Get your budget back on track by identifying and eliminating these 12 common money wasters.
Ghost subscriptions
Subscriptions are easy to get online and equally easy to forget.
Some automatic payments, such as for monthly utility bills, are convenient and can help avoid late fees.
Others, though, can turn into big money leaks.
If youre an avid user, keep the subscriptions.
Review your subscriptions and automatic payments at least annually.
Now we are back to the grind, so no need for Calm stories subscription canceled.
Water leaks
Besides keeping you up all night, a dripping faucet or leaking toilet can cost you money.
Lets say your bathroom faucet drips at the rate of 10 drops per minute.
You should still fix the drip, though, if onlyfor the sake of the planet.
A running toilet, however, can be a real water waster.
The average do-it-yourself fix for a leaky toilet ranges from $45 to $200, according to Angi.
If you have a plumber do it, the national average cost is $350.
Those fees reduce your returns or amplify your losses.
Current fund fees are well below the average 1.50 percent of a few decades ago.
(A handful of index funds charge nothing zip, nada to manage anindex fund.)
Dining out
As pandemic restrictions have eased, people have been dining out more, which is understandable.
But you might be surprised at just how much youve been eating out.
On the other hand, do you really need the house at 72 degrees when youre at work?
Locate the thermostat properly to prevent ghost readings unnecessarily high or low readings.
Put the thermostat on an interior wall away from direct sunlight, drafts and windows.
A wall wart is a charger that has a large plug.
When plugged in, both consume energy, even when the laptop or charger isnt being used.
Other devices in your home quietly suck electricity all day long.
That second television you dont use?
That DVD player you turn on once a year during the holidays to playA Christmas Carol?
Its merrily using power all year long.
