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It’s easy to get caught in your same old spending habit. However, your habits could be keeping you from effectively saving. If you’re the kind of person who finds yourself getting paid and then unable to figure out where all your money went, this article is for you.
This might sound crazy in a post about how to save money, but you need to avoid sales. You’ll hear all about huge blowout sales that stores and websites are having. Fifty percent off everything! Buy one get one! These deals are everywhere and they’re easy to fall for.
Here’s the thing: when you go to these sales, you’re still spending money. Just because you’re buying a toaster for half off doesn’t mean you’re saving money. Would you have bought a toaster if it wasn’t half off? No? Then you just spent money on something you didn’t need.
This is a huge way to fool yourself into spending a ton of money you might not otherwise spend. Remember: if something is on sale, that doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Some random junk you’re never going to use wouldn’t be worth anything to you if it was free. It’ll just take up space.
We all know the temptation to stress spend. You’re having a bad week and you want to buy something flashy and cool to make yourself feel better. It’s understandable. But you’ve got to resist the urge to pull that trigger. No “treat yourself” mantra is going to make blowing your money when you’re emotional a good call.
That’s because emotional spending is self-perpetuating. You’re stressed out and spend a ton of money. Then, you get stressed about how much you’re spending. Maybe spending money will make you feel better! Do you see how much of a spiral this is? Avoid the trap.
Look, we hear you. It’s nice to be able to help your friends. When your pals are struggling, it’s tempting to loan them a few bucks to tide them over until payday. But you should strongly consider just encouraging them to take a personal loan from a bank. You’re not federally insured, and loaning your buddies money is a surefire way to lose friends.
Not to mention losing out on your cash. When you’ve got an informal agreement with someone, it’s hard to seek restitution for your money. You’re just at your friend’s mercy as to whether or not they want to pay you back.
