Agree birthdays have gotten ridiculous. Put that money in a college fun ! Lol

Rachel these are actually really great and impactful points! All 7 of them.

I feel you, Rachel! We stopped doing parties when my son was 3! We go to the beach for our family vacation instead. 🏝💦 My New Year's resolution is actually not to attend any random birthday parties either!

Love this! I am now going to make my own list. 👌

Rachel, I LOVE this! Thank you for being real and honest and practical. So refreshing! I'm 68 and our kids are grown. I've always believed that all children need to thrive is knowing they are a contributing member of your family's functioning, knowing they are unconditionally loved, and spending quality time with them. I have to say this approach paid off handsomely. Our children have made us very proud :) You are so wise to "vaccinate" your children from the REAL pandemic of feeling entitled!! They will thank you, I promise!! Good job!

Trying store brands can be a good option. Eventually, you start to figure out which store brand items you can tolerate and which name brand groceries you still prefer. Store brands are often tolerable, but the packaging can be hit or miss.

Rachel, thanks for all the great ideas. We are very similar in our thinking. We have 3 kiddos as well and we let our kids be involved in 1 extracurricular activity at a time plus church. That was plenty! Even with 1 activity for each kid we found ourselves out of the house every night of the week. Also, we have never done subscription boxes. I just can't bring myself to spend the money on them. I meal plan, grocery shop deals, and cook from scratch every night of the week to try to save money where we can.

One thing that doesn't come in "generic" where I live is extra sharp white cheddar. I only buy it a couple times per year, bit it really hits the spot for me.

100% agree. I fell into the rabbit hole of all these things. I have 3 kids also. We’ve notoriously thrown big birthday parties for my first two kids. Actually we are throwing a big one for my soon-to-be 5 year old this Sat 😂 but my husband and I know that this is the last time we’re gonna do this. Mindset change, and you know what? The kids won’t mind.

Great question. What are 7 things I won't be spending money on this year? 1 new clothes ( I had just bought an all new wardrobe for work when covid started and was sent to work from home full time. I then bought a new wardrobe for home. I'm just now going back to the office 1 day a week. No new clothes needed). So I will only replace things that are ruined or in need of replacing. 2. New shoes. See answer above. 3. New purse. I only need 1 and I have 3 that was gifted. 4. New books. Unless it is part of a series I already collect, I can borrow from the library or a friend. I will also make exceptions when using a gift card as I was given 3 gift cards for book stores. 5. New furniture. I have no space and don't need anything. 6. Home decor. I'm already trying to purge most of what I have. I don't need more. 7. Gifts just for the sake of giving a gift. My nephews and niece have all reached the age where they prefer cash or gift cards so they can choose what they want. While I nay enjoy choosing things to give them I need to remember that my taste not reflect theirs. 6.

I set a age limit on birthday parties for my children at 10. I felt like the worse mom ever but then all their classmates moms followed my idea. I had so many other moms tell me thanks. That was 20 years ago and I never regretted it for a minute. I always send my mom a card on my birthday .

Great Job. Thank you for sharing!!!!

My family has really dialed back our spending over the last couple years but If my kids want to try sports or other extra curricular activities and I can see that they have some fulfillment from the activity, I'm not about to shut that down for them. That being said, we do limit the hats they want to try on at a time because there are only so many hours in a day and everyone needs some downtime.

Good for you Rachel!! We are with ya!!

That was great advice, Rachel. We all have way too much stuff and shopping less is always best. The more often we shop, the more we buy. Our kids are grown, and we did the youth sports stuff 40 years ago, but never to the extreme. My goal this year is to own only 7 of all clothing items and shoes. Who needs more? Thanks.

My "fix" for the big holiday dinners out with my spouse was to go the day AFTER the event. No big crowds to fight and a pleasant evening out.

Great list! I think eating out much less and eating much less junk food are good too for your wallet along with your health.

Regarding name brands, at least try the store brands. Some store brands, in my opinion, are better than name brands. Many are the same. But some are a waste of money. Rachael, I love you. You are a woman after my own heart. I know we need to share special days with each other but we've let the world tell us that can only happen if we spend lots of money. Spend the money on things you really want and will appreciate. Don't buy me something expensive for my birthday, valentines day, or Christmas, etc unless I said I would love to have that. And its OK not to give me anything at all if you are behind financially. I'd rather see you get ahead financially than to get anything from you (a friend, relative, etc)

Good for you!!! I think those tips were great!!

I am SO with you on Valentine's Day! We don't celebrate it (on the "consumerism industry" set date). We celebrate each other every day with loving gestures and time together. Sure we can afford dinner out, flowers, etc. but a SPECIFIC DATE on calendar? (Like gifts on Christmas) it seems so forced and to consumer driven. we stopped "Valentines Day" a long time ago.

I am down with all of these, except for 2...We do a decent birthday party ($200 or less), but do not do presents or toys all year around (& a $120 christmas budget for each child), so it kind of evens out. Also, we do Hello Fresh because it's kind of a fun date thing for myself & husband while our boys play & we do spend less when we have the meals set & only buy fruits, veggies, or snacks for the house. Love you Rachel though & love these lists!

I've been scoping out all the flowers at my local grocery store the "valentines day plants" also. Can't wait until Feb 15, the day after Valentines. Whoo Hoo! Time to buy some great candy and flowers on discount!

I'm glad you mentioned subscription boxes! They are so trendy but so wasteful, at least for my family.

I do almost all this already! I totally agree!!!!❤

I learned how to do my own nails because I love to get them done but it’s so much money and I’ve found doing it myself is very therapeutic.

I’m with you on pretty much all of these. Just cancelled my prime music subscription 😊

Great list! Helps me think about how I can save more in my life too!

We've done all these things most of our married lives and have never regretted any of it. We celebrate the 8th birthday with a party and the rest we do a date with mom and dad (budgeted of course) and they really look forward to it 😊

Love these ideas. I agree 100%

You’re beautiful, Rachel! You’ve taught me so much.. I’m so grateful for you!!❤️ love you, Jw

It's a variation of leading by example; explaining what you do without implying telling others what to do.

So right on! Goals goals goals! $$$

Agreed on all of these. Good list.

Smart video! Yes we buy ice cream at the grocery store take it home to eat, add our own toppings! We have just cake and play a game for birthdays. No valentines. I do not buy any apps. Generic brands are good. Have a balance with extra activities for kids they will be happier!

Growing up in our family, we occasionally had birthday parties. It wasn't something expected. And they weren't extravagant. Decorations were probably minimal. We had it at our house. I think that was normal, at least for our family and friends, in the late 80's and 90's. Now, most years, my young nieces and nephews will mostly get cake and ice cream usually at my parents' house with some of their aunts, uncles, and cousins their age with an occasional big one. Even their big ones don't have clowns and expensive entertainment. My siblings do a little more than we got, but they still don't go crazy.

Great!! I agree!!

I am with you all the way. Never subscribed to monthly subscription boxes (I always thought is was useless). My kids are grown so I’m cleared there. I’ve always been frugal when it came to clothes & shoes. Although I love to dress nice, I’m just not spending my money on over priced designer brands. But, yes your list hit the mark.

I agree with this list! I pretty much adhere to this list myself. I've never had any type of subscriptions. I just don't see how people save money with any of these

I work from home and haven't bought a lot of clothes since the start of pandemic. Bought one banana republic jeans to replace the one I wore day in day out. Bought two lacoste polo tshirts on thanksgiving sale in 2021. Bought 5 boxers for thanksgiving 2022. That about sums up the money I spent on clothes since March 2020.

The time spent on kid activities is real. My church added a 6pm Sunday mass per request from the families who have kids in sports (especially hockey). 6:30 and 7am Sunday practice is common

Thank you for giving me permission not to send my kids to all the summer camps... The costs are out of control! We're going to stay home and enjoy our pool! That's why we bought it ;) Appreciate this list you put together.

I buy for my guy and my children and my grand daughter - cards for special occasions like birthday, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas. The other friends and relatives get a phone call! ❤

The only thing in this list that I would do is the Valentines candy. I like getting candy for cheap after the holiday. As far as brands I would go all generic except for mayonnaise. My kids like the name snacks which we don't usually buy often.

And for movie and Tv show subscription you can get only one subscription per month and rotates one per month. This month you get Netflix, next month only HBO max , and next month Hulu by doing this you can only spend about 15$ only on movie subscription and enjoy all the shows on every app.

Cutting back on streaming services. One or two is enough - paying $5-$17/month for 10 of them doesn't make sense.

Great video. Keep up the great work.

I’m making my husband his favorite dinner, his favorite treat and a playlist on Spotify. The only thing that costs more than our budgeted dinner, is $8 for the treat ingredients. You can love on your person without breaking the budget :)

Just a note-be sure the generic is ACTUALLY cheaper!! I’ve bought generic for years, but sometimes I’ve glanced at the name brand and it’s been cheaper, maybe only by pennies, but cheaper is cheaper 😁

Great tips!

I’m going to try buying grocery brands as much as possible this year. We also do not have a family vacation planned this year.

You really don't need and an extravagant party. We always had simple birthday parties growing up, and I remember them fondly. My mom spent a lot on the presents, and, honestly, I barley have any memories of what I got. the memories i hang onto are being with my family.

My kid's favorite birthday party was at the park... with water balloons. We told all the parents ahead so they could wear old clothes. No expense and only clean up was at the park.

Yhey😍 Thanks for sharing great tips 😍 lots of love from arctic Norrway at -20,7 a clear sky and a full moon 🙌🌼🌺🏵🌻🌹

Kids don't care about an extravagant birthday party; they just want to play with their friends. It always made other parents frustrated that my kids' parties were "so fun" We bought balloons, plates and cups at the dollar store and they mostly just played and had pizza, cake, and ice cream. As they've gotten older, we've told them the budget for the birthday and let them choose to have gifts from us or an experience with their friends (# of guests dependant on cost of activity)

The sports/extracurricular activities don’t have to be out of control. My kids have always only been allowed 1 thing each. They got to choose what was the thing for this season. My kids are now 17,16 & 11. It actually gave them time to play, do homework, spend time as a family and go to sleep at a reasonable time each night.

1. Subscription boxes 2. Extravagant Kid BD party 3. Valentines gifts 4. Trendy Tennis Shoes 5. Apps I don't use 6. Name brand grocery items 7. Multiple kids events

Wow! What a luxurious life you live! I’ve been living without these seven things my entire life and guess what? Life is still good. I am not saving money by doing this, I just don’t have the income to spend in the first place. Good for you for saving your money. Less is more and your wallet and kids will thank you!😊

Amen to no Valentine's gifts!!! Every year my husband gets me and the kids chocolates. #1 - I don't want to eat that stuff and #2, so far both my daughter and I have tried and thrown away half of what's in the box! Nearly $60 worth of chocolates in the trash. Every year I say, "please don't buy us chocolate..." Flowers at Sam's are $17 (and I don't need them on 2/14).

I agree with you on everything!

One thing I could not do is only buy store brand foods. Some product do not even compare to the brand name. I watch for sales.

I have not bought any of the things you mentioned in a long time and in addition to that I am going to try my best to not purchase any new clothes this year! In January The only things I have done are a haircut and $4 hairspray

Great list! I do not do any other these things either. I need to stop going to gas station every morning for a drink. I know it is only $1.30 a day but that is $40 a month!!

I would buy Karft single cheese slices but they were almost 2X's the cost of Aldi brand cheese slices....bonus...We like them better because we feel that Kraft's slices are a bit gritty feeling .

Kids’ gear for extra curriculars can get expensive!

Can you do a video on all things girly, like nails, hair, and aging ie fillers, botox, etc ? The price of vanity if you will

Agreed on every point.

Gift is generally overrated and marketing ploy. Time is the best gift. Spending time with kids, loved ones, parents, friends is way better than gifting. People who matter that live far away, writing a card or a letter from time to time is very touching.

My maiden name is Valentine and I agree with you!! Even I don’t do a big deal!!! We do go out for supper sometime close to the day but I will have a coupon!!!

the no name brand grocery thing should only be for certain things. Cause some store brand products will mess with your health later down the line. I always go shopping for NonGMO and organic porducts as much as possible cause it will improve your health from what I experience. Plus if you have certain grocery credit cards like the Amazon card, you can get 5% back on groceries, or if you have the AMEX blue cash preferred you can get back 3% back on ANY grocery store, saving me around $250 per year, which isn't a lot but that money goes into a high yield savings account or in the stock market.

Challenge accepted! Gym, facials, dog training classes, Valentine gifts. Aim to reduce what I spend on books (why do I not go to the library?) and on renting films to watch instead of watching another option freely available.

You go! I'll delete an app. I'm keeping YNAB (You need a budget) because it's following your advice and changing my life. Others might not need it (or something similar). Yay for a simple Valentines! My husband of 27 years and I always do a simple Valentines and we have a very strong marriage. Don't fall for all the marketing! I've watched some of your videos through Minimal Mom (also changing my life) - and had no idea until today you are the daughter of J. Ramsey. You stand on your own :). That said I did enjoy your recent interview with. him and shared it with my husband.

Just cancelled my Ipsy and Headway subsriptions, I enjoyed having them but they had to go!

I already do all these things!!! 😂 the only thing I do spend money on is shoes… but that’s because I messed up my foot and have to wear orthopedic shoes now. I get two pair a year, I wear them every day and once I get the new pair the old ones become my mowing shoes…. Until I switch them again.

We didn't give our son birthday parties. We gave him a choice of a day trip and he invited a friend and he had a blast. Wait, we did give him 2 birthday parties 🥳 one in preschool and one in 1st grade because it was by his request. Afterward went back to a day trip with one friend. We saved a lot of money.

I don't buy grocery products because they are "Name Brands". I buy a TON of store brands. But I'll also buy $30.00 a pound speciality cheese. Or a couple of prime steaks. Because it's a treat and worth it to me. If I buy any processed foods I read labels, and pay attention to ingredients. You ARE what you eat, and what you put in your body matters. Many times what's cheap is simply unhealthy. I have NEVER paid for an app, and I use all of the subscription services that I have, so no changes there for me. Also no kids, so most of your changes don't apply to my life but I agree with the vast majority. 🙂

Okay completely agree about the kids activities. As a mum of three it's extremely stressful running from one activity to another and if I'm stressed the kids feel that. Anyway should we not be teaching our kids that it's okay to be still from time to time

I mostly agree with you on paid apps -- but there are a few exceptions for one-time cost on apps that have been worth their cost. One I even bought twice (so each of my kids can have it on their phone) -- it is a metronome/tuner they use for practicing for band. Their band director recommended it. Years ago I bought Calengoo and I *LOVE* it so much more for google calendar than the google app. I'm glad it was a one time cost because I have used it for SO many years if they started charging periodically I'd really have to decide if it was worth it or not -- and I might just decide to keep it. AS it is, that has been a VERY cost effective decision. I also spent the $3 for Star Walk 2 because it makes it so much more enjoyable to go out after dark and try to identify the stars in the sky. I think I originally got it because of a close call conjunction but I have found that it gets me outside with my kids at night more often, as well as coming out when we go camping.

How's the best way to determine these things if the year period is overwhelming?