Have you ever wondered why you pay money for some items? Many items that we buy are not essential to our everyday lives and seem to be unnecessary expenses. These items enrich the companies that sell them but don’t actually do much to enhance the lives of consumers.
Here are a few expenses that cost more than the value received.
Television
If you don’t pay for television today, then you are lucky to get 5 or 6 channels at best. Cable television and satellite television have taken over the market. Not only do television channels get ad dollars from advertisers, they also get a portion of your monthly cable bill. You could easily pay $100 a month just for the right to watch a bunch of stations that you don’t even want. Cable television doesn’t even have ala carte items that let you pick and choose what you want to see. It’s probably only a matter of time before they find a way to charge everyone for the right to watch local channels.
Automobile Insurance
Automobile insurance makes absolutely no sense. States require that you have it so you must buy it to drive. You pay premiums for years into a policy that you may never use. If you never have an accident, the money is never refunded back to you. It is simply gone. If the day does occur that you ever have an accident then your insurance company will raise your rates. What was the point of paying all those premiums for so many years if your rate is going to go up when you finally use the product that you paid for?
Property Taxes
It doesn’t matter if your mortgage is paid off, you still have to pay property taxes. Property taxes are just like auto insurance. It’s mandatory. Many people have lost their homes for failure to pay property taxes. The problem with property taxes is that they are based on market values and not your purchase price. At least if they were based on your purchase price, the costs would be fixed. If you bought your home 10 or 20 years ago and it has appreciated significantly, your property taxes can be a beast. Why should someone have to pay property taxes based on the market value of their home if they have no intention of selling it?
Bottled Water
Your parents are probably shocked that people would pay money to drink water out of a bottle. You already pay money for tap water and now have an additional expense for bottled water. Bottled water is 500 times more expensive than tap water. So, it must be better for you? This has never been proven. Scientists have discovered that bottled water is no healthier for you than tap water.
Haha, I still watch TV using rabbit ears
LOL. Kevin. You are saving a ton of money!
I agree with you on the bottled water and television, but wrt the automobile insurance and property taxes, what are you smoking??
Liability insurance, (the kind required by the state), doesn’t cover *you*, it covers the person that *you* injured… mostly. I say mostly because if you’ve ever been the victim of another driver, you’ll know that you’re never reimbursed the full amount that you’ve lost in time and damages.
As for property tax, most of the time, this is where services such as fire, police, library, etc. are covered. Are you suggesting we go without these services?
No, Robert I am not suggesting that we do not need property taxes. I just wish it was based more on the purchase price and less on the appraised value.
With the advent on the internet, why do you still pay for cable TV?
I haven’t paid a dime in the last 5 years…
Mich, You make a good point. I think I got in the habit of watching television the traditional way and it’s a tough habit to break.