Big Money Mistakes You May Be Making
Even if you have made money mistakes, it’s never too late to change your life around. Below are a few money mistakes that you may be making:
Taking Out Too Much in Student Loans.
I’m guilty of this one. Luckily my student loans are now paid off, but I would have had thousands of dollars less if I wouldn’t have taken so much out when I was in college.
My problem was that I would always take the full amount out each time. With student loans, the money goes towards your tuition, but whatever is left over is just deposited into your bank account as cash.
I never really thought about how taking an extra $1,000 or $2,000 each semester would hurt me, but it did!
Thinking You’re Too Good To Save Money.
When I had my day job, I used to always bring my lunch. There were two reasons for this: a) I wanted to save money; and b) in order for me to get lunch it would have meant that I would need to get in my car and actually go somewhere (I was too lazy for that).
Occasionally, I was made fun of for some of the things I would do to save money. Some thought I couldn’t afford to eat and I even had people offer to buy me lunch.
This also applies to coupons. I know so many people who think that they will be looked down upon for using coupons. I just don’t understand that. WHO CARES IF YOU USE A COUPON?
Anyone can save money, and there should be no shame in doing so.
Not Thinking About The Full Cost.
I have seen this many times. You buy an item without thinking about the full cost of it – you only look at the sticker price. You may be able to afford the sticker price, but can you afford the whole thing?
Many things have additional costs:
- If you buy a house, other costs include home insurance, property taxes, utility bills, repairs, and so on.
- If you buy a car, other costs include car insurance, gas, maintenance, taxes for buying the car, yearly personal property taxes, and so on.
Spending More Money Than You Make.
If you are spending more money each month than you make, then you are making a money mistake. You need to figure out what is going on so that you can fix this problem.
Are you trying to keep up with the Joneses? Are you not making enough money each month to support basic life necessities? Do you have too much debt?
Whether you are spending $100 over your budget each month or $1,000, you need to fix this money mistake.
You can start fixing this money mistake by creating a budget. You need to list your income and realistic expenses and see where your problem is.
Buying Things Because You Think You Deserve It.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that money is meant to be enjoyed. However, if you are going into thousands of dollars of credit card debt because you think that you deserve to own things, then you may have a spending problem.
Something that you may want to think about is why you think you deserve things. Is it because another person can afford it so you think you should be able to as well? Or, is it because you want to buy things to cure a bad mood?
Also, does buying things actually make you happier? Or does it just lead to you buying even more things?
What money mistakes have you made or seen?
