FOUNDATION · VOLUME 2 OF 3 · STRATEGIESSpending shelf
Expense Reduction & Cost Auditing
A practical book on spending less without living worse. It starts with an audit of every account, then works through recurring charges, housing, insurance and utilities, the bills where one decision saves money every month, and ends with everyday habits that make the savings last.
Chapters6
Reading time40 min
Worked examples23
Updated2026-10-01
What you will be able to do
- Run a complete expense audit across every account and find the recurring charges, fees and leaks you were not aware of.
- Decide which subscriptions to keep, downgrade, rotate or cancel, and keep them from piling up again.
- Work out your true housing cost, judge whether a refinance pays by its break-even point, and negotiate a rent renewal.
- Lower insurance premiums by choosing deductibles and comparing quotes while keeping the liability and health coverage that protects you.
- Cut utility and everyday spending in ways that cost little in comfort, and move the money you free up into savings automatically.
Contents
6 CHAPTERS · ABOUT 40 MIN- 01The Complete Expense Audit How to gather every account, sort spending into fixed, variable and occasional, spot the leaks that hide in recurring charges and fees, act on the biggest items first, and keep spending from creeping back.6 min5 computed
- 02Auditing Subscriptions and Recurring Charges Why subscriptions pile up, five places to find every one, a use-and-value test for which to keep, cheaper ways to pay for the ones you value, the common traps, and a 15-minute quarterly review.6 min4 computed
- 03Lowering Your Housing Costs How to count the full cost of a home, when a refinance pays by its break-even point, removing mortgage insurance and appealing property tax, negotiating rent, sharing the cost with a tenant, and when moving is worth it.7 min5 computed
- 04Paying Less for Insurance Without Losing Protection Insure the losses that could break you and pay the small ones yourself: choosing deductibles, comparing auto, home, renters and umbrella coverage, picking a health plan on total cost with an HSA, and what never to cut.7 min4 computed
- 05Cutting Utility and Phone Bills Reading your bills, thermostat setbacks and the payback test for upgrades, cutting standby power and water waste, when time-of-use rates help, and bringing phone and internet bills down.6 min3 computed
- 06Spending Less Without Feeling Deprived Frugality that lasts: deciding what you value, buying for value rather than price, slowing down impulse purchases, where food, transport and entertainment spending has room, three ways it backfires, and making the savings stick.6 min2 computed
CALCULATORS USED IN THIS BOOK