5 Money Habits That Drained My Bank Account

Hi pretties! Good money habits are such an important part of life when it comes to finances. Nobody wants to be in the hole. Living paycheck to paycheck also is not ideal. We can all learn good money habits from friends, coworkers, even fellow peers. However, there are some money habits that can drain your bank account faster than you can say “can I get a raise?”. Here are 6 of those habits that almost drained my bank account.

Overbuying things just to fit in with social media personalities

One of my biggest money habits that definitely put a drainer on my bank account was overbuying things just to fit in with other social media personalities. I remember I would buy all things pink and girly just to fit in with that crowd. That led to me spending way more than I should have. I’m slowly learning to kick the habit of buying things just because I’ve seen other people on Instagram have them. What they have, I don’t need.

Emotional shopping

Emotional shopping definitely was another money drainer for me. It’s so easy to treat yo’self after a bad day at work. Your boss yelled at you for not completing that project on time? Time to head to Sephora for a little treat. Boyfriend/husband made you cry? Target trip inbound! Emotional shopping only provides a very short amount of dopamine, and the feeling wears off after an hour at most. I’ve learned more effective, less costly ways to manage my emotional outbursts. For example, when I am feeling overwhelmed, I put on a good Youtube video to watch. Sometimes, I’ll play games or talk with my partner if I’m feeling down about something. Playing a game or talking to someone is way better than retail therapy. Retail therapy’s dopamine hit only lasts for an hour, but with talking, you’ll form a deeper connection with people.

Weekly DoorDash/UberEats/GrubHub deliveries

The weekly DoorDash, UberEats, and GrubHub deliveries were another money draining habit of mine. Nobody likes to cook. In fact, cooking is one of my least favorite things to do. It was certainly one of my least favorite things to do when I lived alone. Imagine having to work 8-5 and then having no energy to cook. Ordering takeout is certainly an easy solution. However, with the fees and tips, delivery apps can be quite costly. I try to limit my delivery app orders to once every couple of weeks, or even once a month because of how costly they are. I’ve also learned that if I want something delicious to eat and I don’t feel like cooking, quick and easy homemade meals are key. Picking up a bite to eat on the way home isn’t bad either. The same applies with coffee. Sure, it may be quicker and easier to spend $7 on a latte from Starbucks, but in the long run, that’s going to end up costing you hundreds of dollars per year.

Trying common beauty treatments at home

Some people may think it’s actually cheaper to get beauty treatments done at home. However, if you mess up, it can be a pretty big money drainer. Using myself as an example, I once went from black hair to platinum blond. Each bleach kit cost $15. I ended up spending about $100 just to upkeep my hair. At the end, it was not worth the hassle of dead, stringy hair, so I went back to my natural color. Now if I ever want my hair colored again, I would go to a professional salon.

Trying to make a space aesthetically pleasing

Trying to make a space aesthetically pleasing definitely was a bad money habit that drained my bank account. I love the idea of having aesthetic rooms, but having to swap everything out to be replaced with new things when your aesthetic has changed is exhausting. Instead of trying to make a room look aesthetically pleasing, I buy things that are neutral or pink and place them around a room to add a bit of color. That way, the room can still look aesthetic without having to buy thousands of dollars worth in furniture every three months.

What money habits have you cut to save money?

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