Where is your extra money going every month?
Do often wonder where your money goes after every payday? After paying the mortgage/rent, utilities, the kids’ extracurricular activity fees, gas, groceries, and pet supplies…where does the rest of your hard earned [saved] money disappear to?
There are several places that a few dollars seem to be swallowed up without us ever realizing it. A few dollars here, another one there…but at the end of the month you wind up spending more on fees that you could have otherwise saved.
How much are you wasting on the following?
Bank Fees: You should not be charged a fee for your checking account. There are plenty of financial institutions who have “fee-free” checking. Also banks are charging higher rates on non-bank ATM usages, [to get back what they lost when the economy took a nose-dive], multiple ATM transactions and outrageous fees when a check bounces or you cause an overdraft on your account. You could be paying as much as $20 to $100 a month on such fees. Talk to your banker, see if you can’t find a free or more affordable option; worst case scenario would be to change banks.
Cell Phone Plans: Single and multiple -line cell phone plans have expanded their plans, services and discounts too. Can you bundle some of your services or remove the unlimited texting to a limited plan? Ask your carrier about other options. At the end of your 1 or 2-year agreement reassess your cell phone plan, and you may find that another carrier is willing to offer you more bundled services for less money. Also ask about discounts for AAA, Golden Buckeye, AARP, company/corporate plans to save a few extra dollars every month.
Revolving Credit Card Balances: It doesn’t matter if you have a New York and Company credit card with a balance of $256 or a CitiCard with a balance of $4,789.27, if you are constantly carrying over a balance every month, you are paying too much on interest and fees. Work to pay off these credit cards, and do not use them if you don’t have to! Over the course of 1 year, you could be paying nearly double what you own on interest alone. Credit card companies make money through the interest they charge you. Pay it off, and only use in the event of emergency or when traveling, but save enough cash to pay it off within a month or two. If your APR is above 10%, negotiate with your issuer to lower the amount.
