Waste Not. Want Not.

Earlier this week, my husband forwarded me an article entitled, “14 Things You Should Stop Buying After Turning 60.”

Here’s the list:

·       Gym Equipment

·       Trendy Tech Accessories

·       Lottery Tickets

·       High Interest Credit Card Debt

·       Bulk Groceries

·       High End Designer Items

·       Processed Snacks

·       Decorative Pillows

·       Extended Warranties

·       Trendy Beauty Products

·       Excessive Home Décor

·       Fast Fashion

·       Overpriced Coffee or Daily Takeaways

·       Anything with Excessive Corn Syrup or Additives

Upon Googling to find the origin of this “well-intended” piece, I instead found numerous other “helpful” articles on the subject: “21 Things You Should (Probably) Stop Buying,” “17 Things You Should Stop Buying,” “29 Things You Should Stop Buying,” “15 Purchases You Should Eliminate,” and “10 Things Retirees Should Stop Spending on NOW.”

Included on these lists were:

·       Property Maintenance Services

·       Garden Centers and Florists

·       Family Cellphone Plans

·       Luxury Cars/Multiple Vehicles

·       Peak Season Travel

·       Books

·       Collectibles or Knick Knacks

·       New Clothes and Accessories

·       Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions

·       Premium Cable

·       Fancy Kitchen Gadgets

·       Gym Memberships

·       Concert and Event Tickets

·       Professional Dry Cleaning

·       Expensive Fitness Trackers

·       Branded Cleaning Products

·       Bottled Water

·       Impulse Buys

·       Unnecessary Insurance Policies—Including Travel Insurance

·       High Risk Investments

·       Subscription Services You Don’t Use

·       Overly Large Homes

·       Trendy Diet Plans

·       Expensive Jewelry

·       Trendy Hobbies

·       High Maintenance Landscaping

As I perused these lists, I began to wonder, “Why is are they targeted to people over 60?” And, “When is buying ANY of these items (with a few exceptions) a smart thing to do? For ANYONE? At ANY age?”

Doesn’t spending one’s time and money wisely makes sense at EVERY age? What about taking care of the environment—and our own physical and mental well-being?

These are lessons that should be taught early, often, and LONG before one turns 60.

And should concerts, events, hobbies (even trendy ones), reading materials (of any kind), and premium cable be in the same category as decorative pillows, lottery tickets, or overpriced coffee? The former offer experiences that feed our minds and fill our souls; the latter (at least to me), not so much.

I get that these lists are trying to be “helpful”—and that there are may be hundreds (if not thousands) of Adults 60+ who find them so.

But part of me sees them as cringe-worthy—and #ageist—because they actually apply to people of ALL ages. Not just Adults 60+

Especially the reference to family cell phone plans. They’re in a category all their own.

Image Credit: AARP