The last couple of years or so I’d been looking for ways to cut down on my expenses. I got rid of things that I used to think I need, but actually rarely used. It kept things simpler as well as it gave me less to think about, which is always nice. Below are some of the things I did.

Got a prepaid cellphone

I rarely make calls. It’s just nice to have a cellphone service in case of emergency. I went with TracFone initially as that was the cheapest prepaid phone I could find. I eventually switched to AT&T GoPhone after I got my unlocked Dell Streak Android tablet/phone as I found myself taking this tablet/phone with me all the time. TracFone’s SIM cards only work on their own phones.

No landline

I couldn’t find a good reason nowadays to pay extra for a landline that will rarely be used. If you need a backup phone service, you can always use Skype or Google Voice.

No cable TV

I found that I rarely watched TV. I’m usually on my computer browsing the Internet when I got home from work. I actually subscribed to Netflix for a while but eventually canceled it as I found that I didn’t really use it that much either. There’s enough TV shows that I could watch for free on Hulu. If I wanted to watch a movie, I usually go to my local library to borrow a DVD/Blu-Ray movie. I was surprised to find out that my library actually has a pretty good selection of movies.

Used my local library

Libraries are just not for books anymore. You can borrow movies, audio CDs, and even video games. You might even be able to borrow digital books for your Nook or Kindle from your library.

Bought most stuff online

If you can wait for the item to be shipped, you can usually save money when you buy things online. I buy most of my stuff from Amazon.com as they usually have free shipping and you save money on taxes. You can also usually find coupons with just a few minutes of time spent on searching. Websites like Fatwallet.com also have a list of merchants where you can get some cashback. Little things like this add up.