I asked ChatGPT and Gemini what everyday products aren’t worth buying — these are the 5 items I completely abandoned
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In my never-ending quest to be kinder to my wallet, I’ve adopted some money-saving tricks of the trade with the aid of AI.
Just recently, I lowered my monthly subscription costs for two streaming services and got rid of a paid credit check service in favor of a completely free option thanks to ChatGPT. And before that, I used the combined frugal spending forces of that aforementioned chatbot and Gemini to find some free alternatives to the services and products I regularly pay for. By the time the New Year’s Ball drops, I’ll have adopted a method that’ll keep me satisfied with my shopping ventures while keeping my bank account safe from overdrafting.
While I was in my kitchen, blankly staring at items in my fridge that made me go, “There’s gotta be a cheaper option than the one I bought…,” I knew it was time to approach ChatGPT and Gemini with another money-saving inquiry: “What 7 unconventional everyday purchases aren’t worth the money?”
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Thankfully, both chatbots went beyond telling me to stop spending money on single-serve snacks and premium bottled water. Here are the five items they mentioned altogether (which I eventually left behind) and what I began replacing them with.
ChatGPT and Gemini’s list of unnecessary everyday items
Once ChatGPT and Gemini took note of my cost-effective request, their combined efforts listed the following items that were once mandated purchases for yours truly:
- Bagged salad kits: You’re paying for lettuce, dressing, and toppings to be assembled for you. They can cost substantially more than buying the ingredients separately and often have a shorter shelf life. Better move: Buy a head of lettuce/greens and make your own mix.
- Pre-shredded cheese: The convenience is tiny: shredding a block takes a minute or two. You’re paying extra for that labor and packaging. Better move: Buy a block and grate it when needed.
- Specialty kitchen gadgets that perform one basic task: Egg slicers, avocado slicers, banana cutters, strawberry hullers, dedicated quesadilla makers, etc. Individually, they’re cheap, but they’re notorious for becoming drawer clutter while a knife or existing appliance does essentially the same thing. Better move: Before buying, ask: “Can something I already own do this?”
- Travel-Sized Toiletries & Miniature Skincare: Why people buy it: TSA convenience or a desire to try luxury products without committing to full-priced bottles. Why it’s not worth it: On a per-ounce basis, travel sizes carry a massive markup—often 200% to 400% higher than their full-sized counterparts. Better alternative: Buy reusable, silicone TSA-approved travel bottles once and fill them from your home supply.
- Miracle Static Dusting Wands (Feather/Polymer Dusters): Why people buy them: Flashy ads claim static electricity will lift dust off every surface instantly without needing water or cleaning sprays. Why they’re not worth it: Most budget static dusters simply knock dust off surfaces into the air, forcing it to settle back down onto the floor or furniture shortly after. You end up having to wipe everything down twice. Better alternative: A simple, damp microfiber cloth grabs dust on contact without scattering it.
Making replacements with five better purchases that go a long way
When the time came for me to finally ditch bagged salad kits, I started picking up assorted vegetables to live out my homemade salad-making dreams.
Keeping this video on repeat while I got better at mixing up a bowl of romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and avocado was a rewarding (and cheaper!) experience. I also make it a habit of keeping an eye out for whatever seasonal veggies my local farmer’s market puts out so I can add a little variety to my salad concoctions.
It took me a while to abandon pre-shredded cheese and get better at shredding cheese on my own, but watching this tips and tricks vid on how to do it with a bit of ease helped me adjust pretty quickly. Working a bit harder in the kitchen to create enough shredded parmesan cheese for my fried chicken cutlets feels rewarding (and the food tastes better for some reason when you go the extra mile). I definitely stopped picking up kitchen-focused speciality gadgets, bought a quality set of knives and looked up guides on the best way to cut my favorite fruits, veggies and meats.
I never even knew TSA-approved travel bottles existed before Gemini made me aware of them—a simple Google search brought a nice set of them my way that cost less than $20. Instead of constantly spending all that money on travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, facial cream, and body lotion, I decided to make a long-term investment in that travel bottle set and empty portions of my bathroom toiletries into them for future trips.
And finally, I picked up a four-pack of Great Value Multipurpose Microfiber Household Cleaning Cloths that came in at less than $10. Turns out those cloths get a lot more love from my parents than those “As Seen on TV!” dusting wands that have seen years of wear and tear.
Final thoughts
I have to hand it to ChatGPT and Gemini once again—they helped me take a look around my home, determine the exact items that resulted in my previous bouts of wasteful spending and got me to pick up the sort of items that last longer & benefit me in the long run.
Preparing salads, shredding cheese, cutting a wide variety of foods, bringing my toiletries on vacation and dusting my home just became a lot cheaper thanks to both chatbots’ advice on what’s not worth buying and what’s good enough to replace each item with.
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