Most of us need to have at least two jobs to make sure that we pay bills and keep food on the table.
While it is admirable to be able to do anything to help our families, sometimes that is because we lack financial education and do not know how to handle our money.
Sometimes, we can make our lives easier by reducing unnecessary expenses and the instability of working two jobs. We can work on one job and use that extra time to start a side hustle.
Let’s take a look at the ten expenses that keep you poor. So that you can avoid them and use that money to do things you like the most.
The 10 Expenses that keep you poor
Most of the expenses listed here are some things we can live without, but I know that each of us is different, so you do not need to cut all of them out.
Figure out which ones you can leave without and cut them out, this way you will save some money and use it to invest in your future.
Bar and Strips clubs.
I do not drink or go to strip clubs, so I do not have this issue, but I have a lot of friends who drink a lot of alcohol and go almost every weekend to strip clubs.
Going to bars and strip clubs costs a lot of money, including Uber, taxi, or gas money if you drive your car. Some strip clubs charge you an entrance fee or ask you to consume a certain amount of money.
When you are at a bar or a strip club, you will have to eat something. If you are a compulsive drinker, you will probably buy more beers, etc. All these things will cost you a lot of money.
If you are starting out or still do not have a lot of money, I will recommend cutting out bars and strip clubs until you become successful.
Still, if you think you can not live without them, at least reduce the frequency; for example, instead of going each weekend, you can start going once every 30 days or once every 90 days.
Addiction.
All of us have some addiction, and it could be porn, gambling, Cigarette, drugs, etc.
These addictions can keep you poor if you are not careful, you know, spending $20 for only fans, pornhub, etc., buying a cigarette daily, losing money to gambling, or using all your money to buy drugs.
These small expenses can add up quickly, become a financial bargain, and keep you poor.
Another side of addiction that can keep you poor is that most of these addictions will make you weak physically and mentally, and you will not be able to do anything productive, which will keep you even poorer.
Subscription services.
There are a lot of streaming subscription services, such as Paramount Plus, Spotify, Netflix, HBO, Disney, Phone Services, Internet Services, Cable TV, etc.
All these services will charge you a small fee from $5 to $10 per month, but if you have 3 to 5 of those services, they can dry your account very quickly.
I do not say cancel all of them. Determine which ones you need and get rid of the rest.
You do not need an expensive mobile phone plan if you have internet service at home and in the office.
Maybe you do not need Spotify Premium or cable TV if you have Amazon Prime.
I understand the urge to have all these services and watch your favorite show on demand, but ask yourself, when was the last time you used the service? If it was more than 30 days ago, it has to go. Cancel it, and your bank account will thank you for that.
Membership.
This is almost like the subscription issue; most people get memberships they do not need or use, but they can not cancel them.
I know a lot of people who, in January, went to a gym and paid a one-year membership for the gym; they went there for two weeks or so and disappeared.
Maybe there are just do not want to get ridiculed, or they tell themselves that one day they will go back, this is a membership that they do not use.
People do this in SPAs, golf membership, book clubs, etc. Actually, in the online business area, I also see a lot of people like this: they buy a course that has recurring payments, they do not go through the course, they do not take action, and they let that course charge their credit card every month; this is crazy.
This is my recommendation in this situation: figure out which memberships you do not need and cancel every one of them.
Buy things that you do not need.
This is another way to keep yourself poor, you see, I know many people who will buy things to impress.
I know a friend who went to buy a new car that they did not need, what happened is that they ended paying up interest on the car, and they had to pay the tax for owning the car ( yes in Mexico you pay a tax if you own a car).
They had to pay all this money just to show people that they had a new car, do not do this, buy things you need.
Impulsive buys.
This goes on hand with the last point, I know a lot of people who buy things depending on their impulses or mood.
I had a friend who used to buy new shoes whenever she was sad. She was sad most of the time, so she had a lot of shoes and did not like most of them.
This is one of the expenses that can keep you poor forever, and the problem is that most people buy stuff they do not need.
Just because there is a 10% discount does not mean you should buy it, you need to ask yourself, do I need this? If the answer is not, do not buy it.
Credit card interests.
Credit cards are great. If used correctly, they can help you build wealth. The problem is that when they get credit cards, most people start buying anything that will allow them to swap the cards.
The issue with this is that most credit card companies will give you a credit limit higher than your monthly income, so if you spend the money on your credit card impulsively, you will end up paying a lot of interest and keep yourself poor in the process.
My recommendation is to spend money that you already have and use your credit card responsibly, and each month, pay your credit card in full; this way, you will get the benefits of using a credit card without paying a single cent in interest.
Expensive entertainment.
We all like to be entertained; it is human nature, but there are levels to this. I recently learned that one of my friends spent over $ 10,000 to watch Tylor Swift and another KPOP group, including the ticket, transport, and hotel.
If you are already rich, go for it, but the issue is that if you do not have a lot of money yet, this habit will keep you poor forever.
You can take that money and invest in stocks and bonds, and it will start generating passive income for you while you keep working on your dream.
Ant Expenses.
Ant expenses are defined as a series of small payments for services or products, sometimes unnecessary, that we make daily, buying a $3 coffee, buying a $1 gum, etc, these expenses are so small that you will not realize how much money they can dry from your account.
I am not suggesting penny-pitching here. What I am trying to say is that if you do not have control of the ant expenses, they will dry up your account and keep you poor.
Buying luxuries.
I know many people who buy jewelry, supercars, and other expensive stuff to impress others.
Of course, if you are a successful entrepreneur, sometimes it is good to have those things, but the issue is when you are just starting and do not have any money, this habit can keep you poor forever.
I know people who do this to attract people, especially young audiences, and use those flash cars to sell a dream so that people can buy their courses, be aware of these types of people, most of them do not have any real skills that you can learn to gain financial freedom.
Final words
That is it; those are ten expenses that keep you poor; as I said, depending on you and what you like, you can reduce some of those expenses and invest them in learning a skill, and your future self will thank you for that.