Some things just don’t belong in your budget. These money wasters can eat up a lot of your paycheck, can make you reliant on payday cash advances, and can make it hard for you to get financially healthy:
-Cigarettes are not useful, they cost a lot of money, and in most places, they come complete with a hefty sales tax. Cigarettes are also terrible for your health and can increase your dental costs, health insurance costs, life insurance costs, and future medical costs. These are one of the most expensive items on your budget for this reason.
-Gambling can easily become an addiction and it is very easy to gamble away more than you intend to. Many people gamble because they think they will eventually win back their money, but this is an illusion. The chances of you earning back your losses are very, very tiny. Many people become dependent on personal loans and payday loans to feed a gambling addiction.
-Psychic services, party lines, and other paid entertainment services add very little to your life but they can be very costly. Many of these services charge a hefty per-text message or per-minute phone charge which can quickly add up.
-Any sort of convenience food – from take out to shredded cheese to peeled garlic to chopped celery – costs more than the simpler product. Avoid paying more by looking for simple foods. Buy foods at your grocery store or farmer’s market and prepare it yourself.