19 Ways Laziness is Costing You Money

“You are smart but lazy.” Haven’t many of us heard this before. When you were in school, laziness cost you high grades and when you are in the business world, it probably cost you a promotion. It’s no big deal you might say, but fix your laziness and 19 of the following money leaks might just go away.

1. Gift cards – For those of us who accumulated a bunch of gift cards at home, maybe it’s time that we sell (or use) some of it. They might be lost, forgotten or in some cases deemed worthless (like Circuit City ones).
2. Free Offers That Expire – Sometimes, companies just offer free stuff on certain days. Recently, Denni’s offered free breakfast and Quiznos offered free subs. Most people just didn’t know about them but you should really take advantage if you find out!
3. Old Stuff Collecting Dust in Your House – We all heard about selling old stuff on ebay but how many of you really tried?
4. Tax Refunds that People Don’t Claim – It’s amazing how some people don’t file taxes even though they can get a refund while others who don’t even cash their checks. Filing taxes aren’t that hard so just go file it already.
5. Reward Points – Whether it’s frequent flyer miles, credit card rewards or hotel loyalty programs, points expire you know. Periodically check on them to make sure you won’t be wasting it.
6. Monthly Fee to Memberships that You Don’t Use – The biggest complaint about that company who gives out free credit reports is about the enrollment of their monthly credit monitoring service. They definitely do what they can to hide it when you sign up but if you never check your credit card statement for a few months, don’t you think you should shoulder some responsibility? Go through your credit card statement every month to make sure you aren’t paying for recurring fees that you don’t need.
7. Credit Cards with Annual Fees – Unless you are after a specific card benefit, you really don’t need to pay for annual fees these days. Those that are still paying a yearly charge should consider calling them up and see if you can switch to a similar card that have no fees.
8. Interests that You Don’t Pay Off Even if You Have the Money – There’s the age old argument of using the money that you borrow to make more than the interest but does this make sense for most people who aren’t sophisticated investors? Paying off our debt should always be the number one priority because some of us just don’t have the time to practice being effective investors.
9. Those Coupons that You Forget to Bring – I remember several times when I clipped coupons for a certain restaurants only to find out that I didn’t have it when I paid. I started keeping them in my car (and some in my wallet too) so this scenario doesn’t happen again.
10. Small Purchases for Work that You Don’t Bother to Expense – I knew a few coworkers who would always buy for the company and never bother to expense them. Their argument is always that it wouldn’t matter because the amount is small. The real reason – They are lazy. Over the years, I’m sure these added up to a sizable amount. It’s no wonder why my old boss keep getting richer and those coworkers stay poor.
11. Failure to Comparison Shop – It’s so easy to compare prices online these days that it’s ridiculous to just trust the advertising of a product as a good deal. Do your homework and you could be saving hundreds (if not thousands) on the next big purchase.
12. Don’t Take the Time to Understand What You are Buying – If you don’t really know why you are buying a certain product and what the options are before you step into the store, you wallet will lose weight faster than you can type jennycraig. Come on, it should be a fun exercise to find out more about what you are buying anyway. Save your some money and just google it.
13. Never Bothering to Say Thank You – Why does this have anything to do with saving money? Don’t forget that deals and opportunities are given by people. If you aren’t courteous and thankful, people won’t give you another break the second time around.
14. Selling Worthless Stock – The only good part about having worthless stock is that you can actually report it to the IRS for tax benefits.
15. Not Putting Your Money Making Idea in Action – One of the most important lessons I learned in the last few years is to put things in action. What you don’t try will never succeed. Go for your dreams.
16. Always Procrastinating and Paying Late Fees – It always amazes me when people pay late fees for no reason. This must be common sense but for those that don’t know, paying bills take just as much time to do when you get them than two months down the road when they are late!
17. Too Lazy to Plan Ahead – I wouldn’t consider myself a planner but even I know that you should buy a bigger carton of milk when you drink it everyday and a smaller box of eggs when they will go bad before you can finish them. How many times have you been too lazy to even think and ended up paying for it emotionally and financially?
18. Not Being Organized – Remember the coupons? Do you actually organize them? How about all those bills that you could’ve deducted your taxes on? Invest a little time to get yourself organized. A side benefit could be happier housemates too.
19. Never Trying to Think of Free (Cheaper) Alternatives – Do you rent movies at your local shop but haven’t considered Redbox? Are you eating out everyday but never bother to try home cooking? Do you always go to the same electronics store to buy everything without thinking?

One Last Note How Laziness is Losing You Money

“I don’t have enough time” – This is just an excuse for being lazy. Everyone has time to cook their own meals. Everyone has time to find the better deal and everyone has time to keep more money.