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The idea of wasting money absolutely horrifies me. I think I have always been extra conscious of it because of what money-wasters my parents could be. The wasting ranged from miniscule to extreme. My dad would take one bite of a popsicle and throw it out, but what was that compared to the fact that we built an entire guest house, in addition to already having two guest rooms, and never had more than one guest at a time? I think having a few financial rough patches in my adult years made me even more cautious. I started to think of luxuries in terms of emergency money. What if I need this $100 I’m about to spend on a dress to pay for groceries one day? I know that’s a bit paranoid, but, wherever you fall on the spectrum of financial worries, nobody wants to waste money, right? So here are ways you’re likely throwing away dollars.
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Throwing out food
It seems like no big deal, but the loss is greater than you realize. It’s not just the fact that you mismanaged your groceries and threw out a few dollars worth of sandwich materials. You then went and bought a sandwich that cost $13 after tax and tip. See how the financial loss increased tenfold? Look at the expiration date of all food you bring home and plan meals according to foods going bad the earliest.
