THE SPEND Premium Gas

IS IT WORTH IT? Probably not.

HERE’S WHY: Cheaping out at the pump can feel like filling the baby’s bottle with soda instead of milk. But you’ll be relieved to learn that the fancy stuff probably isn’t necessary, especially if you don’t drive a luxury sports car. Check the inside of your fuel door, your gas cap, or your owner’s manual to see if your car requires or recommends premium gasoline. “If it needs to run on premium, regular unleaded gas could damage the engine over time,” says Ronald Montoya, senior consumeradvice editor for the car information site Edmunds. If premium is merely recommended, then there’s a chance you won’t accelerate as quickly if you use regular gas, but only by a few seconds. “If you want the best performance in a sports car, that’s one thing,” Montoya says. “But if you’re just driving around town, it’s fine to use regular gas.” And with an average price difference of 75 cents per gallon, going with regular could save you hundreds of dollars a year.

THE SPEND Unlimited-Data Phone Plans

IS IT WORTH IT? Most of the time.

HERE’S WHY: You FaceTime with your mom while shopping. You swipe endlessly through Instagram stories. You can’t find your way to the mailbox without turn-by-turn navigation. All of this burns through data. People use about 12 gigabytes of data per month on average, but that number is skewed by very heavy users who outperform everyone else, says technology writer Sascha Segan. If you’re blowing through, say, 20 GB a month (impressive!), the unlimited plan is a no-brainer. (To find out how much data you tend to use, check your most recent bills.)

THE SPEND Identity Theft Insurance

IS IT WORTH IT? Nope!

HERE’S WHY: Identity theft is a real threat, and can be a real pain in the you-know-what. But don’t fall for the upsell! This kind of insurance doesn’t actually “clear your credit if your identity gets stolen—it just covers the cost of you doing so,” says Kevin Brasler, executive editor of the nonprofit group Consumers’ Checkbook. While that can be a time suck—you’ll need to check your credit reports, freeze your credit, and report the fraud ASAP to your bank—it doesn’t cost much, because banks cover most or even all losses due to fraud. In fact, 88 percent of people who experienced identity theft in 2018 had no out-of-pocket loss, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Of those who did lose money, the median amount was $100.

If someone steals your identity, go to identitytheft.gov to report it and make a recovery plan. And (twist!), Brasler recommends freezing your credit even if your identity hasn’t been stolen. This drastic but smart move keeps thieves from opening accounts in your name and can be undone quickly if you need to open a new one. It’s also a good idea to monitor your credit reports, turn on two-factor authentication for online accounts, and delete texts and emails from companies you don’t know.

If you’re on a family plan, that may be another reason to choose limitless. “Unlimited plans are expensive if you have only one or two lines,” Segan says. “But if you have four to six lines, it’s a lot more compelling to go with unlimited.” With Verizon, the lowest-cost single unlimited line is $70; if you have five lines, the cost goes down to $30 a line. What if you have three lines?

“Then you should do some comparison shopping,” Segan says. Consider smaller carriers, which often have better rates than the big-name networks. With Mint Mobile and Cricket Wireless, for example, you could pay at least $45 less per month for a three-line plan, though you do risk slower speeds once you use a certain amount of data.