Okay, dudes, time for a little reality. Not many of us can afford to randomly waste money and never worry about it. So, in the spirit of bros helping other bros, I’m going to dedicate this article to the most common things that we guys waste money on – and how to cut our expenses for each of them.
Electronics. We all know the stereotype about how men love to be the first to have the latest gadget. And guess what: it tends to be true. U.S. economic data shows that men spend an average of $701 per year on home electronics, compared to $536 for female consumers.
Ways to cut costs: You can start by waiting a few months to buy that new, sleeker product with yet more features, because the price will definitely come down. Remember that the newest gadget will always be at its most expensive price.
You can cut costs even further if you buy used items from auctions, classifieds, and so on.
Booze. Dudes really love this one, outspending women annually by $552 to $233.
Ways to cut costs: If you love to go bar hopping with your buds, think about getting together and knocking back a few at home first, and then migrating (responsibly!) outward, where you’ll want to drink less. Make your own cocktails at home, too: bars have huge markups on them.
Sports Events. Professional sports is big business. Although watching a national league game at the stadium is an awesome experience, it can also be a very expensive one. Season tickets, fan merchandise, hot dogs and beer… It all adds up. We grown-up fans are painfully aware of it.
Ways to cut costs: Game-watching parties are a fun way to take a break from the ticket scalpers. You can even go to a bar if you’re feeling lazy.
Also, if you’re truly into watching a game on site, don’t forget the minor leagues and lesser-known college teams.
Cars. When it comes to car shopping, we bros are the ones buying the most expensive and the least fuel-efficient sets of wheels. Usually either the high-performance sports cars or the gigantic pickups and SUVs. Dude: do you really need to be making payments on something like that if you’re only going to use it for commuting?
Ways to cut costs: First, don’t ever buy new. New cars lose a huge amount of value the second you drive them off the lot. If you’re buying, you’re much better off going with one of those “certified pre-owned” vehicles.
If you have reliable cash flow, keep in mind that leasing can be cheaper than buying, if the included service plan is a good one. If you never have to worry about unexpected repair costs, you’re way ahead of the game.
Online dating. The large, paid membership sites are big business, too: people spend more than $200 million on them each year. In addition, there are generally twice as many paying male subscribers as paying female ones.
Ways to cut costs: Free dating sites, or at least cheaper ones. Not that there’s anything wrong with the bigger sites, but there’s no special reason that you have to spend $60 per month or more. And of course, don’t forget that you likely have a lot of friends and relatives who could introduce you to potential dates.
