9 Household Products No One Wants To Pay For Anymore

Shopping habits change fast, and what seemed normal five years ago now feels wasteful to many. People are waking up to the fact that many household staples aren’t worth the money. Here are nine products that shoppers are ditching for better options.

Paper Towels

The average family burns through two rolls of paper towels per week. That adds up to over $200 a year for something you literally throw in the trash. More people are switching to reusable cloth towels or microfiber rags that clean just as well. You can toss them in the wash and use them hundreds of times. The upfront cost pays for itself in about two months. After that, you’re just saving money every single week.

Some people keep one roll of paper towels for truly gross messes (we’re looking at you, raw chicken juice). But for everyday spills, wiping counters, and cleaning windows, cloth works better anyway. Microfiber picks up dirt and bacteria without chemicals. If you want to save money on everyday expenses, cutting out disposable paper products is a solid first step.

Kitchen Sponges

You buy a pack of sponges for $5, use each one for two weeks, then throw it away. That cycle repeats endlessly. Sponges are bacteria magnets that start smelling funky after a few days. You’re basically scrubbing your dishes with a germ farm.

Silicone scrubbers and Swedish dishcloths changed the game. Silicone scrubbers dry quickly so bacteria can’t grow. They last for months or even years. Swedish dishcloths are reusable, machine washable, and biodegradable. One cloth replaces 17 rolls of paper towels. They cost about $2 each and you can sanitize them in the dishwasher. No more buying new sponges every other week. No more gross smells. Just clean dishes without the waste and constant repurchasing.

Disposable Razors

Men and women both spend a fortune on disposable razors and cartridge refills. Those fancy five-blade cartridges can cost $4 each. If you shave regularly, you’re dropping $50 to $100 per year on razors that dull after a few uses.

Safety razors offer a better solution. The initial razor costs $30 to $40, but replacement blades run about 10 cents each. That’s $5 for a year’s worth of blades. The shave quality is actually better once you get the hang of it. Electric razors are another option if you don’t want the closest shave. Either way, you’ll stop funding the disposable razor industry’s ridiculous markup. Learning simple ways to reduce spending includes questioning why you’re paying premium prices for basic necessities.

Sandwich Bags and Plastic Wrap

These disposable food storage items drain your budget one box at a time. A box of sandwich bags costs $4 and lasts maybe a month. Plastic wrap is even worse because it never tears where you want it to. You end up wrestling with a clingy sheet that sticks to itself.

Reusable silicone bags and glass containers solve both problems. Silicone bags seal tight, go in the dishwasher, and last for years. You can freeze food in them, microwave leftovers, and even sous vide. Glass containers with snap lids work for everything else. The initial investment runs about $50 for a good set. After that, you’re done buying disposable bags and wrap. Your food stays fresh, you stop creating plastic waste, and you save money every month. When you’re working on building better money habits, ditching single-use plastics is both practical and budget-friendly.

Cable TV Subscriptions

This one isn’t a physical product, but it belongs on the list. Cable bills average $100 to $150 per month. That’s $1,200 to $1,800 per year to watch commercials and reruns. Streaming services offer better content for a fraction of the price.

You can get three or four streaming platforms for less than half what cable costs. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max combined still cost less than a basic cable package. You can watch what you want, when you want, without commercials. Sports are the only real sticking point, but even that’s changing with streaming options. Cutting cable is one of the easiest ways to free up money in your budget without giving up entertainment.

Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheets

These products make your laundry smell nice and feel soft. They also cost $10 to $15 per month and contain chemicals you don’t need. Wool dryer balls do the same job for static and softness. You buy them once for $20 and they last for years.

Fabric softener actually makes towels less absorbent over time. It coats the fibers with a waxy residue that reduces their ability to soak up water. That’s the opposite of what you want from a towel. White vinegar in the rinse cycle softens clothes naturally and costs almost nothing. Your clothes will smell fine without artificial fragrances. You’ll save $150 per year and avoid putting unnecessary chemicals on your skin.

Pre-Packaged Snacks

Those little bags of chips, cookies, and crackers are convenient. They’re also expensive per ounce and full of packaging waste. Buying snacks in bulk and portioning them yourself saves serious money.

A family-size bag of chips costs $4 and contains about 15 servings. That’s 27 cents per serving. Individual snack bags of the same chips cost $5 for a 12-pack. That’s 42 cents per serving for the exact same chips in smaller bags. You’re paying 55% more for convenience. Get some reusable containers or small bags and portion out your own snacks. This applies to crackers, cookies, pretzels, and pretty much everything.

Premium Coffee Pods

Single-serve coffee pods seemed like a great idea. Pop one in, press a button, and you’ve got coffee. The problem is they cost about 50 cents to 75 cents per cup. That’s $180 to $270 per year if you have one cup daily. Regular coffee costs about 10 cents per cup when you brew it normally.

The pods also create tons of plastic waste. Most aren’t recyclable despite what the packaging claims. A basic drip coffee maker or French press makes better coffee anyway. If you really want the convenience, get a programmable coffee maker. Set it up the night before and wake up to fresh coffee. You’ll save over $200 per year and stop contributing to landfills. That money could go toward paying off debt faster or building your emergency fund.

Air Fresheners and Candles

Walk down the air freshener aisle and you’ll see dozens of products promising to make your home smell amazing. Plugin diffusers, sprays, gels, and fancy candles all cost money and fill your air with synthetic fragrances.

Opening windows works better and it’s free. Regular cleaning eliminates odors instead of covering them up. If you genuinely want your home to smell nice, simmer some cinnamon sticks and orange peels in water on the stove. Baking soda in the fridge and garbage disposal keeps things fresh. These solutions cost pennies compared to $5 to $10 for plug-in refills every month. Most air fresheners just mask smells anyway. They don’t actually clean the air or remove odor sources.

The Bigger Picture

Cutting these nine products from your shopping list can save you over $2,000 per year. That’s not a small amount. The real benefit goes beyond money, though. You’ll reduce waste, avoid unnecessary chemicals, and simplify your life.

Start with one or two items that make sense for your situation. Maybe you ditch paper towels but keep buying coffee pods because you genuinely love them. That’s fine. The goal is making intentional choices about where your money goes. When you stop buying things out of habit, you create room in your budget for goals that actually matter to you.

This article first appeared on Cents + Purpose.