“Where did my money go?” Sounds too familiar, right?
At the end of the month, we are usually just scraping through because we’ve been spending without thinking.
And what we don't realise is that we often waste money on things that we just don’t need. Like:
1. Buying, instead of making, coffee
You know how you crave a delicious flat white in the morning? Unfortunately, buying coffee every single day can be very expensive. According to We Are Awesome, the average price of coffee in South Africa is R23.56 so skipping that daily expense could save you more than R471 a month.
2. Take-away lunches
It's hard to say no to delicious take away lunches? But think about it: if you spend more than R30 a day that adds up to over R600 per month. Just on lunch. So instead of going to restaurants or buying take-aways, go to a grocery store once a week and make your lunch at work. Or bring leftovers from home, instead of wasting that food. Not only will you be saving money, but you’ll also brush up on your culinary skills.
3. Drawing money from ATMs
Every time you draw from an ATM, your bank charges you withdrawal fees. Business Tech compared South African bank withdrawal fees and found that FNB and Capitec had the highest native withdrawal fees. So instead of drawing cash, rather try and swipe or SnapScan wherever you can. And it's more secure than carrying cash with you.
4. Memberships or subscriptions
We’ve all had a gym membership or magazine subscription that we get little to no benefit from. Cancel all subscriptions or memberships that you don’t use, it’s such a waste.
5. Lottery
The chances of winning the Lottery in South Africa are one in 13 983 816, yet many South Africans spend hundreds every month on lottery tickets. A ticket is usually R5 for a line or block with an additional cost of R2.50 for Lotto Plus. Buy a ticket or two every now and then, but don't spend a lot of money on this every week. It's silly.
6. Buying food and drinks at a big event
A product doubles in value at a big event or concert. Instead of paying almost R20 for a bottle of water, why not bring your own food and drinks, or eat at home beforehand.
7. Gambling
I could never understand the phenomenon of gambling, squandering your money away, or winning by luck – no thanks. Yet, gambling is a serious addiction and many people fall prey to it. Gambling has landed many in debt, and has ruined thousands of lives. Rather use your money the good ol’ fashioned way by buying something worth having or investing it.
8. Online apps and games
Buying games or purchasing certain packages of your favourite game is a waste of your precious money. It's also an addiction. Paying R60 for R40 gold bars or R16 on five extra moves on Candy Crush is actually pretty nuts. Just stop.
9. Visiting a beauty salon
Some people are addicted to getting their nails done. They have to go into a salon at least twice or three times a month. Try to scale down on this, rather opting to do your nails at home.
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