From group gifts to pre-approved credit card offers, it seems every day presents unexpected reasons to spend money. If you find yourself constantly blowing your budget or getting into debt over your head, it’s time to opt out! Here’s what you should opt out of to save money — and make your life easier, too!
Pre-approved Credit Card Offers
Few things are more annoying than junk mail. If you’re tired of receiving pre-approved credit card offers in the mail, you can opt out of receiving them. Simply visit optoutprescreen.com, enter your information, and before long, your mailbox will be free of these annoying pieces of mail for five years. You can also opt out of these offers permanently when you make the request by mail. And don’t worry — if there comes a time when you want to receive these offers again, you can opt back in using the same process. Not only will you save hassle and trees, but you’ll also save money by not impulsively accepting credit offers you don’t need.
Pre-approved Insurance Offers
Much like pre-approved credit card offers, similar offers for insurance tend to flood the mailbox after milestone life events, including certain birthdays and after you’ve had a baby. To stop receiving them, visit optoutprescreen.com and follow the same process. And the same rules apply — you can opt back in any time you’d like.
Promotional Texts and Emails
Sales! New Products! Limited time offers! The brands you love sure like to keep you in the loop. To keep your inbox clean and your bank account full, unsubscribe from promotional text messages and emails. These communications make it way too tempting and easy to impulse purchase with just a few clicks. Rather than being inundated with reasons to shop, you can seek out the latest and greatest only when you really need something.
Group Gifts
Spending $20 (or more) to go in on a group gift might seem like a minimal expense. But when it happens several times a month, often for people you don’t really know that well, it starts to add up. The next time you receive a request to go in on a group gift, think about it before you mindlessly Venmo the cash. Is this someone you were planning to buy a gift for anyway? Are they a regular part of your life? Are you participating just because you feel obligated? Stopping to ask yourself these questions will help you decide when to opt out of the group gift process.
Impulsive Activities
It feels good to be spontaneous sometimes, but that feeling of freedom turns around quickly when you realize you’ve blown your budget to do it. The next time you’re faced with an unexpected activity like a happy hour, lunch outing or shopping trip, remember that you can opt out. There is freedom in being able to say “no” to things because you’re staying focused on your goals.