No one intentionally opens up their wallet and throws their cash directly down the drain. But, some spending habits have the potential to feel like the equivalent.
Here’s the catch: what may be “throwing money down the toilet” for one person, might not be for another. Some may allot more flex spending for restaurants or boutique fitness classes, and that’s okay. As long as it’s a healthy spending habit within the predetermined budget, who’s to say it’s a waste?
But, not all of us are budget brainiacs. Here are some common spending habits where many of us waste money without even realizing.
Recurring Subscriptions
Set it and forget it is great when it comes to automating your personal finances, but it’s less than ideal when it comes to subscription services. 70% of American homes have at least one streaming service subscription, and the average US subscriber watches just over 3 services.
On top of streaming entertainment services, 15% of American consumers subscribe to a box service, like Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh, or FabFitFun. These figures don’t include other monthly recurring payments, like Patreon subscriptions.
The average service costs just over $8 a month, which doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up. The vast majority of people who subscribe to monthly services underestimate the overall costs of them by at least 40%.
Some might use up their monthly razors religiously, or exclusively watch content on Hulu, but others may not use what they are subscribed to.
Whether a person is ready to ditch some monthly services or not, they can try tracking their monthly recurring spending on a spreadsheet, or enrolling in a free service like Trim or Hiatus to catch those monthly bills.
From there, subscribers can decide what stays and what goes. What might be worth the cost based on frequency, or what is worth cancelling because they didn’t even realize they were signed up.
Food Expenses
Buying groceries is an essential part of budgeting, but it’s one everyone should keep an eye on. Purchasing too many groceries, or creating food waste can be a big wasted expense. The average American throws away 219 pounds of food a year, and the average U.S. family of four will throw away $1,600 worth of produce alone in a year. Meal planning and buying only what’s needed can help reduce wasted food and money.
But, groceries aren’t the only area where money is wasted on food. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average home in America spends nearly $3,500 annually on food away from home, which includes home delivery.
The average meal out costs $13, which can be as much as a 325% markup of the cost it would take a person to cook the same meal at home. Dining out is great for special occasions, but eating even a few more meals at home a week can lead to some serious long term savings.
Small Impulse Buys
When a purchase is one click away, buying things on impulse becomes almost automatic. It makes ordering new pens, or purchasing a latte on the way to work easy, and many of us rationalize the purchase because it’s only a dollar or two.
But a dollar or two adds up faster than most of us think. According to crowdsourced shopping platform Slickdeals, US consumers spend $155.03 on average each month on impulse purchases.
Impulse spending ranges dramatically from shopper to shopper, but curbing it can look the same across the board. Try implementing the 30 day rule on most purchases. That means letting something sit in a digital shopping cart for 30 days before determining if it’s worth purchasing.
Slowing down the buying cycle can help separate want from need and prevent purchases that are forgotten moments after the transaction.
Unreturned Items
Some of us leave cash sitting on the floor of our closets. Ordering clothing and other items online has become fast and seamless, but when something doesn’t meet our expectations, returning it becomes a chore. According to a Cosmopolitan Magazine survey the average US millennial keeps $120 of online merchandise a year that they’ll never wear.
$120 might not feel like much, but because the clothes go neglected or unworn, the money spent is truly wasted.
Buyers with a closet full of years of unworn clothes can try to recoup some of the money spent with trips to the consignment shop or selling through online marketplaces like Poshmark or Depop .
Transportation Costs
Transportation costs are a necessity in budgeting. But, many of us don’t account for the true cost of transportation, whether that’s fees associated with parking, or the occasional Uber ride.
Owning a car comes with additional expenses, such as gas, insurance, and maintenance, but the cost of parking and traffic can be easy to neglect. Parking related expenses can make up to 45% of a driver’s annual budget , around $3,037 a year. Meter payments, lot fees, and parking tickets can add up quickly.
With a little research before heading somewhere, drivers can avoid the pricey lots or meters, or might even opt to take public transportation if alternatives are too expensive.
People who don’t own a car can still be wasteful with transportation spending. Rideshare apps have made it easier than ever to call a ride on impulse—with the touch of a button, a car will be there in minutes. Since 2015, household annual spending on rideshares, including taxis, has more than tripled .
Rideshares give us the ability to move on demand, but they also can rapidly inflate a transportation budget with a few rides a week. By planning ahead and allowing time for transportation, riders pay a fraction of the cost of a rideshare and use public transportation instead.
When considering transportation, it’s worth thinking about what rides and trips are absolutely necessary, and which can be achieved through public transport.
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Bank Fees
Many Ameicans might not even realize how much they’re being charged simply for accessing their money. A 2019 Bankrate study revealed that the average bank overdraft fee is $33.36 . That means any time a person overspends on a checking account, they’ll incur the hefty fee. If a person isn’t paying attention, they could overdraw multiple times before realizing what they’ve done.
Some banks will even charge customers just for holding an account with them. The cost of these services fees vary based on interest-bearing and non-interest bearing accounts, but settle out to $15 and $5.61, respectively, each month.
Finally, ATM fees can take a chunk out of a customer’s account in moments. When someone chooses to use an ATM outside of their bank’s network, they’ll pay $4.72, on average, each time they withdraw money.
Each bank fee might feel small when you consider its face value, but these figures add up over time. However, not all accounts are built the same. The SoFi Checking and Savings® online banking account has no account fees, can earn up to 4.20% APY, and no fees at over 55,000 ATMs.
Everyone budgets a little differently, and what might feel wasteful for some could be intentional budgeting and spending for others. However, sizable banking fees don’t need to be part of anyone’s spending.
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