Shared Reading: 10 Expenses You Don't Need

When it comes to budgeting, there are some expenses you can't avoid. A place to live and food to eat are two expenses you just can't avoid unless you're a thirty year old living in your parent's basement. There are a few expenses that you can minimize or get ride of all together.

Bank Fees

Banking fees are generally small -- a couple dollars here, a couple dollars there -- but they can add up to hundreds throughout the year if you're not careful. Don't pay money just to manage your money.

Shopping around for a bank is like shopping for anything else. Do your research and you can find the best account for you.


Pet Care

Pet-sitting is big business these days, with brand names, franchises, uniforms, logos, and even lobbyists and consultants. But if your little guys are healthy, you can save the $50-a-day boarding fee while you're on vacation by asking a responsible neighbor, friend or family member to feed, walk (if needed) and hang out for a bit with your cats and dogs -- provided you volunteer to do the same when they're away. Make sure your helper knows who your vet is, and, obviously, don't be so informal if your animals have health problems that mean you should board them with the doctor.

This one is a little tricky since you need to make sure it's someone your trust. However a good friend can really help you save money.


Water

There are times you'll pay anything for a cold bottle of premium H2O. If you're driving through the desert, riding your bicycle on a hot day or dealing with grimy yellow stuff in your pipes, price is no object. Once while on vacation in Florida, a construction crew accidentally cut the water lines to our residence. Off to Wal-Mart it was -- or we would've been unable to cook, wash or even make coffee for 12 hours. But why pay for bottled water all the time? Is it actually safer? Bottled-water makers aren't required to test their water or make their test results public. And few brands reveal important details about the source of their water and what it contains. Heck, about 25% of bottled water actually comes from the same municipal sources that deliver water to your home.

You can buy a filtration system on sale for under $10 and save hundreds of dollars over the life of the filter.


Read the full article on Yahoo's Financial Page.