On a day to day basis, can you honestly say that you know how much money you spend? A lot of people have no clue how much they spend every day, nor do they care to track it, yet they complain about how they’re always broke. People don’t realize just how much their small miscellaneous purchases add up and take away from the money they have.

When most people get paid, they pay their bills, first and foremost. Some people who are seriously trying to lower their monthly bills will look for areas to reduce their bills. For example, some people will find electric suppliers providing electricity from renewable resources instead of fossil fuels. Others will shop around for cheaper car insurance, internet providers, etc, to get more affordable deals.

Although that’s a pretty resourceful way to lower your monthly expenses, it’s not what’s going to impact you the most. Again, those tactics will lower your monthly bills, but paying bills is something you have to do as a working adult anyway… it’s not something you can avoid or escape, so it’s, of course, it’s going to consume your checks every month.

One of the biggest consumers of our checks that we fail to think about is our very own daily habits and lifestyle choices.

The tiny purchases we make every day do indeed add up and can actually equate to the amount of a bill! If you’re serious about wanting to make some changes to your daily habits, it’s going to start with those “small” purchases that add up to big costs.

Daily Habits to Kick That Will Stretch Your Paychecks

Eating Out

Going out to eat is a guilty pleasure for many people. Not only do you get to eat amazing food but you don’t even have to cook it! But that’s the most expensive aspect of eating out… the convenience of it all… Some people just simply don’t like to cook, while others claim they don’t know how to cook.

On average, Americans dine out 5.9 times a week, and it totals out to around a little over $36. So to dine out, 5.9 times a week at $36 or more, it’s going to cost you nearly $200 per week. That’s money that could be put towards something more important than smothered chicken and two sides… If you can reduce the number of times you eat out and cook at home instead, you’ll definitely be able to see more of your paycheck.

Daily Coffee Runs

For just a basic cup of coffee, you’ll likely spend a couple of dollars per cup, but if you’re a true lover of coffee, you want the flavored and more expensive coffees to get you through the day. Things like mocha frappes and pumpkin spice coffee are flavors that jack-up the prices of coffee and take it from a couple of dollars to $7 to $10, depending on the flavor, size, and how it’s prepared.

The thing about coffee is that you can prepare your most favorite flavors just like in the coffee shops, at home. It’s all about having the right equipment and supplies. If you like mocha frappes, invest in a blender. That’s going to cost you way less in the grand scheme of things.

Grabbing Drinks

Grabbing drinks is the cost of having a social life, ultimately. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with getting together with friends or coworkers on a Friday after work to hit up the local happy hour, but it can become an expensive problem when you do it every week.

On average, one cocktail can cost anywhere from $7 to $14, but happy hour prices are usually half the price so you can easily have drinks for $3 to $7. If you add those up, and base it on how many drinks you consume, you could be spending $9 to $12 on drinks every Friday. It’s not much to spend if you can afford it, but learning to say no to the invites is how you resist the temptation of spending that money.

Getting Out of the House

Have you ever met someone who felt like they always HAD to be doing something? Better yet, are you one of those people? Typically, it’s those who feel the need to be out of their homes who are the ones spending the most money. By staying home more often, you’re making yourself less susceptible to the temptation of spending money. This isn’t a bad thing at all either. Stay home and you’ll see a major difference in just how far your paycheck