No matter how cognizant you are of your spending habits, you’re still stuck with those inescapable monthly bills. You know which ones we’re talking about: rent, groceries, utilities, cell phone bills, insurance,… But, what’s with those things you pay for, but literally ruin your health, steal your happiness, and sometimes even make you think of yourself as an idiot?
We have created a list of the 7 dumbest things people usually spend too much money on. Here they are:
1. Cigarettes.
Truly, this is the dumbest way to spend so much money throughout your life, yet ruin your health at the same time. And no, I am not writing this from the point of a non-smoker because I can tell this myself. You start smoking, get addicted, and spend a lot of money on it. Then it ruins your health, you continue to smoke, need help to quit, and so on. It’s easy to realize how expensive smoking is when you can buy a t-shirt and a box of cigarettes for the same price.
2. Alcohol.
It’s no secret that bad habits cost us a lot. Alcohol, together with cigarettes, costs a lot and ruins our health. People who go out to have fun with friends and drink alcohol can spend their entire daily earnings just on this thing. It’s even more expensive for people who are used to drinking on a daily basis – you may think it’s not much to have a few drinks every single day, but just calculate how much money you spend on that, not to mention your health status.
3. Coffee to go. Everyone drinks it, despite the fact that its taste is gross and that it costs a lot. You probably know how much money you spend on it. In Europe, people also spend too much money on drinking espresso on a daily basis outside of their homes. It’s okay to drink coffee in a cafe from time to time, but do you really need to do it every single day?
4. Night outs. When we calculate how much money you usually spend on a night out, it’s always too much. Alcohol, fast food later on, and even new clothes and makeup – it’ll cost you too much. The saddest thing is that you spend so much money so you can impress people around you. People who you don’t even know!
5. Fees. All those fees related to banks will literally make you feel like an idiot. Every single time you get money from the ATM, you again need to pay for something. And if you want or need money immediately, you’ll have to pay again. It’s better to think and plan ahead than to feel like an idiot paying all those fees.
6.. Paid Apps. We’ve all done it. We’ve opted into an app or subscription service that comes with a shiny free trial. Only we forget to set a calendar reminder when the free trial ends, and before we know it, $19.99 + is funneled out of our bank account. Sometimes these expenses are a bit sneakier — 1.99 cents for a gaming app here, $.99 for a photo-editing app there. It adds up. That’s why it’s important to take a minute to comb through your paid apps and cancel any of these forgotten subscriptions. If you have an Android, go to the Google Play store and navigate to the menu where you’ll see subscriptions. If you’re on an iPhone, go to the app store and visit your account. There, tap subscriptions.
You might be shocked to see what you’ve been subscribed to, but you should cancel these apps immediately
7. Gambling. Definitely one of the worst ways to ruin your life, but also to ruin your family’s life. I cannot think of one gambler who is happy with his or her life. Usually, they get so addicted that they become professional liars, sell everything, and finally go bankrupt and get professional help – once they are left alone by everybody.
Hopefully, you haven’t found your habits in our list of the 7 dumbest ways to spend your money.
Would you like to add something else to this list?
In your opinion, which of these ways is the worst when it comes to spending money?
