The 20 Biggest Ways Americans Waste Money

Conclusions

If you find yourself wasting your hard-earned dollars on these expenditures but you’re reluctant to make big changes, you could make small shifts in how you’re spending. When you go to the grocery store, for example, make a meal plan first and shop with a list to reduce the chances you’ll spend too much and buy foods that have to be tossed away.

Consider trying to find low-cost entertainment that’s still fun, like free concerts, or seeing a matinee instead of a more expensive late show. Look into new low-budget alternatives to cable, like SlingTV, and consider buying one model down from the latest tech gadget to enjoy considerable savings but still have cool technology. And invest in a self-filtering refillable water bottle to do something good for your wallet and the earth.

Reluctance to change ingrained habits is understandable, but if you see things like throwing away expired food as a waste, you’re right. Americans throw away $165 billion in wasted food every single year , so you could realize substantial savings by just changing your behavior a little bit. If you can redirect some of your wasted dollars to become more secure and build a better financial future, it’s definitely worth it!