{budget}fab*

avoid the vending machine

Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by janelle in penny pinchin'

If you have a daily vending machine habit and you’re looking to save some extra cash, consider purchasing the same drink or snack you always go for in the vending machine from the grocery store and bringing it with you during the day.  Many vending machine items cost $1.00 or more, while you could buy the same snack at your local market for much less.

For example, everyday during the second semester of my senior year in college I got a can of Mountain Dew from a vending machine for $1.10.  Please ignore the health choice I was making and go with me on this…  So I was paying $1.10 for a can of soda every single day for 75 days meaning I spent $82.50.  I could have gone to the grocery store and gotten a 24-pack of canned soda for $6.99.  If I drank one can a day I’d need 4 packs, meaning I would have spent only about $28.00.  That’s a savings of $54.50 - that would have been a lot of Oodles of Noodles!

Something like avoiding the vending machine and bringing your snack with you may seem small, but a few small changes can have a big financial impact.  And if part of the reason you’re heading to the vending machine is to take a break from what you’re doing, consider just walking around for a few minutes instead.

Tags: avoid vending, vending machines, ways to save