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Whether you like your job or not, you do work hard for your money. Every dollar that comes into your bank account was the result of your sweat, blood, and tears. Okay maybe not all of that but, you gave something in exchange for it. So when you waste that money, you gave what you gave—time, energy, mental bandwidth—for nothing. If you don’t like your job, then wasting money becomes even more nauseating because you first, don’t enjoy what you have to do to make the money and then, don’t even make use of the monetary reward. Sometimes I have to do jobs that I don’t love, but as I’m doing them, I remember the payoff that’s to come. The thought of just lighting those dollars on fire infuriates me. That’s why I became pretty militant about assessing and criticizing my spending habits this year. I don’t have money to waste. Even if I have “disposable” income, I don’t like that term one bit. Money is not disposable. Money I spend on dining out with my partner or traveling is not money I disposed of. Even then, I put it to good use, it did cost me, and I want to make sure that I use that money responsibly. So often, we waste money because we aren’t paying attention, we’re feeling lazy, or we simply don’t know our options. If you want to make sure your money is being well-utilized, there will be a time investment on your part. But it’s worth it. Being lax about supervising your money could mean tossing out hundreds or thousands every year. One of your jobs is to make money, but you other job is to be the custodian of it. So please don’t participate in these grossly wasteful money habits.
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Not returning unused items
If you purchase something and realize that it is the wrong size, that you already have one, that you don’t need it after all, that it is defective, or that for any reason you will not be using it, take the time to return it. I understand that time is money, and it’s not worth it to drive 30 minutes there and back to return a $5 item. But, you can loop your returns together. If you have several items that need returning, find locations for returns that are nearby and make a chore of it. Don’t let tens or hundreds of dollars escape you because you didn’t feel like returning something.
