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Unhealthy Habits That May Be Making You Poor

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 100 Comments

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Unhealthy Habits That May Be Making You PoorEveryone at one point has an unhealthy habit they engage in. I know I have, and for me that was tanning in a tanning bed.

Unhealthy habits are bad because they can lead to further problems down the line, such as medical problems, medical debt, credit card debt, and more. They can prevent you from saving money and reaching a financial goal. You may never learn how to save money if you are constantly drowning in these unhealthy habits.

They can also lead to insane amounts of stress and unhappiness.

Was there anything in the last few sentences that sounded like a positive to you?

Probably not.

Here are five unhealthy habits that may be making you poor. If you are looking for tips on how to save money, then you may want to avoid or stop the unhealthy habits below.

 

1. Tanning in a tanning bed is an unhealthy habit.

I used to go tanning, but I do not anymore. I have heard too many horror stories about skin cancer and have seen too many pictures of people who have gone tanning too much in their life. It is just not worth it.

In addition to it being unhealthy, tanning can also be expensive.

I recently overheard someone saying that they spent $400 a MONTH on tanning – I don’t even know how that’s possible. Whatever you are spending, it’s too much if you are just damaging your skin.

Instead, you need to embrace the skin you have, or just use a bronzing lotion. I use a bronzing lotion instead of tanning, and it is much better. I don’t even use much and I probably spend $15 a year on it. If you are looking to learn how to save money on your unhealthy habit of tanning, then this is it.

 

2. Cigarettes can bring the many harmful effects of smoking.

Smoking cigarettes can lead to many harmful effects of smoking, such as lung cancer, heart disease, and many other medical problems.

I know this and understand this problem because my father (who I was extremely close to) passed away from lung and brain cancer in 2008. He was an extremely healthy man, except for his serious smoking problem. We tried for a very long time to get him to stop, and it’s something I will always regret not trying hard enough for.

Due to this, I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, and I never will. There are just too many harmful effects of smoking.

Smoking is extremely unhealthy as I said before, and it is also very expensive. According to Business Insider, cigarettes can cost around $5 in a state such as Kentucky, and may cost as much as $15 in New York. If you smoke a pack a day, that can be as much as $450 a month.

 

 

3. Gambling your money away will prevent you from learning how to save money.

I’ve never been much of a gambler. I have seen people file bankruptcy after gambling too much, so the thought of losing money gambling is something that I’ve never wanted to personally experience.

That doesn’t mean I have never gambled.

Sure, go gamble.

However, you should always know your stopping point and you should be able to afford to lose the amount of money you are gambling. Keep in mind that casinos exist for a reason – because they are making money from someone who is losing money.

 

4. Watching too much TV is one of the many unhealthy habits.

As I said in the post 10 Ways To Squeeze Side Hustles Into Your Busy Schedule, the average American spends 34 hours each week watching TV and around three to six additional hours each week watching a movie.

Being glued to your television around 37 to 40 hours a week just cannot be healthy at all, no matter how you try to explain this bad habit to me.
Watching TV can be bad for you for many reasons:

  • You may be tempted to spend money because of commercials. Commercials exist for a reason and it is to make money off people like you and me.
  • You are wasting time watching TV when you could be doing something productive.
  • Having a TV is most likely costing you money. You have to pay for the actual TV, electricity to power the TV, cable, subscriptions such as to Netflix or Hulu, and more. Before you know it, you may be spending $10,000 over a decade on watching TV. Yes, it really can add up that easily.

Instead of watching TV, you should try to do something else. Spend time with your family, find a side hustle, go for a walk, read a book, give your dog some extra belly scratches, and more.

 

5. Emotional spending will prevent you from saving money and reaching the root of an issue.

Emotional spending is when you go shopping because you are sad, bored, feeling under-appreciated, or something else.

This is not good because if you are continually buying items to feel better about yourself, you may fall into credit card debt, spend money you do not have, buy things you cannot afford, and you might just be buying things that you do not need just so that you can buy something. This is one of the many unhealthy habits that needs to be prevented.

To stop emotional spending, you should think about what really is making you unhappy and come up with a better reason to overcome your problem. Also, you might want to avoid stores so that you cannot buy anything. These are the best ways to stop this unhealthy habit so that you can learn how to save money.

Do you have any unhealthy habits that are busting your budget? Are you trying to stop so that you can learn how to save money? Why or why not?

 

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About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. EarlyRetirementGuy says

    Alcohol has to be my most unhealty habit for both wealth and health! Unfortunatly I havnt had much luck in cutting back so instead am going to start home brewing and sharing with friends to save on the costs.

    Reply

  5. G says

    Honestly I never smoked and I am not going to start, I never use tanning…but during my latest budgeting day control I noticed that I spent a little too much into office supplies,books, coffes in the cafes also alone so this year I decide to have at least 6 months of shopping ban….every single cent I will save will go directly into travel fund!!!

    Reply

  6. Petrish @ Debt Free Martini says

    I will never understand why people would waste their money on cigarettes. Not only are you flushing your money down the toilet but you’re also slowly killing yourself. How do you even justify this habit. I just don’t get it.

    Reply

  7. Mrs. Maroon says

    I’ve been guilty of tanning, but many years ago. We used to be addicted to TV, but cut our cable a while back. The big one is emotional purchases. Mr. Maroon’s huge awakening to financial independence came when he realized he was masking unhappiness by buying stuff. Most items hadn’t even arrived to be thrown on the pile before he was shopping online again for something new. We have now discovered the path to happiness is FI, and buying all that stuff isn’t going to get us there. Win-win!

    Reply

  8. kammi says

    Eating out is definitely one, although I tend to ‘eat out’ at home family restaurants (like the local Thai or Indian restaurant; I’m not a fan of chain restaurants at all). Laziness in general (ie skipping gym, etc) because it accounts for money (and time wastage). I make up for it by doing things like walking with my groceries back home for exercise instead of driving, etc. Also, I’m learning more skills that will allow me later in life to DIY (woodworking, welding, gardening, car repair), etc, which will save me money. I’m from a family that for generations has planted their own food and seasonings, which also saves money.

    Reply

  9. Amy says

    Vegging out in front of the TV in the evening was mine, but I’m cut back on it a lot. (Plus, we cut cable!) I wasn’t even paying attention a lot of the time, but I had it on in the background. Now I remind myself that not only is it frying my brain, its also using electricity! 🙂

    Reply

  10. Mrs. Frugalwoods says

    I used to drink a Diet Coke every single day and couldn’t give it up because it was just part of my routine. When Mr. FW and I buckled down to really accelerate towards financial independence, we examined all of our little daily “habits” and I realized that the soda needed to go. It was terrible for my health and, super expensive! It took me a full month to transition out of it, but, I slowly got myself to drink plain seltzer water (which we make at home) instead and now, I don’t miss it at all.

    It’s amazing how we can re-train our brains and bodies and create a new normal. I drank some diet coke at a holiday party last month and thought, this stuff tastes awful! What was I thinking!

    Reply

  12. Taylor Lee says

    Definitely eating out is a big one for me. Though, I try to eat healthy options when I do, it only makes it that much worse for my budget!

    Reply

  13. Sarah says

    TV is a big habit that I’m trying to kick. I defiantly watch less than the average American though. WOW is that a lot of a TV watching. For myself, I usually only watch about 3-4 hours a week, and then I watch a few hours a week with the kids… which is still more TV than I want to be watching.

    My biggest unhealthy habits that need to go are: Mountain Dew and coffee. Soda is freaking expensive and coffee isn’t too far behind (by the time I add in flavors, milk, and sugar). I drink caffeine all day long and I’m at the point where I swear I’m immune to it anyway.

    Reply

      • Sarah says

        We spend around $50 a month on coffee/sodas for two people (my husband is just as bad as I am). When you total out how much that is per year, it makes me sick to my stomach. We’re trying to get better about drinking more water (since it is free) but trying to kick over a decades worth of established bad habits is really tough.

        Reply

  14. C@thesingledollar says

    Oh, these are great. Luckily for me I’ve never been tanning or smoked, and I’m not much of a drinker. I’d say my most recent attempt at conquering an unhealthy habit (for both me and my bank account) has been to stop buying candy/cookies/crackers/frozen pizza; since I’m using cash at the grocery store now I avoid expensive packaged foods like the plague and it’s a double win.

    Reply

  16. Leslie Anne @ Fairhope Supply Co. says

    First time finding your blog . . . I would ad giving up soft drinks as a way to not only save $$ but also feel better. A SodaStream was a good investment for us, and we only use it to make club soda with plain water, which we sometimes flavor slightly with a squeeze of an orange or lemon. Much healthier!

    Reply

  17. Sarah says

    I’ve been guilty of all of these at some point in my life…except gambling. My husband and I used to play Bingo before we had kids but we never spent more than we wanted to for the evening. I’m happy to say now that I don’t really have any bad habits. We cut Starbucks, don’t eat out much and don’t spend frivolously, and life is much better!! We do drink coffee every day (doesn’t everyone?!) and we buy soda when it’s on sale..but to me that’s not really extravagant.

    Great post!! Makes ya think! 🙂

    Reply

  18. Laurie @thefrugalfarmer says

    Ugh, our worst is that we spend too much time (IMO) in front of the TV, so lately I’ve been trying to use that down time to learn something, either through books or through internet articles, that will help improve my life. It feels so much better making a better use of my time!

    Reply

  19. Julia McIntosh says

    My Dad has smoked his whole life and quit May of 2014, one month later he found out he had lung cancer, just finished up his last chemo in December 2014. Tried for all my years to get him to quit but he would not listen. I think of all the money that he wasted on cigarettes and thank god I never took up the habit. He is 86 and has never been sick until this happened. Thanks for the great advice you give!

    Reply

  21. Holly says

    Starbucks!

    Even though I got to a point where I genuinely preferred the lower cal drinks (like black coffee w/ a splash of creamer)… it was still busting my budget. I stopped going there in early December. I’ve been perfectly happy with my cup of joe at home. What also helps is the crummy weather, haha, less tempting to leave my home office just for that coffee now.

    Reply

  22. Natalie says

    Tanning and TV are the two that ring true for me! I do neither, but that is intentional. I like having a little color and TV is always nice to unwind. But they’re expensive and unhealthy, which is why I avoid them!

    Reply

  25. Brian @ Luke1428 says

    I have definitely been susceptible to #5. I think that is one of the reasons I couldn’t follow a budget so many years ago. It took awhile to a) realize I had that problem and b) to get it under control. I still fight it on occasion but it’s not nearly the issue it used to be. You can’t medicate other problems in your life with spending. That’s a recipe for disaster.

    Reply

  27. Jayleen @ How Do The Jones Do It says

    ‘Embrace the skin you have’ … that’s a great motto! I’m so pale people used to tell me I glow in the dark;0) I was a big dummy who would visit the tanning beds and ended up with melanoma. I am definitely paying for it now with dermatology visits every 3 – 6 months. Even with insurance, there is still a $25 copay each visit and if biopsies are done there is a significant out of pocket expense. My two melanomas were discovered and treated way back in 1996 and I’m still paying. It’s just not worth it.

    Reply

  28. Hustle + Save says

    Luckily we don’t smoke, drink or tan. We hardly ever gamble and when we do we set a limit. I like slots and I call them my “adult arcade”. At arcades you don’t get your money back, you’re just playing for fun.

    We do, however, watch way too much TV. We just recently cut cable, but still have Netflix and are thinking about Hulu. Right now it’s cold and I’m pregnant and exhausted so it’s hard for me to find the energy to do anything and that usually results in too much TV… after a day of sitting at the computer working. Not good!

    Reply

  30. Aldo @ Million Dollar Ninja says

    I’ve been watching way too much TV lately. I had a long break from work and I started watching The Wire and now I can’t stop. I’m on season 4, episode 3. Just Season 5 and 9 more episodes to go. I’ll take a break after that.

    Reply

  31. Shannon @ Financially Blonde says

    I am lucky that I am so white that the tanning bed habit was never one that I could indulge unless I wanted to walk around looking like a lobster all the time. The biggest unhealthy habit for me is drinking, but thankfully because I don’t want to be 50 pounds heavier, I keep it in moderation.

    Reply

  32. Andrea says

    I eat out too much! We just did a kitchen redo so we have been eating at home a lot more. Also a giant casino just opened within walking distance of my house. Good thing I don’t really like gambling!

    Reply

  33. Mike says

    All great points and I 100% agree with the comments about cigarettes. Not only are they a fantastic way to destroy your health and lead to huge health care costs for you (which also effects your family), but the cost of the cigarettes is ridiculous!

    Reply

  35. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies says

    I used to buy a 20oz cherry pepsi every day from the vending machine in high school with money I earned from my jobs. Such a waste and so unhealthy!

    Reply

  37. Jason B says

    Out of the things that are listed the only one that I do is watch TV. I don’t even do that as much as I used to. If I had to add something to your list it would be alcohol. Compared to when I was in college I don’t drink as nearly as much as I used to.

    Reply

  39. Alexandra @ Real Simple Finances says

    Woah, some people actually spend a full work week on TV? That is insane to me. My husband I recently cancelled cable, and I am so happy! I don’t believe we watched as much TV as some people, but I was still tired of it taking away time that we could have spent doing something active together.

    Reply

  41. Paul Latta says

    Alcohol should definitely have been on this list. Even moderate drinking (2 drinks a day) can kill your budget. Say $10 a day for two people times 365 days in a year equals $3,650. That’s a lot of dough toward drinking what is essentially poison.

    I don’t begrudge anyone for enjoying an occasional beer, but when you look at it in the long term, drinking is bad for your health and your finances.

    Reply

  43. Kayla @ Shoeaholicnomore says

    I don’t gamble, smoke, or tan (anymore). I might watch too much TV, but not nearly 34 hours/week. Maybe 5-10/ week, but I still think it’s too much sometimes. I try not to spend money emotionally, but I still fall victim to it sometimes.

    Reply

  44. Syed says

    To go along with the TV habit, lots of research is finding that being sedentary can literally kill you! So there’s another drawback.

    My bad habit is iced coffee. Not regular black coffee but iced coffee spiked with unholy amounts of sugar. It’s not a big money pit (about $50-$60/month), but it can lead to lots of potential problems such as diabetes and dental issues. I’m trying to limit to once per week so we’ll see. And even though $50/month isn’t life changing, I could be using that money for something better like paying off student loans or padding my emergency fund.

    Unhealthy habits are the worst. Thanks for the reminder!

    Reply

  45. Don @ Breath of Optimism says

    I dated a girl once who was addicted to tanning beds. It never made any sense to me as to why it needed to be done. She was a beautiful girl regardless if she had a dark tan or not.

    I used to watch a lot of TV, but then I got a fitness band and realized just how inactive I was. It helped to get me off my butt and start moving more.

    Reply

    • Michelle S. says

      I used to tan all the time because whenever I didn’t tan, I usually had people and strangers ask me if I was sick and it really killed my self-confidence. Now, I just DON’T CARE! 🙂

      Reply

  46. Erica says

    I love your list! I seriously can not understand why people still go to tanning salons. They are all over where I live. I’m totally with you about smoking. Like you, I had a relative (my mother) die of a smoker’s cancer (bladder cancer, which people are often surprised to find is linked to smoking) and I am sorry for your loss. I read an article somewhere that said that those who have a parent who smokes as a child are much more likely to grow up to be a smoker. I found this shocking because, like you, watching a parent struggle with addiction was enough to make me never want to do it.

    Reply

  47. Naima says

    I never really tanned before, maybe occasionally during high school years. I am quite pale but have since embraced it and started taking care of my skin…by also not slathering any chemicals/makeup over top of it. I experimented with cigarettes around that time too and never could get myself to like it. Never understood how people could get addicted to it and actually enjoy it ! Doesn’t make sense. Never had issues with gambling, we don’t do any of that. I threw my Tv out when my first child was 11 months old and now she’s 13! I hated her being babysat by the TV and hate it the constant push of ideas/commercials etc.. when watching it…not to mention the time/energy wasted in front of it. I used to always joke with my friends on how their Tv is used as a babysitter for their kids…my kids used to wonder where the kids are when I would take them to the local playgrounds and I would always explain to them that they are most likely sitting in front of a Tv after school. As for emotional shopping…I struggled with that because I’ve grown up seeing my mother be an impulsive emotional shopper. When I rebelled, she would try fixing it by taking me with her on her shopping sprees. When I got married I learned a lot from my husband, who enjoys a simple life, about meaningful spending. We maybe go to a mall once a year or every other year ! Am still learning but I am so glad that we don’t deal with so many problems people find normal these days. My children aren’t growing up with a Tv as their companion. The things that I have to work on is limiting internet use ! Including smartphones, gadgets and what have you. These internet gadgets can very well be used just as a Tv. The only social media I use is pinterest and Twitter because these add some value as long as they aren’t misused and not too much time is wasted on them. Alcohol is a non issue for us, we don’t drink at all. Don’t like the way people behave when in an intoxicated state and can’t understand why people don’t want to be sober for every moment of their life. We want to enjoy every moment and not blunt it with alcohol…it also destroys so many families, children etc…

    Reply

  48. Donna Brooks says

    Money saving ways I found…..homemade..make my own from scratch soap,melt and pour is no cheaper. A few bars grated and you have a gallon or so of liquid soap for hands or dishes. I use to have huge bleeding cracks on hands and feet (must be chemicals in soap because now that I make my own I am much better, so nice to not have painful hands and feet). Mayonnaise same thing, much better for you and all it costs is 2 eggs, 2tbsp of lemon juice in blender sit at room temp for an hour , add a couple tbsp of sugar, 1tsp salt, turn on blender to high and slow drizzle of 3c olive oil you have jar of mayonnaise. Pinterest has been a money saving blessing. Food dehydrating, make own yogurt with Mason jars in oven. I thought it was all impossibly hard..only to find out it is easy and you can find lots of how to videos. I make my own bread, pizza no machine old fashion, kneading isn’t hard it amounts to pushing your fist into dough turning as you go till dough is elastic(will make the odd pop and squeak noise).Canning…real money saver.I made jam gave it as gifts, lots for home saved hundreds of dollars, pickles apples sauce etc.

    Reply

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