When it comes to saving up money and having a good balance when it comes to income and the money going out, there are some poor choices you could be making that are causing issues with the money flow. Lifestyle choices, not just spending choices, can have a big effect on your income.

Everyone has bills to pay, and those should always be the first things coming out of a paycheck. However, what you do with the rest of your paycheck could determine whether you have a savings account or even good credit. Here are some things you might be doing with your money that could be making it hard for you to save.

Drugs & Alcohol

Drug and alcohol abuse is not a cheap hobby, not for the bank account or for your health. If you are spending a lot of money on booze you could be missing out on a lot of things in life, not to mention the fact that it is also adding to your waistline and killing your liver.

When it comes to drugs you first need to distinguish what a drug is. Prescription medications can put a huge hole in the pocket book, but often they are a need, rather than a want. To save some money, try looking on a website that gives you street value of Percocet,
or whatever drug you need. As long as you are using them properly your best way to savings is some insurance. So called hard drugs and street drugs don’t come cheap, putting some people in the poor house and others in the grave.

Smoking

While most smokers don’t realize, or don’t care, that their habit is a costly one, it’s wise to know that, depending on how much you smoke, you could be throwing away around $200 a month, at least, to risking lung cancer and other illnesses. In ten short months of putting that money into savings, you could have a down payment on a small home of your own.

Shopping Addiction

Just like drugs and alcohol, there are other addictions out there that can put a big dent into your paycheck each week and into the money you’re trying to save. They can even ruin your credit, depending on how you’re spending and whether or not you are paying them back. If you have a shopping addiction of any kind it’s time to seek help, not only for your money but for the clutter in your home as well.

Children

Having children is not a cheap investment, so when it comes to family planning it makes sense to consider the finances. Sometimes you don’t have a choice, due to faulty birth control and other reasons, but if you are planning a family make sure you plan how much money it’s going to cost as well, rather than bringing a little one into poverty.

Dating

If you’re single and dating you know it can cost a bit going out on dates. In this day and age, there’s no exact rule about who pays, so men and women will be spending money. Instead of spending willy nilly, have a dating fund, and ask the other person to pay when it gets low, or pick cheaper date ideas.