Do you feel like you are losing control of your spending? Every time you look at your bank account, you question where your hard-earned cash went.
The reason it’s so hard to break bad spending habits is not that you’re wildly irresponsible with your money. Most likely, you aren’t blowing money on huge expenses left and right. In fact, it’s the small expenses that tend to pile up and affect your bank account so much.
Don’t worry! There are a few tricks you can use regarding your bad spending habits. All it takes is recognizing what those bad habits are so you can gain self-awareness of them.
Bad spending habits you can look out for:
No Budget
The first thing to check is your budget. How closely are you sticking to it? Do you even have one?
A budget, even a simple one, is the key to having some structure with your finances. A budget allows you to know your money and what you can spend.
When you begin to follow a budget, you have control over your financial life. You know where your money is coming from and where it’s going.
Even if you aren’t a fan of the budget idea, you can make some spending rules to hold you accountable. Making a few rules on what money goes where can go a long way for your bank account.
Convenient Buys
Buying a product or service because it’s convenient or cheap is a recipe for overspending. You convince yourself you’re saving money, but are you in the long run?
How often have you bought something because it was on sale and not because you were in love with it? For example, it’s easy to pick up ten things at a thrift store because those items are so cheap. But would you like those items if they were full-priced?
Second-Guessing
Impulse buying is dangerous, even for something as small as a pack of gum at the checkout lane in the grocery store.
If you’re not one to stick to an intense budget, the best thing to do is get in the habit of second-guessing. Before you buy that pack of gum, discounted item, or online deal, question it a few times over.
Sometimes this requires you to bookmark the item on your phone for your online purchases.
It doesn’t take much. You’ll find that you save money when you take a moment or more to ponder whether you need it.
Not Planning Ahead
Leaving for work without eating breakfast or planning for lunch is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make day-to-day. Not having a plan makes you more lenient with your money when you’re hungry, thirsty, or bored.
Another example is not making a grocery list before walking into the grocery store. You know how easy it is to throw something in the basket, especially when hungry.
There’s no need to spend so much extra cash when all you need to have is a little self-control. Plan ahead so that your feelings don’t take control of your wallet!
Automated Payments
This is one of the bad spending habits that you don’t even realize you’re doing. Think of how many times you subscribed to something with the intent to unsubscribe after the trial period.
There are probably a good few subscriptions that aren’t worth the money you are spending anymore. Set aside a little bit of time and get to digging through some of your subscriptions. You won’t believe the difference it’ll make!
Put some good habits to work!
A little bit of self-control can go a long way. Don’t let bad spending habits pile up and get the best of your wallet.
You don’t need to change your whole life to save money. Keep a few of these good habits in rotation and you’ll see the benefits in no time!
For more financial tips, check out our article Smarter Ways to Pay for School (Debt Not Included).
