Habits, good or bad, can be incredibly hard to break, but there are a few that may be doing some major damage to your budget. It’s worth spending some time (and maybe even money) to break these habits to free up some cash in your monthly budget.
Smoking
Not only is smoking terrible for your health and the health of those around you, it’s incredibly expensive. In major cities, packs can go for upwards of $10 and at a pack a day, that is around $300 each month or $3,600 each year. Essentially, if you give up smoking, you’ll be giving yourself a $5,000 annual raise (before taxes). That’s not even including all of the additional savings you’ll gain from better health, fewer doctor’s visits, and fewer missed days from work.
Biting your nails
If you bite your nails, not only will your fingers hurt and you’ll find yourself with more hangnails, but you may be accustomed to going to the nail salon to get them fixed from time to time. While a manicure and pedicure can be a nice treat once in a while, it’s expensive to make it a regular occurrence. A manicure/pedicure costs anywhere from $20 – $40, a huge budget buster if you’re going on a regular basis!
Skipping the gym
Working out is great for your health, both physical and mental. However, be realistic if you have a gym membership that isn’t getting any use and just cancel it. The gym appreciates the fact that it’s making a lot of money off of your monthly membership fee but your wallet won’t!
Eating out
Whether it’s your daily lunch, cup of coffee or takeout dinner after a long day of work, having someone else make you something that you could otherwise make yourself at home is always going to cost you more money.
Take a look at all of these expenses and see if you can’t make a few small changes that will add up and help you save big!
Anne Perkins is a freelance writer focused on how to live large on a little living. She writes financial savings tips for QuickQuid – the cash advance lender, and enjoys taking any idea and making it easier or cheaper to complete.