money mistakes

Financial Vices That Drain Money And Cause Illnesses

April 29, 2020 By Kathryn Vercillo 1 Comment

We all have our vices. In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that people are indulging more in their vices right now due to the low-grade (but persistent) anxiety of the shelter-in-place period we find ourselves in as a society. People seek something to take the edge off. It’s understandable. However, some vices come with negative consequences. Many vices lead to a negative impact on our relationships, our health, and/or our finances. Financial vices can end up having particularly big consequences.

The Cost of Drinking

Take a look at the list of essential businesses that are allowed to stay open during the shelter-in-place order. You will discover that liquor stores are on the list. It is debatable whether or not their services are “essential.” Nevertheless, a large percentage of people spend a pretty penny on regular consumption of alcohol.

I’ll confess that this is one of my personal financial vices. I drink wine with dinner on most days. After a trip to Portugal last year, I’ve become particularly fond of Port. Port isn’t cheap. Plus, I like expensive bourbon for the occasional boulevardier. Personally, I’m not spending any more on alcohol now than I did before the coronavirus shutdown. That’s because I tend to buy pricey cocktails when bars are open and now I’m replacing that with wine bottles in the same price range. That said, I’m not earning as much right now as before, so continuing to spend money on alcohol is arguably one of my financial vices.

Alcohol comes with costs beyond the financial, of course. There are health concerns, particularly for people with a history of alcohol misuse, a compromised liver, and other specific issues. If drinking goes beyond a vice into an addiction, then there are potential costs to relationships, work, and other key aspects of life. If that addiction requires treatment, the financial costs can become astronomical.

Of course, not all drinking is problematic drinking. It’s just important to be aware of the risks if this is one of your financial vices. Giving up alcohol can save you a lot of money. However, if you don’t want to do that, you may consider reducing your consumption. You may opt to purchase less-expensive alcohol or buy it in bulk to save money. Notice the impact of your drinking on your finances and your health so that you can make the best choice for you.

The Cost of Smoking

Personally, I’ve never been a smoker. However, I have known many people who are, and the number one thing that they complain about is how much it costs them every month. That cost varies depending on where you live and how much you smoke. A pack of cigarettes typically costs between $5 and $10. Even on the low end, if you smoke one pack per day, that’s $35 per week or more than $1800 per year. But, the cost of cigarettes themselves isn’t the major expense. There are a ton of others:

Increased Life Insurance Costs : Smokers are more likely to die young and therefore have to pay more for life insurance.

Health Insurance: Smokers have more medical problems and this risk is reflected in their higher medical insurance premiums.

Health Care: Since smokers are frequently less healthy than non-smokers, they have higher health care costs.

Medications: Because smokers have more medical problems, they also tend to pay more for prescription medicine.

Home Owner’s Insurance: Smokers are more likely to burn down their house and this risk is reflected in higher home owner’s insurance costs.

Value of the House & Possessions: Not only is smoking a financial vice, it leaves a bad smell in housing, furniture and cars, thus decreasing their value to potential buyers.

Car Insurance: Smokers have higher risk of getting into a car accident than non smokers and accordingly pay more for insurance.

Earn Less Money: Studies have found that smokers earn between 4% to 11% less than non-smokers. Also, because smokers earn less money, they receive lower social security and pension benefits.

Cost of Cleaning: Smokers have to spend more to keep their clothes, houses and cars clean.

Giving up cigarettes is one way to save yourself a lot of health concerns and a nice chunk of money. Some people don’t want to give up tobacco completely, of course. If cigarettes are one of your financial vices, you might want to switch to something like snus, a Swedish smokeless tobacco that has fewer health risks than cigarettes.

The Cost of Online Shopping

I was never a big shopper. First of all, I don’t like malls. Moreover, I can’t afford the boutique stores in my neighborhood. While I do have a fondness for antique stores and thrift shops, I don’t generally feel the urge to go buy a bunch of things from them. And yet, over the years, one of the financial vices that I’ve developed is online shopping. It’s just so easy these days! Find anything you want online, click a button, and it’s delivered to your door – sometimes on the very same day!

There are a lot of reasons I regret that this is one of my financial vices. The cost is the obvious reason. I engage in impulse buys for things that I don’t need. I fail to do a cost comparison. Often, I find myself shopping from big brand stores when I’d rather support independent, local businesses. It’s a habit that I’m personally working on breaking.

And yet, right now, when most stores are closed and the ones that are open have long lines, I don’t find myself particularly inclined to give up this vice. Instead, I’m simply trying to curb it. The best trick I know is to put things in an online cart but require myself to wait at least 24 hours – preferably longer – before reviewing the cart and clicking to make the purchase. Often this time delay gives me the perspective to realize that I don’t need to make the purchase after all. Other people block the sites they are most likely to use for shopping or make sure that their credit card info isn’t stored on their computers. Whatever trick you can implement to reduce unnecessary online shopping is good for your bottom line.

Other Common Financial Vices

Drinking, smoking, and online shopping are the financial vices that I see cropping up time and time again. However, there are so many different vices in the world, and plenty of them can compromise your finances. Here are some of the other common financial vices people tend to indulge in:

Expensive Food Habits

People spend money on fast food, which is bad for health and can easily add up in costs as well. People also spend money on coffee drinks, pastries to go, and expensive dinners. Is this one of your vices? I find it easy to justify high food costs for my health but when I look more closely, I see that often this is just an excuse to spend more than I should on food that isn’t actually the best for me.

Marijuana and Other Drugs

Just like with alcohol and cigarettes, marijuana and other drugs can be high-cost financial vices. Recreational use is legal here in California, and I’ve seen firsthand how quickly the tab adds up when you shop for THC/CBD products here.

Lottery Tickets

This used to be one of my financial vices. I would always say, “I know that I probably won’t win but a dollar isn’t so much to spend for that beautiful moment of hope that I might.” However, I rarely spent “just a dollar.” I would often buy multiple tickets for the same drawing. There are several drawings per week. Then there are the scratchers. It’s easy to spend a lot of money on lottery tickets in the hopes of getting more money in return. It rarely works out that way.

Gambling and Other Behavioral Addictions

Of course, the lottery is a form of gambling. Gambling can take many other forms as well, some of which can be much pricier than Lotto tickets. While some people gamble for fun and can quit anytime, other people develop an addiction to gambling. This is one of several behavioral addictions. Online gaming, internet addiction, and various forms of sexual addiction are also behavioral addictions (or compulsive behaviors in people whose problematic behavior doesn’t rise to the level of addiction.) Any of these can cost you financially, compromise your health, and impact your relationships.

What are your most expensive vices? How do you feel about giving them up?

Why Teens Fail at Finances

January 14, 2014 By Danielle Warchol Leave a Comment

A lot of people are guilty of making financial mistakes, but teenagers are often guilty of making mistakes with money because they don’t know any better. While many adults are guilty of making similar financial mistakes, most adults quickly learn how to handle their money in a way that won’t hurt them further down the line. Listed below are some of the biggest financial mistakes teenagers can make with their money:

Underestimating the Cost of Items

Sometimes buying an item you’ve coveted for a while can be so exciting that you have tunnel vision when it comes to purchasing it. Many big-ticket items come with associated costs. For instance, buying a car means that you’ll also have to pay for car insurance, tires, and gas. Many teenagers don’t realize that there are additional costs for most items after the initial purchase is made.

Buying More Than You Need

Buying more than you need is a common problem for teenagers (and for a lot of adults, too). Sometimes having money means you want to buy as much as possible. So, you might buy ten new pieces of clothing when you don’t really need all those new clothes. Teenagers often let money burn a hole in their pockets.

Spending More Than You Have

Spending more than you have is one of the biggest financial problems for most people, but especially for teenagers. If they have a debit card, it’s easy for them to swipe it without realizing how much money there’s actually in their bank account. A lot of teenagers tend to avoid checking their account balances, which ends up leading to overdraft fees and negative balances.

Buying To Impress

Who hasn’t bought an expensive item in order to impress someone? Maybe they want to impress their friends with their spending habits or go out of their way to impress a boyfriend or girlfriend. Spending money to impress people rarely works out in the long run, but it’s an unfortunate financial habit that some teenagers make far too often.

Trying to Keep Up With Friends

If your friends have the latest gadgets or are always going out to eat, it’s easy to persuade yourself into spending the same amount of money so you own the same things or are able to do the same activities. Sometimes teenagers don’t realize that they may be in a different financial situation than their friends and may feel pressured to spend the same amount of money just to fit in.

Choosing Quantity Over Quality

A lot of teenagers also tend to buy quantity over quality, but sometimes the cheaper, multi-pack items end up being a poor purchase. For instance, let’s say a shoe store has a deal where each set of shoes is only $10, but the shoes are so poorly made that they need to be replaced every month. After a year, $120 will have been spent on those shoes. Instead, a well-made pair of shoes could be bought for $50 and could end up lasting for the entire year (or longer).

Not Saving Money

A lot of people are notoriously bad at saving money. Sometimes teenagers don’t realize that they should be saving money for the future. It’s easier to live in the present and not concern yourself with financial problems you may face down the road. But not saving money is one of the biggest financial mistakes that teenagers tend to make, and one they usually regret once they get older.

Not Budgeting

Budgeting is another big financial mistake most teenagers make. A lot of schools no longer teach students how to budget their money, so it’s the last thing on their mind when they see money in their bank account. Budgeting is something teenagers should learn in order to prevent overspending or spending frivolously. Budgeting is also just a good skill for anyone to learn when it comes to dealing with their finances.

Paying Avoidable Fees

Many teenagers also fall into the trap of paying avoidable fees, such as paying a fee for taking money out of an ATM, paying a fee for a late cell phone bill, or overdrawing their bank account. These habits are unfortunately ones that tend to stick, and can follow them into adulthood. Paying fees that could have otherwise been avoided is a huge financial mistake as well as a waste of money.

Spending Money Frivolously

Everyone has, at one time or another, spent money frivolously. Teenagers are prone to spending money frivolously because they don’t really have many other bills or necessities to pay for. However, this can also lead to the creation of poor spending habits, especially when they finally do have to start paying for more important things. Trying to curb frivolous spending habits it something everyone should consider, but teenagers definitely need to understand the problem before they really hurt their finances.

(Photo courtesy of Ed Yourdon)

10 Celebrity Money Mistakes to Avoid

September 30, 2013 By Danielle Warchol 6 Comments

Most celebrities have more money in their bank accounts than many of us will ever see in one lifetime. The thing to remember is that having a lot of money doesn’t mean that you are necessarily financially savvy. In fact, a lot of celebrities are pretty horrible at managing their own money. All too often you read about celebrities who have gone bankrupt or who end up with piles of debt after making poor choices. Many of the bad decisions that they make are ones that anyone could make, but tend to seem more dramatic due to the larger amount of money involved and it all being played out in public. Here are a few money mistakes that celebrities make that you should take the time to learn from so that you can definitely avoid them:

Excessive Spending

There are a lot of people, especially celebrities, who practically throw away money. Having millions of dollars does not mean that you have to spend it all. Many celebrities like to buy overly expensive houses, cars, clothing, or other items. Or, on a different note, they’ll spend a ridiculous amount of money on everyday items, such as spending thousands of dollars for a specific and rare brand of water or alcohol. Excessive spending might seem feasible if you have a lot of money, but it can easily become a bad habit that drains your entire bank account if your source of income dries up. This is often the case with athletes who have a lot of money coming in during their career, but that money vanishes when they retire, usually at a young(ish) age.

Listening to Bad Financial Advice

Additionally, many celebrities end up listening to bad financial advice. There are certain financial advisors who love to prey on people with money, especially if those people are willing to hand over complete financial control of their assets. If you don’t know much about your finances, you can easily be given financial advice that will ruin you. Such examples include being encouraged to invest in stocks that perform poorly or putting money into projects that are bound to fail.

Loaning Money to Family and Friends

Once you come into money, it suddenly seems like friends and family members are constantly asking to borrow some for personal or professional reasons. Many celebrities often lend money to friends or family only to find that it’s never repaid. It’s always smart to seriously consider before lending money to any friends or family members since you never know if they’ll pay you back or consider you loan as a gift.

Poor Investment Choices

Just as some celebrities are in danger of following bad financial advice, they’re often also in danger of making bad investments. Putting money into projects or businesses that don’t pan out can cause someone to lose tens of thousands of dollars. Many celebrities will sometime invest money without really knowing what they’re putting their money into. If you plan to invest in a company or a friend’s project or business, make sure you know all the particulars and how your money is going to be spent. You always want to make sure that your investment choices are smart instead of rash and under informed.

Living Beyond Your Means

Just as many celebrities have a problem with excess spending, many also live beyond their means. You should always be aware of how much money you have and how much you can spend without causing serious financial problems. For instance, you don’t want to buy a luxury vehicle that you know you can never afford to pay off. Indulging every once in awhile can be nice, but doing it all the time will only cause your financial ruin if you don’t have the money to support your spending habits.

Impulse Spending

Sometimes people with money tend to buy items they want but don’t necessarily need. Impulse spending can often lead to draining your bank account, especially if you buy something you know you won’t ever use. For instance, why buy a fancy kitchen appliance if you know that you’ll never use it? Or, in the case of many celebrities, why buy 10 cars if you rarely drive?

Buying Luxury Items

You often see many celebrities adorned with luxury clothing or accessories such as $4,000 suits, $3,000 shoes, or $10,000 dresses. Buying such items can put a strain on your bank account, even if you are incredibly wealthy. More often than not, the value of the item decreases after a few months or years. Additionally, buying luxury items might be nice every once in awhile but if you don’t have the money to afford them, you shouldn’t be going out of your way to acquire such items.

Tax Evasion

There are many celebrities who “forget” to pay their taxes. Avoiding paying your taxes leads to a lot of financial problems and will cause the government to hound you for back taxes, including penalties and fees. Tax evasion is something that no one can get away with regardless of whether or not they’re a celebrity.

Not Managing Your Own Money

One of the biggest money mistakes you can make is not managing your own money. When you trust someone to handle your money, you’re trusting that they’re going to make decisions that are in your best interest. You have to be careful that they don’t end up stealing or defrauding you, something that has happened to many celebrities who choose to have other people manage their investments and bank accounts.

Not Saving Money

Everyone should do their best to save money, so you might be surprised to learn how many celebrities are awful at putting money aside. Even if you only save a tiny bit each week, it’s better than nothing. Don’t be like the many celebrities who spend all their money instead of saving it and end up bankrupt.

10 Common Financial Blunders

September 11, 2013 By Jeffrey Strain 6 Comments

There are plenty of steps that you can take to help you become financially successful, but all your hard work will end up being for nothing if you’re undermining the financial success you’re seeking to attain. The financial steps to success are important, but understanding the actions that’ll ensure financial failure are just as important. It usually only takes a single financial blunder to wipe out much, if not most, of the financial progress you’ve made. Here are ten of these blunders that you want to avoid or resolve as soon as possible to ensure the long-term health of your finances.

Spend More Than You Make

This is the foundation of all personal finance. If you can’t live within your means, you’re going to find yourself in financial trouble no matter how much money you make. While you may be able to get way with spending more than you make for a while, it’ll eventually catch up with you. At some point you’ll have to make up the difference and when that point arrives, your finances will not be happy.

Live Paycheck to Paycheck

While living paycheck to paycheck may seem better than living beyond your means, it still ensures failure in trying to meet your financial goals. Again, this applies no matter how much you make. Paycheck to paycheck living fails to take into account unexpected expenses that are a part of life. While you may be able to pull off the paycheck to paycheck game for a while, it’ll only be a matter of time that something unexpected puts you into debt which is a difficult hole from which to escape.

Trying to Keep up with the Joneses

The Joneses aren’t who you are competing against. In fact, what they’re doing and buying likely has very little to do with your own financial goals. The reason that what the Joneses are doing may look appealing is because you have failed to understand your own financial goals. By adopting the goals of the Joneses (who may not know their true financial goals because they may be trying to keep up with the Smiths) instead of figuring out what financial goals are truly important to you, you’ve guaranteed that you will never reach them. Forget the Joneses and take the time to figure out what’s important to you.

Not Knowing Your Financial Goals

If you don’t know where you’re driving, the chances of you getting there are slim. The same holds true with your finances. To succeed, you need to know where you want to be financially. The way to achieve that is by knowing what they are and then creating a map to reach them. Not knowing your financial goals is like wanting to get to a vacation spot using a blank map.

Letting Money Control You

It’s not about how much you make, but if you make enough to do the things that are most important to you. Money is a means to an end, not the end itself (after all, it’s nothing more than pieces of paper printed with ink). Financial success isn’t dependent on how much you have, but rather whether you can you attain what’s important to you with the amount you have.

Failing to Improve Yourself

Your education doesn’t end when you graduate from school. If you’re unwilling to improve yourself, you and your finances will stagnate. Improving yourself is a never-ending process (who do you know that is perfect?) and it’s an essential part of keeping your long-term financial well-being.

Relying on Others to Take Care of Your Money

Rarely do those who take care of your money have the same interest in what ultimately happens to your money as you do (they’re probably more focused on making money for themselves, not for you). While it’s perfectly acceptable to rely on others to give you suggestions and help you think through financial decisions, you should always be an integral part of the decision process. If you rely on others to take care of all your financial interests without you having any oversight, you shouldn’t be surprised when money is invested and lost in ways that you may have never allowed had you known.

Invest in Things You Don’t Understand

If you’re goal is to quickly lose the hard earn money you’ve made and start from square one again (or even in the hole), start investing in things you have no idea about. The problem isn’t that the investments are bad in themselves, but most investments have risks and the only way to evaluate them is to understand the investment. When you have no clue what you’re doing, that usually means that others who do have a clue will make money at your expense. No matter how much uncle Joe talks about what a great investment it is, place your money elsewhere until you are confident you understand everything about it.

Being Financially Afraid

Just as being to aggressive can ensure financial failure, being afraid to take any risk at all will also almost always ensure it. To grow your money to meet your goals means taking calculated risks that bode in your favor over time. Not doing so will result in your finances treading water, if not sinking, and falling short of your goals.

Ignoring Your Finances

It seems that many people believe if they simply ignore their finances, then things will get better or somehow take care of themselves. While it’s a nice hope, it’s nothing more than a fantasy. Reality says that ignoring your finances will lead to all types of trouble that ultimately ensure you fail to reach your financial goals.

These are some of the more common blunders that people make that end up hurting their finances. By avoiding these financially destructive steps, you’ll greatly increase the odds that you’ll meet your long-term financial goals.

(Photo courtesy of Nick Allen)

What to Do When a Big Expense Doesn’t Work Out

May 31, 2013 By Jennifer Derrick 1 Comment

I went to graduate school with another woman who, let’s just say, didn’t end up with the same happy experience that I did. Very early on in the program, it became clear that the program wasn’t a good fit for her. Despite what the school said when they were wooing her, they weren’t really interested in her research interests, she had a hard time finding an advisor willing to help her, and the program wasn’t geared toward the practical job applications she’d hoped for. (It was a training ground for academia, not the real-world.)

She told me that she thought she’d done everything right. She’d researched the program, talked to former students and current faculty and felt like it would be a good fit. But it just wasn’t. She tried to stick with it, figuring she could just gut it out, get the degree and move on. She kept paying tuition, long after it was apparent that things were going downhill. Finally she was so depressed and miserable that she had to get out. Making things worse was the fact that her advisor bailed on her mid-thesis, meaning she’d have to start over and add another year (and more money) to the program.

When we talked, she said, “I hate to quit. I’ve spent so much money and to leave with nothing feels like failure.” I told her that, while it was up to her, she had to decide which was worth more: Her sanity, health, and happiness, or the degree. She ultimately chose to quit. The last time I talked to her was about a year after she left and she was much happier. “Even though I lost all that money, I still feel better than I have in a long time.” This happens to a lot of us, at least once in our lives. We get into a bad investment. We enroll in a degree program that turns out not to be a good fit. We end up in a house in a neighborhood we hate. We buy something like a timeshare that we’re sure we’ll use but end up never using. We start a business that flounders. Whatever it is, most of us end up sinking a lot of money into something that just doesn’t work out.

The temptation in this situation is to keep throwing money at the problem, hoping that things will get better. We hope the investment will turn around. We hope that the neighborhood will get better, or at least we’ll learn to live with it. We keep paying dues on the timeshare hoping that our work schedule will free up so we can travel more. We hope that business will pick up. And, like my friend, we may keep paying tuition in the hopes that we can at least survive until we get the degree. We don’t want to admit we made a mistake.

That’s natural. Most of us don’t want to quit on something we’ve spent a lot of money on. And you do need to give things a solid try and seek ways to fix the problem before you bail out. Is the problem with the neighborhood as a whole, or just with one neighbor? If it’s just with one, can you talk to the person and try to work something out before you move? Is the problem with the problem with the investment itself, or is there something in the fine print that you didn’t understand that could make a difference? Is the problem with your business that there’s no demand for your product, or are you not marketing yourself correctly? Can you do something different? Is the problem with the whole degree program, or just one professor? Is there a way to cut that person out of your program? You may be able to salvage something if you ask careful questions and try different actions.

If the situation just can’t be fixed, though, the best thing you can do is pull the plug. Don’t keep spending money out of some misplaced sense of obligation or desire to “see things through.” Sure, you don’t want to be a quitter, but when something is an obvious bad fit or failure, it’s better to take your losses, learn from the mistake, and move on. Otherwise, you’re just throwing money away on something that makes you miserable, or which isn’t providing you with the benefits that you thought it would. This toxic thing is draining your cash and you need to stop it.

And you might not be out as much as you think. My friend still had the credits she’d amassed that could be transferred to another school. She also had some non-monetary gains. She made new friends and contacts, she learned a lot of material, and she got a better perspective on what she might want to do with her future. The experience wasn’t a total waste. If you have a house you hate, you might still be able to turn a profit on it, or maybe you met a least one decent person in the neighborhood who turns out to be a lifelong friend. That timeshare might work better as a rental, giving you enough income to at least break even while you wait for more relaxed days ahead. With a failed business, at least you learned some things about running a business that you can apply to a venture that’s a better fit.

At the very least, you’ve learned something that will prevent you from making the same mistake in the future. Learning through the school of mistakes is the way most of us learn best. You can learn a lot more about yourself, life, and money through a big screw up than you can from more carefully controlled lessons. There’s value in that, even if it doesn’t seem like it when you decide to walk away.

10 Holiday Celebration Spending Mistakes

July 5, 2012 By Dana O. Crandell 3 Comments

No matter how well we budget for the coming year, holidays always seem to sneak up on us. Think about how many special occasions require extra spending in just one year: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, the winter holidays including New Years, religious celebrations, or any weekend where you get together with family and friends. All of those fun times amount to a lot of holiday spending on everything from food, to decor, and of course, gifts.

These are ten common mistakes people make when it comes to opening their wallets during any celebration or holiday:

Thinking Of Holidays Like Emergencies

Yes, you were probably taught that it’s polite to bring a hostess gift and to always send birthday toys to all your nieces and nephews, but what feels like a polite gesture can also be a huge strain on your finances. This might lead you to think these customs are worth dipping into your emergency funds for. Even if you usually go all out with birthday gifts, and even if your friends are bringing expensive bottles of wine over to the holiday party, don’t feel obligated to do the same. Treat holidays like all other aspects of your budget during a recession: scaled back.

Giving Expensive Gifts

On that note, some people are still tempted to go above-and-beyond for extra special holidays like Christmas or a child’s birthday. But before busting your budget on the newest game console or treadmill, consider whether this exciting item is really worth it. Some gifts, like the game console, continue to cost big bucks when your kids want the hottest new $50 games to go with it. And while “healthy” gifts like treadmills sound like worthwhile investments, their huge price tags are hardly worth the extra hours you’ll have to work to make the payments. A 20-minute jog a day is not worth that.

Using The Credit Card

Now you’re thinking, Gifts and festive holiday expenditures are not that bad if I put them on a credit card, right? But this is yet another mistake consumers make during celebrations where they feel obligated to give and share with others. You might assume that adding just a couple hundred dollars to your credit card balance is worth providing the best Thanksgiving feast ever, or buying your loved one a surprise summer cruise; the reality is these purchases stack up and can leave you feeling overwhelmed with credit card debt that you are only making minimum payments on.

Making Excuses For One Last Bad Purchase

When consumers recognize that all-year holiday spending is pulling them under, they might feel so deep in trouble that they will excuse little splurges. What’s a little more debt? they think, and this isn’t the right attitude for struggling through a personal financial crisis. It’s understandable why someone would want one last spending fling if they’re feeling depressed about being in debt during December or right before their friends take off on a costly getaway. You can turn down excursions you can’t afford, and you can keep your debt from getting worse by resisting the urge to splurge.

Trying To Act Like Everything Is Okay

Financial trouble is a private topic anyway, but being in debt can be even more embarrassing during the holidays when others are giving generously and holding expensive events. For this reason, some people try to act like nothing is wrong; they might even show up with an expensive gift or in expensive clothes anyway, in an attempt to cover up the problems. Don’t be this person. Instead, rely on the support of your family and friends during hard times, and trust that they will not judge you for turning down an invite or having no gifts.

Acting Like Bad Things Only Happen To Other People

You are not immune to the problems a recession and personal crisis can bring. No one knows what tomorrow brings, and it could leave you wishing you’d paid rent before buying an unnecessary gift. If for no other reason, don’t overdo holiday spending so that you’ll have more money to stow in a savings account instead. Wouldn’t you rather save for an emergency or an important family purchase than give away hundreds of dollars in gifts?

Trying Too Hard To Impress

Even those who aren’t in serious debt can get themselves closer to it by spending on frivolous things like holiday decor. Yes, it’s fine to budget for a Christmas tree or the haunted house you set up in your yard every Halloween, but the point is these enjoyable purchases are still accounted for in the budget. What you don’t need is hundreds of dollars — unaccounted for — going towards making the neighbors ooh and ahh. Even if you’re tasked with hosting a large holiday gathering, don’t gulp down the thousand dollar grocery bill just to impress. Ask friends and family to bring dishes or pitch in with cash.

Budgeting Incorrectly For Travel

Many holidays also involve travel, whether it’s back to Grandma’s house for the holidays, or to a tropical destination during a long weekend. But in the frenzy to prepare for the holiday, it’s possible to breeze-over some crucial travel expenses. First, you might not have considered that travel is generally more expensive during holidays, and now you’re stuck with a hotel room you weren’t expecting to overpay for. It’s also easy to focus on the obvious expenses, like plane tickets, and forget the cost in gas it takes to get to the airport, or the cost of parking and a rental car. You also pay more for food and drink during vacation than you do at home. All these unnoticed little debit card swipes can add up to big problems.

Letting The Monthly Budget Grow Wild

At the start of the year, many resolve to keep stellar track of their budgets. Monitored budgets help heads-of-households keep a grip on their everyday expenditures, and also anticipate other types of spending like the kind you do during holidays. But as life gets in the way, people let their budgets go unchecked. When they lose track of how much they’re spending versus how much they’re bringing in, it’s much easier to justify a holiday credit card purchase and then put it immediately out of mind. If you can see this happening to you, be sure to stay on top of your budget this year.

Waiting Until The Last Minute

The only thing worse than not being able to afford a gift or some other form of holiday cheer, is realizing this at the last minute. Now that you know the most common mistakes buyers make during holidays and celebrations, make a list of all the days worth celebrating in your life this year. Don’t be shy about making a long list of fun days to look forward to, but also admit to yourself that you can’t afford to spend extra money on all of these holidays. Be prepared for the most important (and most expensive) of these holidays by setting aside a savings fund for gifts, decor, food, and travel. Make 2012 the year that holidays are actually worth celebrating, not panicking over.

(Photo courtesy of asenat29)