10 Foods to stop wasting your money on
******************** Warning this hub may make you hungry **************************
Craft Beer - Beer drinkers are increasingly looking for a better tasting craft beer every time they hit a bar or restaurant. However the old adage of the more you spend on something, then the better it is, isn't always true. This can be especially true when it comes to good old beer. Just because a six pack of craft beer cost $7.99 or more doesn't mean it's going to taste any better than a good old Miller High Life or a Budweiser beer. In many cases craft beer doesn't taste any better, and in reality you may end up forcing yourself to drink all 12 ounces of the nasty tasting swill. So just save the extra expense, and go with the known good taste in beer.
Coconut water - The popularity of coconut water today has really grown in recent years, and it can cost up to $4.00 a bottle. It's being marketed as a thirst quenching, life-enhancer that’s rich in electrolytes, however there are less expensive alternatives out there. Believe it or not a cheaper alternative to coconut water can be as simple as a banana or a medium sized potato. Both a banana and a potato have about the same amount of potassium as a 500ml bottle of coconut water.
Individual soda cans - I fully realize that some people can't go without a bubbly beverage, and if you are one of those folks then consider switching from cans to bottles. It's one thing if you are thirsty when you are out and about, and then I can fully understand buying an individual single can of soda-pop from from out of a machine. However if you are grocery shopping for home then buying Two-liter bottles of soda are often a lot cheaper than packs of cans, and is the sensible and economical way to go. A lot of times you can get real bargains at grocery stores when buying in bulk, and Two-liter bottles of soda are a great start.
Kombucha - Kombucha is an odd vinegar tasting sparkling beverage that is made of fermented black tea and sugar. Until recently I never really heard of Kombucha, and the sound of the nasty taste alone is a big turn off. It sounds like it taste and smells worse than Omega 3 fish oil pills. Talk about stinking, cats even turn their nose up and away from those smelly pills. Kombucha boost that it's a healthy alternative to soda, however these health benefits have been highly debated. It doesn’t come cheap either with a 16oz bottle selling for around $5. I think everything considered here I'll just have a V-8.
Truffles - It takes specially trained pigs to locate these delicacies out in the wild. Truffles are fragrant mushroom-like fungi that are difficult to cultivate, and whose locations are highly guarded secrets. Truffles are priced from around $3,000 to $3,500 per pound, however there are several friendlier priced alternatives to this insane price. For instance instead of using truffles to cook with, try Morel mushrooms, dried Porcini mushrooms, Prusciutto, Durian, or even Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. You'll find all of these alternatives a whole lot more friendlier to your wallet or purse.
Pre-Made Meals - These Pre-Made Meals may be really easy to make, time saving, and a whole lot less messy, but this type of meal does cost considerable more. Pre-Made Meals like ready-made sandwiches, dinners and picnic foods are an incredibly tempting option, but they are truly a big waste of your hard earned money. In all reality Pre-Made Meals are just one step under going out to eat in a restaurant, so why not just spend a couple of more dollars, and go out and eat. This way you won't have any mess to clean up afterwards. You can also just simply choose to make your entire meal at home.
Prosciutto di Parma - Nobody is arguing that prosciutto di Parma isn’t an expensive dry cured Italian country ham, which is good for flavoring other foods that adds a different kind of taste. There's no doubt that this is a very very good, and tasty meat. However as a lunch meat with a price of $14.99 to $19.99 a pound, good old regular ham can be just as tasty with a few dabs of mustard on a sandwich at lunchtime, and a lot cheaper too.
Gourmet Honey - For various reasons the price of honey in the U.S. has been climbing rapidly in recent years. However my goodness $80.00 for a 120 gram jar of gourmet honey is beyond ridiculous. There's no justification for paying this much money for a product that you can get cheaper in a bottle that's shaped like a little teddy bear. That is unless you are good friends with the bee keeper, and if that's the case then he should give you a better deal anyway. There's not that big of a difference in the taste of honey to justify a price this high for gourmet honey, so stick with the store brands on honey.
Fancy bottled & Vitamin enriched Water - Often these fancy bottles of water are overpriced for nothing more than an attractive bottle, costing sometimes as much as $4 or more per bottle. Vitamin enriched waters may contain as much sugar as a can of soda. If you really want to save some money in this area, then why not just drink good old tap water or well water using water filters. If you have to have bottled water then try local or store brand options, where you will end up saving a whole lot in the long run. By skipping these pricey drinks, and going with a less expensive choice you'll be doing your wallet a big favor.
Specialty Cheese - People have been buying up these specialty cheeses at farmer’s markets and gourmet grocery stores across the country. These fancy cheeses are even being added to American classics like grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. But is all of this expense really necessary? You'll find that the regular grocery store brand of cheese is just as good. A lot of the grocery store brand of cheeses are made in the exact same facilities as the specialty cheese are, and a different label is used on the package of cheese. You'll also find that the grocery store brand of cheese is a lot easier on your wallet.
