Welcome to the New Year. It’s now time for everyone to tell you what you should be doing this year to improve your life, your career, your feelings, your indigestion, etc.

While everyone shares their advice for the new year, I wanted to share things you shouldn’t worry about adding to your home in 2014. You may agree. You may disagree. But either way I welcome the discussion. So here we go.

1. A Blu-Ray DVD Player

All those Blu-Ray DVDs you got back in 2009. Sell them on eBay immediately. Blu-Ray’s will soon be obsolete as we move further into the world of digital entertainment. My bet is in the next few years they become discontinued as digital movies and on-demand service become the primary means of enjoying Hollywood in your home.

2. A Home Phone

If you’re paying for home phone service, stop reading and call up your phone company and cancel. Chances are you’re not paying much for it, but it’s still an unneeded expense. Cell phones have already become the primary means of communication in our homes and the trend is sure to continue in 2014. But what about for emergencies? You’re better off buying a disposable cell phone with a limited minutes plan on it and storing it in your kitchen. Chances are you won’t use all the minutes on it anyway. Another excuse used to be that home security systems required a home phone line. Nowadays many security companies can connect to your home’s internet service and ping your cell phones for emergency. Be sure to call and inquire if your security service offers that.

3. A Smart TV

Much like the Blu-Ray, the Smart TV will become obsolete. I know, I know. Every TV manufacturer is touting one and this year’s Consumer Electronics Show will have millions of Smart TV’s on display, but I’m telling you don’t buy one if you have an Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Xbox, Playstation,  or Roku. The user interface on Smart TV’s is far from user friendly and most of them offer nothing more than what you can experience with any of the devices I just listed connected to your TV. All you want in your TV at home is an exceptional picture quality. Your DVR, gaming system or entertainment add-on can offer better experiences and the same breadth of services as a Smart TV.

4. A Drip Coffee Pot

Unless you have a Starbucks-sized, high-end drip coffee maker that allows you to make espresso, coffee and lattes, you don’t need drip coffee pot. Get yourself a Keurig and enjoy your coffee in an instant without it tasting like instant coffee.

5. Full Price Cable TV

You will read a ton about how you don’t need cable TV in your home. You could be a “cord cutter” and just use YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc. for your home entertainment. That’s true. You could as long as you no longer have a desire to watch live sports, awards shows, local news, or just enjoy a good channel surf on a Sunday afternoon. What you should do is cut the cost your paying for cable. You don’t need to pay full price as many cable operators are seeing a decrease in subscribers. Many of them are willing to offer deals and discounts to keep existing customers from switching to another company or cutting them all together. Now is the time for cable negotiations if you’re not quite ready to cut your TV service all together.

Let me know what you think isn’t need in your home this year in the comments.

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Image courtesy of Flickr user danielmoyle