Are you tight on the budget all of the time? Does it seem like an endless chase from your paycheck to the bank to beat due dates and credit card payments? Take a moment to analyze where your money goes. You can’t beat yourself blue earning money the hard way and allow little things to drain your finances. If you are guilty of many of the following bad habits, cut them off:

Over-filling the tank

Don’t continue filling the gas tank after you hear the gas nozzle click off. Sure, the cents don’t seem to count anymore. But according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the gas overage can evaporate into your vehicle’s vapor collection; this may cause inefficiency to the car’s performance and result to higher fuel consumption. This will also quickly drain your finances!

Mowing your lawn too short

Don’t trim your backyard grass below 1-inch; that’s too short and that will damage the plant’s root system. Short grass exposes the roots to drought, weeds and pests. Once these problems hit your lawn, it means more expense. Lawn that is too shortly trimmed will also need a lot of maintaining to make it look good. Keep your lawn at 3 inches, it’s better-looking and it won’t need that much upkeep.

Eating meat-based meals

Meat is more expensive, and less healthy than legumes. Go heavy on vegetables and lentils and go light on your budget. Legumes are not only good protein sources; they also rank high as sources of fiber, antioxidants, and heart-friendly fatty acids.

Neglecting those cracks

Since you’re plugging holes, start with the leaks around the house. Air leaks can cause the energy bills to spike up to 30%. Caulk the holes and weather-strip window and door frames so you can keep these minor cracks from being yet another thing to drain your finances.

Subscribing and paying for apps, songs and games

Enjoy the freebies, but don’t go buying premium features. Imagine a thousand songs at $0.99 each; that’s one luxurious music library! Less-than-a-dollar can be so innocent; but not so innocent if you spend it without much thought every day.

The key is to think small, save big. Avoid bank charges by saving within the average daily balance. Pay creditors on time to avoid surcharges. Nix disposables like plastic wraps, plastic containers, Ziplocs, and other storages that land in the bin after one use. Instead buy those that can be reused and repurposed. Do minor repairs when they are still minor, rather than full-blown fixes. Learn to manage the small things to save big time and learn to recognize the things that drain your finances!

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