6 Bills To Cut as Kids Head Back to School
As kids return from sleepaway camp and Labor Day cookouts wind down, one constant remains: back-to-school expenses. Whether parents are paying for backpacks, new clothes, updated laptops or hefty tuitions, there’s no escaping it.
Inflation isn’t helping, either. In fact, per PwC’s 2026 U.S. Consumer Survey, 47% of parents expect to spend more this year than they did last year on back-to-school shopping.
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That’s why if you need a little extra cushion in your budget, you should consider lowering some everyday bills ahead of time. Here are six bills you can reduce before school starts in order to save money.
1. TV/Streaming
When it comes to streaming services, Austin Kilgore, analyst at Achieve, recommended individuals audit their credit card bills for the last three months to ensure they’re not paying for the same platforms twice.
“Make sure you know exactly what is in any ‘bundle’ you may have, as you may be overlapping,” stated Kilgore, who also advised coordinating with other household users who could have signed up for something another family member already has.
Further, consider which services your family can live without. With kids distracted by extracurriculars during the school year, they may not be watching as much TV.
2. Health Club/Gym
Ask yourself if you’re actually using that gym membership. If not, you may be able to nix it. Even if you are using it, are there other, cheaper alternatives? Perhaps you can exercise outside, take online fitness classes or go to a recreational center.
Per Groupon, the average gym membership costs between $50 and $69 per month — that’s a lot of extra money to pay for a service you may not be using.
3. Food Delivery Apps
To state the obvious, food delivery apps are super convenient. However, according to Nathan Haas, founder of Haas Trade Advisors, by the time you add up the increased cost of food (a 5% tpo 25% markup), the delivery fee, taxes and tip, you could be spending double what you would spend eating in restaurants.
Definitely delete these apps from your phone. And if you absolutely can’t live without that Chipotle burrito, just go pick it up from the store.
4. Travel Costs
No one is advocating you take travel completely off the table, but there are definitely ways to lower costs. For instance, fly midweek, travel later in the season or choose less expensive “dupe” destinations (i.e. Puerto Rico in place of Honolulu).
Haas also suggested working with travel agents who typically have relationships with cruises, resorts and touring companies — they can often save you 10% on the overall cost of the vacation.
5. Insurance
Auto and home insurance premiums tend to quietly drift upwards at the time of renewal, which is why founder and head attorney at Tayne Law Group, Leslie Tayne, advised shopping around to see if you can find a policy that saves you a few dollars. You can often land better rates elsewhere or bundle your policies to save on your monthly premium.
6. Cell Phone/Internet
When it comes to cell phone and internet plans, loyalty is not your friend. In fact, loyal customers tend to spend more than newcomers because the discounted, promotional periods that got them in the door have now expired.
However, Nick Avila, founder of United Debt Relief, stated carriers typically have retention departments whose entire job is to keep you as a customer. So, by threatening to go elsewhere if your carrier doesn’t give you the promotional rate again, you could wind up with a discounted rate. If this still doesn’t work, follow through and switch to a competitor.
A multi-line, new customer promo on a family plan can save customers $40 to $80 per month.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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