18 Dumb Items You Spend Way Too Much On (4 of 4)

Greeting Cards

On the note of gifts, cards are also something people spend too much on. In this case, greeting cards. A lot of people buy these things, but often people will pay for $5 or $8 cards just so the cards have fancier text and more intricate designs.

The reality is that you’re paying for literally a piece of paper with a little bit of text. Yes, the design looks nice, but these are going to be brief experiences for people.

Pair that up with a lack of competition – since two companies are in control of 90 percent of the gift card market – and we see those hiked up prices that people will buy into.

We don’t know about you, but we don’t think it’s all that worth it paying higher and getting the exact same experience.

Lunch

Of course we need food in our bodies, but people often push this to the limits by eating out all the time. Sure dining out is good once or twice a week, but the bills can start piling up if you make too much of a habit of it.

You’re better off making your own lunches.

Groceries

But making your own lunches does have a few snags as well. Just because you’re brown-bagging, it doesn’t mean you’re not at risk of overspending. With more food being pushed as organic or speciality, we can find ourselves paying extra for those things that we don’t always need.

Sure, organic fruits and vegetables are nice, but you can find yourself paying way more for these and not feeling much of a difference. Instead, stick with what you are used to. Take advantage of the sales where you can, but still read into them. Many stores have deals like “buy 2 for $4” when you know they originally charge $2 per item anyway.

The key is to pay attention.