10 things you are spending too much money on (that you probably didn’t even know about).

Do you feel like you have been spending too much lately? Well you are not alone. Recently, a friend of mine was complaining that he barely has any money left after he has saved, put money in his rainy day fund and covered all his expenses. For a little fee we both looked through his finances and I found lots of reasons why this is happening to him.

After his consultation with me, I decided to put together a list of 10 things you are spending too much money on

1. Housing: now one of the basic necessities in life is shelter. We all need a roof above our heads, that is why so many times your rent or mortgage takes a big chunk out of your earnings. If you can limit your spending in shelter by opting to stay home (your parents house) for a while before you get your own place or decide to stay with a friend or a couple of friends who you can share rent with. Trust me once rent is out of your expenses or relatively reduced for a while you can afford to save towards having your own place and doing other stuff. Also most people choose to live good (living in a bigger space than necessary/living in the nicer side of town) while all these are nice they are also very expensive to maintain. These are some of the things to put into consideration when choosing your housing, your financial capability should be number one. If you cut back on housing, you can actually save more.
2. Transportation: a lot of people would rather take private cabs and taxis than taking the bus or train can you blame them? Who doesn’t like the good life. My friend I spoke about earlier took Uber to work everyday! When I calculated how much of his monthly income goes into Uber daily I caught a headache. Using Uber occasionally for a day you aren’t feeling the bus or a day you have an event isn’t bad but taking an Uber or private taxi everywhere isn’t a good financial decision at all especially when you are trying to build wealth.
3. Food: a lot of us spend a ton of money on food. We buy normal greens, then buy cereal, milk etc, then we buy flour, we buy snacks, and we also eat out. That’s a lot of spending if you ask me. Look at your eating habits, and ask yourself, are they financially compatible with your current earnings? If they aren’t then the time to adjust them is now to stop you from overspending. Also cooking your own meals and meal prepping per week will help you spend a lot less.
4. Leisure/entertainment: we all want to have fun, go out, have a drink with friends, go on dates, go to the movies but we may be spending too much on entertainment. No one says you shouldn’t have fun but you can within your stipulated budget. I’m all about cheap thrills and trust me they are fun and much more satisfying because you know you aren’t breaking the bank.
5. Clothes: you do not need a new outfit every time you go to the mall or market or surfing the internet. Indiscriminately buying clothes is one of the reasons why you are probably short on your monthly budget. Ensure to buy what you need not what you want at a whip. You can never own all the clothes in the world so don’t try to. And being fashionable or stylish isn’t about having so many clothes, it’s about how you wear the ones you already own.
6. Upkeep/Grooming: getting yourself a hair cut, hair/skin treatment or a trim, getting Mani pedis or getting a braid or weave installation can cost an arm and a leg. Cutting down on the amount you pay for your grooming is a great way to control your expenses.
7. Beauty products: this is particularly for the ladies who spend a lot on beauty products. I know you want your skin to glow lord knows that’s the goal but you don’t have to break the bank buying every recommended beauty product. This also goes for makeup products too, us ladies buy lots of makeup, in my previous post I said you don’t need all shades of eye shadows, highlighter and foundation from all the brands. Find one that works for you and stick to it.
8. Pets: as far as I am concerned pets are like having kids and we all know having kids is flipping expensive. When you own a pet, you have to give them vaccine shots, medicine, regular vet checkups, probably a sitter when you are at work, they also consume special foods and all these things cost money. If you don’t have the financial capacity to have a pet please don’t. They cost a lot to maintain them.
9. Online shopping costs: when shopping online we probably opt to pay higher shipping costs for next day delivery while exercising some patience may be more cost effective. So opt out of those expensive next day doorstep delivery fees by exercising patience or picking a pickup option instead which is always relatively cheaper.
10. Gambling/lottery tickets: this is common with some individuals who want want to win big! Buying lottery tickets can certainly put a hole in your pocket and so does gambling.

Spending money out of your budget or overspending shows bad financial decisions and mismanagement of funds.

Therefore, checking all these aspects and making reasonable cut backs show that we are ready to build wealth and we will have extra money that can go into other aspects of our lives such as savings and investments.

I hope this article helps you cut back on unnecessary expenses and help you make better financial decisions. From the list have you identified any aspect of your expenses that you are currently overspending on? Kindly let me know.