How Laziness Is Costing You Money
As I write this, I must admit to being absolutely starved. Instead of getting off the couch and moving to my fridge, which I estimate the whole of five metres away, I would prefer to sit here in hunger and revel in my laziness.
The same goes for paying my phone bills, calling friends I haven’t spoken to in a while and engaging with exercise at all.
Laziness is not just something that can be laughed off however. It’s also something that can end up detracting from our quality of life, raising our anxiety levels and leaving us financially less well-off. So how is laziness costing you? Forbes investigated and came up with this list.
Not rating it
If you’ve stayed with the same bank for the last thirty years, it may not just be loyalty swaying your decision. Instead, you might be sitting your money in an account that isn’t paying the optimum rate. It might not seem like much, but the small differences in the interest you are earning on your money will add up in the long run,
Not retiring soon?
Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be investing in your retirement already. As much as I would like to believe that my youthful vitality will last forever, now is the time (when I’m in my twenties) that I need to start preparing for the days when I’m not sprightly. It’s a logical idea- this is the time when I have a disposable income, when I’m starting to work full-time. Now is the time to set up the good habits. Laziness will not just cost you money, it will also cost you peace of mind and quality of life in your retirement.
Rebate it
Ever bought an item because you get cash back, and then been too lazy to send it in? You’re losing money, because you end up paying above sticker price on an item when you could be making savings. It takes thirty seconds, and will cost you fifty-five cents to mail, so send in the forms next time you buy an item that cashes back right into your pocket.
Missing deadlines
It’s so easy to do. You forget to pay your credit card monthly statement, you delay on paying your phone bill, or the interest you owe on a store-bought item conveniently slips your mind. The longer you delay on returning overdue items or paying overdue bills, the more you are costing yourself precious dollars. A bit of organisation, and a bit of mental battle with sloth, and you’ll be saving yourself hundreds of dollars a year.
Express it
In a similar vein, have you ever noticed how much you seem to spend on postage every year? A lot of that probably has to do with the last minute express post packages you send at 4:59, Thursday evening. Don’t leave things to the last minute, and you’ll save.
Negotiations
I’ve done it a million times. Something seems like it’ll be too complex, so I’ll accept it quickly only to find I’ve spent much more money than necessary. Just accepting a price naively could be costing you money- why not request a better price at a hotel if you’re staying a couple of nights, or ringing around and comparing prices on an item before you buy it? Negotiations could be just the ticket to set your savings up nicely.
In what ways does laziness cost you?
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