If you’re like most people, you probably don’t always recognize the ways you waste your money. No matter what kind of life you lead or career you have, you probably throw away at least some of your precious green.
Maybe you tell yourself it’s okay that you pay the extra bank fees or that the cable bill increased. You think to yourself, “It’s too much trouble to unplug the laptop” or “The charger’s not really using any power unless I have the cell phone plugged in to it.”
You may have some money-wasting habits that you don’t even realize you’re doing.
This book is meant to enlighten you on how you’re throwing away your money and what you can do to hold on to your dough instead. Why waste your money when you could put it to good use?
1. And What You Can Do Instead
TOP 18 WAYS
to Throw Away Your Money
2. How Are You Throwing Away Money?
Even though you do what you can to manage
your money effectively, you might be wasting
funds without realizing it.
In this presentation, you’ll learn the top 18
ways most folks waste money, plus methods
to more successfully manage your cash so
you can keep what’s yours.
Let’s get started!
3. 1. Pricey, Unhealthy Habits
Are You Doing This?
Buying coffee drinks 4-5
times weekly at $3.00 to
$6.00 each
Smoking cigarettes at
$6.00+ per pack
Drinking alcohol at your
local bar after work at
$3.00 to $7.00 per drink
What to do instead:
Make your own coffee and
take it with you.
Gradually cut down the
number of cigarettes you
smoke in a day.
Limit yourself to 1-2 beers
at the bar or buy a 6-pack
or bottle & drink at home.
4. 2. Bank Fees or Credit Card Charges
If you’re doing this:
Paying monthly fees
for checking
Paying high monthly
balance fees
Paying high interest
rates on loans
Paying fees for things
you don’t understand
5. Reduce
Your
Fees
Find a credit
union that offers
free checking
and lower fees.
Ask your current
bank to reduce
or remove your
fees.
Pay credit card
balances off
monthly.
6. 3. Premium Cell Phone Plans
If you are:
Unfamiliar with your cell phone fees
or plan
Uninformed about how much data
you really use
Paying for high limits on everything
in a package
Do these
instead:
Review your cell phone plan to
educate yourself.
Find out how many minutes you
use each month.
Determine if a less expensive
plan would suit you.
7. 4. Not Asking Enough Questions
Whether you’re shopping at a department
store or talking with bank staff, if you’re not
asking questions, you’re spending more
money than necessary.
8. Ask Questions Like These:
When shopping, ask for an extra 10% off of your
purchase or a coupon. Walk away if you don’t get a deal.
Phone your credit card institutions and request lower
interest rates on purchases. Take your business
elsewhere if they refuse to lower rates.
Ask questions of everyone who has anything to do with
your money. Strive to find better deals.
9. 5. Ignoring Coupons
When your Sunday newspaper arrives, do you avoid
looking through the coupon offers?
Do you throw out the leaflets of coupons that come
to your mailbox?
What should you do instead?
10. Save Money With Those Coupons
Take 15 minutes to look through
coupons when they arrive.
Challenge yourself to use 3-4 coupons
weekly.
Recognize that when you throw away
coupons, you throw away money.
11. 6. Being Uninformed About Your Money
Spending money first and then wondering why you’re
short on funds at the end of the month means you lack
information.
Here is what you can do instead:
1. When you get paid, first pay yourself 10%. Then
budget the rest.
2. Space your expenditures to avoid over-spending.
3. Keep orderly financial records to easily access
info. Knowledge brings you power over your
financial life!
13. 7. Missed Deadlines and Payments
If you are:
Paying bills late
Skipping monthly payments
Paying extra fees to
creditors without question
What to do instead:
Consistently pay on time.
Use the envelope method to
ensure bill payment.
Or use a bank account just
for bills.
Mark due dates for all bills on
a calendar.
14. 8. Not Paying Attention
Allowing your
mind to wander
when talking with
creditors can cost
you money.
Follow the next
tips instead:
15. Keep Your Focus:
What are
they saying?
Re-state
their offer.
If person is
“pushy,”
decline the
offer.
Be
Proactive.
16. 9. Faulty Vacation Planning
When you don’t take the timing and locale of
your vacation into consideration, you’ll
spend more than necessary on the trip.
Instead:
Visit off-
season for
the locale.
Hotels will
cost less at
that time.
No waiting
at
attractions!
Flight costs
are also
reduced.
17. 10. Eating Out Too Often
Instead, save time and money:
During the weekend, plan simple meals and shop for
the week.
When you cook, make extra and freeze leftovers for
economical, nutritious “fast food.”
Use slow cooker once weekly.
Enlist the whole family to help with meal planning and
prep.
18. 11. Staying with the Same Company for Too Long
Getting comfortable with your cable and
cell phone companies is expensive.
You tend to stop asking questions about
fee increases and just accept whatever
happens.
Try these things instead
19. Get A Better Deal:
Call and ask why the cost increase.
Bargain to pay for only the services
you want.
Check competitor pricing and
switch if necessary.
20. 12. Energy Vampires
Coffee pots, toasters, electronics and
chargers: they all use power 24/7 when
they’re plugged in. What can you do about
it?
Unplug all
chargers when
not in use.
Unplug small
kitchen
appliances when
you’re finished
with them.
Always turn off &
unplug laptops
not being used.
21. 13. Overspending on Your Cars
When you gas up without checking local
prices, you can lose big money over the
year. Pumping premium when it’s
unnecessary can also deplete your cash.
Are you getting your oil checked whenever
your mechanic tells you rather than when
your vehicle manual states?
These vehicle-related issues cause slow
seepage of funds from your paycheck.
22. Check car manual for grade of fuel
to use and recommended
frequency of oil changes.
Download free smartphone apps
like GasBuddy to find out where
the cheapest gas is in your area.
Double-check the price of gas at
the pump before you pump,
especially when using a credit
card.
Keep a small stash of cash
designated for gasoline, to avoid
paying up to 10 cents more per
gallon when using credit.
To stop wasting
money on your
car:
23. 14. Purchasing Books, CDS, and DVDs at Full Price
New books can cost $25.00 each or more. And if
you’re a music lover, buying CDs can be
expensive. Movie buffs and TV watchers will also
put down a healthy chunk of change to indulge
their viewing habits.
How can you do the things you love without
wasting money?
24. Shop at secondhand and
book trade shops.
Check out local
libraries for access to
all books for free.
Visit local media
trade/consignment
shops for DVDS and
music.
Your local library also
likely has music and
DVDs as well.
For music, download free
music apps like Pandora
Radio.
25. 15. Impulsive Buying Habits
Frivolous spending habits are like throwing your
money in a big hole in the back yard.
Do this instead:
Educate yourself first about what you want.
Find reviews of products you want online to
ensure you want or need the item.
Compare pricing to get your best deal.
26. 16. Avoiding Generic Brands
Focusing on name brands could be costing you
double what you’d normally spend on food and
clothes!
Instead:
Buy generic or off-brand groceries and save big.
Save 50+% on less expensive, good quality
clothing.
Open your mind to the idea that your identity is not
tied up in name brands.
27. 17. Using Credit Cards With No Rewards Programs
These days, you have a lot of options for
credit cards. Maybe you haven’t paid
attention to your perks or are paying monthly
fees to carry a card with no perks!
Instead:
28. Enjoy Your Rewards!
Only use credit
cards that give you
rewards.
You can receive 1-
2% cash back
yearly.
If you prefer, opt for
free air miles.
Or, it’s possible to
select gifts at no
charge.
29. 18. Going to a Hospital ER
Using the hospital emergency room as your
medical doctor for non-emergency illnesses
or injuries will build up huge bills fast.
Luckily, you do have alternatives that can
save you lots of money and hours of time –
even if you get sick or injured after business
hours.
30. Save on After-Hours Medical Care
Go to a local walk-in
clinic, minor
emergency care
provider, or 24-hour
medical care facility.
Such facilities are set
up to expedite medical
assessments, cost less
money, and might not
even charge you a co-
payment.
31. Once you acknowledge you could be throwing
away money, you can determine how you’re
doing it and decide what you’ll do instead.
Re-discover the joy of living by protecting your
dollars for you and your precious family!
32. “The waste of money
cures itself,
for soon there is no more
to waste.”
- M.W. Harrison
33. We hope you enjoyed your Special Report!
Curtis Roese is an experienced professional with extensive experience in
personal finance and small business matters. Curtis writes and
publishes articles, courses, guides and special reports on his personal
finance blog.
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