Money wasters

If you add up the amount of money wasted on little things throughout your week you might be alarmed at how much money you are literally throwing away. That money could be put aside to travel or you could invest it so your wasted money can actually start making you money. It's money you spend already so it's not like it'll be missed.

1. Save your change. Save it in a jar and watch it grow. You'll be surprised at how much money you end up with after a few months and the bonus is it's money you aren't counting anyway.

2. Stop buying bottled water. We live in America people. The tap water here has to pass regulations and they are stricter regulations than bottled water has. Buy a reusable water bottle and spend $4 once instead of buying bottled waters for $1.50 three or four times a week and spending $312 a year...on nothing. Not only will you be saving your wallet you'll be saving the environment. Now you have $312 for electronics, travel, savings etc.

3. BUDGET! I can't stress this enough. We aren't 17 anymore and our money has serious places to go. Decide how much you WANT to spend on food, entertainment, bills, etc a month and then live within your means. Plan your meals for the week and go to.......wait for it... ALDI's! It's the same food, but really cheap. Remember the dollar store where "Everything is just $1.00" well hey guess what, it really is. Get your batteries and junk foods and cleaners there. Picture frames and wrapping paper. Spatulas and tupperware. Suck up the pride and be a smart spender. With all the money you save you'll be laughing it up on a cruise ship in the Bahamas.

4. Remember those jeans you bought that don't really fit, and those books you got off Amazon you're never going to get around to reading? How about that shirt you ordered online that you're never going to wear? Did you return those items?!?! (or resell the books on Amazon) Why not?!?! Why did you just literally throw away $30 because it was easier than keeping track of a receipt or going to the post office??? *slaps forehead*

5. Cell phone plans. Do you really need to be able to connect to the internet 24/7 and play games everywhere you go? Stop letting them suck you in to their music plans and their internet and gaming plans. You don't really need this stuff at all, but you do need a retirement plan. So how about canceling those plans and using the monthly money to deposit into a Roth IRA where your money can make you money and help you get closer to retirement?

6. Stuff you can't live without. Do you really need to buy candy bars every time you go to a store? Does your life depend on a $4 bag of chips? Do you really need all those subscriptions and memberships? How many do you actually use? Be careful about impulse buying at the store, make a list, then stick to it (if you have a particularly hard time with this only carry enough money to cover what you're going for). If your shoes still fit and they're doing their job, wait until yours stop working as...I don't know...shoes before you go out and get that "cool" new pair.

7. Be kind to the environment and your electric bill. Turn off appliances you aren't using. Turn off the computer at night. Keep the monitor off when it's not in use. Unplug your phone charger. Turn off the lights. Keep the heat down and put on a sweatshirt. Replace your bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. They use 75% less energy and can save you $30 on your electric bill.

8. Eating out. Come on people, what happened to learning to cook and eating together in the comfort of your own home where you can pick and choose what's on the menu and exactly how it's made???? Stop buying pasta at restaurants, they are ripping you off. Always order water and nothing else, skip dessert and appetizers except on special occasions. If you must eat out, at least order something that is cheaper to eat out or that you know you can't/wont make at home. If eating out is a social thing then just order a side and chat away. Take your leftovers home and your meal becomes two meals.

9. Walk/ride a bike/skate when you can instead of driving. Please see previous blog post.




10. Pay off those credit cards! Then stick them in a drawer and stop using them for little purchases. If you paid off those credit cards you are GAINING 19% interest on your money automatically. Most money market accounts have a 10 or 11% return rate. Do you see where I'm going with this?

Now that you have all this money laying around, put it to good use. Savings accounts, money market accounts, Roth IRA's. Do something productive with it. Make your money work for you for a change. Get away on a vacation and relax for once without feeling guilty.