The media keeps pushing forward ways in which you can save money and make it big, but it rarely focuses on the bad money habits you need to kick. After all, there is more to saving and spending money than just cutting down a few expenses. There are five main bad habits that tend to interfere with saving up money and you should focus on getting rid of them!
1. Not having a budget
Even though sitting down each month and making a budget may sound difficult, it is the easiest thing to do. All you have to do is list down the things you need and want and then prioritize them. This allows you to allocate money to everything and still manage to save money at the end. Living without a budget plan is one the first bad money habits you should get rid of.
2. Not saving money from the start
How many times have you thought about saving up some money at the end of the month, only to find out there is none left? To keep this from coming in the way of your future savings, make sure you put away a certain amount of cash in a bank deposit the day you receive your paycheck and not the day you spend it all.
3. Going into overdraft
Not only do you end up owing money to a bank when you use a credit card, going into overdraft means you have to part with more cash each month. Spending money you don’t have yet is the best way to fall into debt and one of bad money habits you need to stop immediately. This can be done by removing overdraft ability from your bank account or setting up an alert for when you reach the danger zone!
4. Ignoring your future needs
One of the benefits of working in a reputed firm is that you get access to health insurance and a 401(K) set up. This allows you to prepare for your future by putting in small amounts into both accounts. Forgetting about these two altogether is one of the worst bad money habits youngsters tend to have.
5. Ranking up debt
Do you really need that new car or designer shoes that will push you into debt? Probably not. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable or can be paid off over a long period of time, steer clear of items that will add to your existing debts and kick the bad money habits that follow along!