4 ways I wasted money last year that I'm fixing for 2023

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• After taking inventory of my finances, I noticed four areas I was overspending regularly.
• When I added up the recurring expenses, I realized it was a waste of money.
• In the coming year, I'm changing how I spend on last-minute takeout, produce, coffee, and Amazon.

At the end of every year, I spend quality time taking inventory on all my finances. I look to find things that I'm proud of, like sticking to a budget for 75% of the year, and mistakes that I want to avoid making in the future, like forgetting to contribute to my retirement fund,

This year, when I did an audit of every single credit card purchase I made, I started to notice a handful of common charges that were not only unnecessary, but added up to be a waste of my money. As I move forward into a new year, with new financial goals, here are the four types of purchases I plan to cut back on in 2023, so I can save more and spend way less.

1. Last-minute takeout

Aside from fixed expenses, like rent and utilities, I spend the most money every single month on food purchases, whether groceries or takeout. One of the biggest financial mistakes I made this year was spending more money on food than I needed to. With inflation drastically impacting the price of food, I wish I was better at meal-planning and shopping for groceries at discount stores, rather than going to the closest convenience store when I needed specific items.

But one recurring expense that I hope to avoid in 2023 is all of the last-minute takeout and delivery orders I placed every month. Instead of rushing to dine out when I'm hungry, I want to get better at setting a limit of just doing takeout once a week and eating at restaurants twice on the weekend. When I'm desperate for a quick meal, I want to stock up on more reasonably priced options that can stay in the freezer and be easily heated in minutes.

That way, I can save at least $100 a month not ordering food because I'm tired, lazy, or didn't have the time to cook a fresh meal for myself.

2. Quick buys from Amazon

During the pandemic, I got in the habit of ordering 90% of the things I needed on Amazon, from makeup to laundry detergent, instead of price-shopping at other retailers or finding discount stores locally.

Even today, rather than making a shopping list and sticking to it, I find myself thinking of an item I want or need and pressing the buy button on Amazon, without searching for cheaper alternatives or even thinking through whether or not I really need that item.

Because I've said yes to convenience shopping online, I've found myself spending way more than I need to and having a closet full of stuff I haven't used yet.

To limit myself from doing this next year, I've removed my credit card information from Amazon so I have to manually enter the number when I go to check out. This will make it harder to make fast purchases and instead will allow me to load up a cart, review every item in it at the end of the week, and decide what I can afford to buy and truly need.

3. Morning drinks at the coffee shop

In 2022, one of the most frequent charges on my credit card came from a coffee shop just two blocks away from my apartment.

It became part of my daily routine to walk there in the morning and get a $4 small hot coffee with almond milk. While I tried to justify the price of my daily drink, in the end, it added up to be more than I expected it would be, since I went there six to seven days a week.

To curb this expense, I asked my parents to give me a coffee maker for the holiday season and bought a pack of 50 coffee pods for $30. I plan to make coffee at home for the majority of the first two months of the year, giving myself a 10-day stipend to buy it at the local coffee shop. This will help me save around $200 in the first two months of the year.

4. Fresh fruit and produce

One of the biggest expenses on my weekly grocery bills were fresh fruit and produce, since I'm primarily a vegetarian. With inflation making many of these items around 5% more expensive, it impacted how much I was spending every time I went to the store.

But since I didn't do a good job meal planning at the start of the week, 25% to 30% of these items would spoil before the end of the week and have to be thrown out.

A simple fix for next year will be to buy more frozen fruit and produce, which can be cheaper and can last in the freezer for months. That way, I can save money and not waste food that goes bad or that I forget to eat by the end of the week.