Most convenience appliences - Avoid buying any pseudo waffle-iron gadgets that have two iron plates you press together to make evenly formed quesadillas, grilled sandwich “triangles”, or perfectly grill-marked paninis.  Even actual waffle irons are a stretch when you can just make pancakes.  These gadgets are an unnecessary expense and a pain to clean.  Use your frying pan.  You don’t have to add tons of butter or oil, just enough to avoid sticking.  You will get over the absence of grill marks.  For better-looking quesadillas, use medium to low heat and place the flat bottom of your clean teapot on top of the quesadilla as it cooks.  The bit of extra weight will help the cheese melt and tortillas brown evenly.

**Note on blenders:  It is my opinion that if you have a blender, you DON’T need the Magic Bullet or any knockoff.  You MIGHT still be able to justify a food processor OR chopping device, especially if you can things in quantity or make your own salsa. (both great way to save $ when ingredients are purchased in season and on sale!)

More Plastic Containers for Food Storage – If you ever buy things in tubs, like butter, cool whip, peanut butter, mayonnaise, etc.  these containers are easily washed and re-used to hold leftovers.  Yes, your containers will be all different sizes and the lids aren’t interchangeable but they are free.  Get over it.

Packaged meat marinades – why overpay when it is so easy to make your own? You really just need three ingredients:  Some sort of acid, like vinegar, wine or citrus juice to tenderize, some combination of spices, and some oil to hold it all together.  I’ve been using Orange Juice, Soy Sauce, Ginger and Olive oil to marinate chicken before I grill and guests keep asking for the recipe.  Another benefit to making your own marinade is how much easier it is to control the amount of salt, sugar or preservatives/coloring going into your food.  You created the deliciousness, so you won’t spend time trying to decipher those mysterious five-syllable mystery ingredients from the paragraph of additives on the marinade label.

Soft drinks – If the empty calories, sugar and caffine weren’t enough to make you give them up, their unnecessary cost should be.  Purchased in a 12-pack, you’ll spend about thirty cents a can.   On another health note, some studies have shown the phosphoric acid in colas harms bone density.  Drink homemade iced tea or water instead.  Flavor them using the same economy-sized bottle of lemon juice you keep on hand for your marinades.

Any produce that isn’t in season – I hinted at this earlier.  We all know a balanced, varied diet is better for our health.  A great way to change things up is to buy what’s in season and ON SALE and find ways to cook with that.  The most immediate four months are below and you can find the complete list at About.com.

• March – pineapples, mangoes, broccoli, lettuce
• April – pineapples, mangoes, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce
• May – cherries, pineapples, apricots, okra, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce
• June – watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots, corn, lettuce

More Clothes - If you can go to work for two weeks and only have to wash socks, underwear and workout clothes, you’re doing just fine.  All you really need for weekends is a couple pairs of jeans, half a dozen shirts, some sweats and a hoodie.

Tip:  Know when to use the gentle cycle when laundering the nice clothes you do have.  Whenever you can, hang to dry; Europeans rarely use dryers because they wear out the clothing fibers much faster.  Enjoy the money you save as your clothes last twice as long.

Another pair of shoes – Unless one of your current pairs is visibly falling apart, you should think carefully before buying more.  4 pairs: Athletic hoes, Casual (wear with Jeans) shoes, Sandals,  and Dress Shoes is about all most guys need.  Women may need 2-3 more pairs but in general both sexes need to take it easy.  Clean your shoes often and stick with neutral colors for work or casual: black, brown, tan . . . you get the idea.

A Haircut Every 4-6 weeks- Sure, there are people with unruly hair that seems to grow twice as fast as what’s considered normal but here is the savings for the rest of us:  54 weeks in a year can mean 11 haircuts, 1 every 5 weeks or 6 haircuts, one every 8 weeks.  Paying $20 each trip, you’ll save $100; paying $80 each time (middle of the road price for a woman’s cut and color) you’ll save $400.

An Expensive Gym Membership - Take up biking or running and do it in the early morning or at night, when younger, needier kids are asleep.  Play basketball or hike on the weekends.  Find free weights on Craigslist and pay once for a lifetime of use.

Different types of more expensive “soap” - Find a mild bar soap for sensitive skin and wash both your face and body with it.  If your hair is long enough to need shampoo and conditioner, at least TRY a brand that’s less than 5 bucks a bottle before you buy what the person who is making money cutting your hair is telling you to buy.