How Are You Wasting Money?

Money squandering is a common activity, though we don't discuss it much. Especially these days – when everyone tends to be more mindful of their money – we're not inclined to mention those 10s and 20s leaking out of our wallets.

Except when someone asks.

That's exactly what we did to test our theory that everybody wastes money. We asked a random sample of individuals one simple question, and not one person hesitated before giving an answer. "How are you wasting money?"

• "I send too many text messages most months, and my bill shows it."
• "Driving to work even though I paid for a bus pass."
• "I can't pass up a good sale, even if I don't need what I buy."
• "I lose out on a lot of money by not sending in rebates."
• "Bringing lunch to work and eating out anyway."
• "I'm paying for phone services I don't use."
• "Not canceling credit cards that charge an annual fee."
• "Comparing name brands and generic products, deciding they're identical and then paying more for the name brand anyway."
• "Letting my season tickets go unused."
• "I don't have to waste any money. My spouse does enough for both of us."
• "Buying fresh vegetables because I want to eat healthy and then letting them spoil."

Take Action Tip for Today

This list of anecdotal evidence proves there are lots of ways to waste money. Maybe you have tried most of them yourself. Do yourself a favor and see what you can do this month to patch just one leak.

More Resources

We've got free workshops that can help you figure out additional ways to waste less, save more. There's something for just about everyone in communities all across the country (review workshop descriptions). And since they're free, you can't waste any money! Search for workshops in your area.

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