Some things are a dead giveaway that, if you buy, tell the world you’re careless with your money. Here are eight examples so you know to avoid the allure of them.
1. Takeout
We’re not here to vilify takeout; it’s completely fine to treat yourself after a hard day now and then. But for many people, the concept of “treating yourself” goes a little too far, and their entire food budget dries up quickly thanks to the high fees from constantly ordering carryout.
2. Lottery Tickets
If you enjoyed them, you could certainly budget for lottery tickets, but why would you? Gambling isn’t something the financially conscious do; save for a bit of fun here and there, so constantly buying them and relying on absolutely impossible odds to win is no way to prove to anyone you’re good with money.
3. Package Convenience Foods
Again, we’re being lenient with the here-and-there approach — no one will argue against the rotisserie chicken, which is the Swiss army knife of meal prep. But if your entire cart is filled with packaged convenience foods, you’re probably not taking your grocery budgeting seriously enough.
4. Expensive Designer Clothing
Frugal people will happily splurge for quality, durable clothing. And while many designer clothing options fit into that category, they also often come with an outrageous price tag that no one in their right mind would pay for unless they cared more about optics than their financial future.
5. Expensive Soaps and Lotions
Many brands make excellent beauty products at reasonable price points—and just as many brands will gut your wallet because they know you like the smell of a face cream. A specialty scrub or cream is normal to have in any medicine cabinet; it only becomes an issue when you can’t buy anything but an exclusive brand that costs significantly more and does basically nothing more for your hair or skin.
6. A Nice Watch
“Nice” is relative—a “nice” watch can tell time. But too many people see watches as a status symbol and rack up credit card debt just to flash their wrists as someone in hopes they’ll see it. You can justify purchases like these if you love them, save up, and properly budget for them. But that’s often the opposite of what people do when buying luxury items like these.
7. Costly Nights Out
Many frugal people love going out to eat — they just don’t make a habit of it and will keep their spending to a minimum. The non-budgeters, however, are often caught red-handed with their third glass of red wine while enjoying a steakhouse dinner for the third time that month. If you can afford and budget for it, more power to you; we’re just not always confident that’s the case.
8. The Next New Phone
It’s already been meme’d into oblivion, but there’s no single reason a financially savvy individual would ever buy a new phone if their old one works perfectly fine. But that doesn’t stop people from lining up around the block to get the latest and greatest, even when they know they can’t actually afford it.
