3 Naughty Financial Habits to Break in 2017

https://youtu.be/6V8Ox1iuPgg In January we adopt new and healthy habits like eating better, losing weight, learning a new language, making more time for family, drinking less, having better sex and saving more money.If you’re ruthless and consistent with making these changes a priority, after 12-weeks they should become lasting habits – yeah!But the majority of us fall off the wagon because it’s damn hard to adopt a new habit. So, why not stop a few naughty habits, instead.Naughty Habit #1 – Lying to your loverLying will blow up in your face. It’s not a matter of ‘if’, it’s ‘when’. So stop lying to your lover about how much money you’ve spent.Think of this scenario. Luke’s fiancé, Kristen, spent $2,500 on a plane ticket when they’d originally agreed that $1,000 was the limit. Rather than being forthcoming about the true cost, Kristen split the expense between two credit cards so that Luke wouldn’t see the full $2,500 on one statement.Guess what? When the second credit card statement arrives, Luke will be angry. The couple now has to pony up an additional $1,500 that wasn’t budgeted for, AND Kristen has demonstrated she’s capable of lying and attempting to cover it up.Luke and Kristen are destined for a massive fight; and that is a terrible way to destroy all the blissful Zen they enjoyed over the holidays.When love mixes with money, it’s best to tell the truth and keep each other financially accountable.Naughty Habit #2 – Grocery shopping without a listAimless wandering through grocery aisles and produce bins will cost you money because you’ll buy things you don’t need and are less likely to pay attention to the prices.A shopping list, on the other hand, forces you to perform a check on your current inventory before you leave the house. And, when you’re at the store, you’ll keep focused on what’s on that list rather than getting distracted by delicious bags of Cheetos.And heaven help your pocket-book if you go to the store hungry on top of having no shopping list – you’ll buy more unnecessary and unhealthy foods based on a delusional hunger impulse rather than proper nutrition and your budget. Eat a banana before grabbing your cart.Naughty Habit #3 – Carrying a credit card balanceIf you’ve been carrying a credit card balance for more than 60 days you have a debt problem.I know. I know. You plan to pay it off ASAP, right?  Well, you need a legit strategy to get the hell out of debt. So, either:1. Consolidate balances into a lower interest rate loan (check out Borrowell.com),2. Transfer balances to a lower interest rate credit card (these rates can have limited terms); or3. Cash in savings to pay off the balances.Try not to make the situation worse by accumulating more debt, while you’re digging your way out.