The 5 most common mistakes that prevent you from saving money at the end of the month

Getting more comfortable at the end of the month, being able to save and have

long-term goals is the intention of most people.

However, not all make it.

And it is that often, beyond how the crisis and inflation impact, there are also 

that prevent it and that can even lead to serious economic problems.

Although everyone has their own way of managing personal finances, it is important to take some

when handling the wallet in daily life and to know what are the

that, if sustained over time, make better money management impossible.

What 

and common mistakes could be affecting your pocket and preventing you from saving?

Personal finance specialists point out

.

Planning and controlling all expenses, even the smallest ones, helps your salary go further.

Photo: File.

1. Not detecting ant expenses

The "snowball" effect caused by the so-called ant expenses is so

that it is practically not noticeable.

They are those

that, once added up, end up representing a significant amount throughout the month.

It is very common that when thinking about expenses, the focus is on the most significant ones, such as the debt of a car or a house or on purchases with the card.

But it's the

that could be draining money and preventing you from generating savings. 

These are some examples of the

:

.

Coffee on the go

 that is bought every day, and that can be replaced by having breakfast at home before leaving.

.

eat out

.

Instead, you can take lunch to work, or reduce the outputs if they are only for distraction.

.

Transfers by taxi or by apps

.

Evaluate if you can opt for cheaper alternative means of transport.

.

Delivery through applications

.

To avoid paying an

for shipping, place the order in time and go pick it up in person.

.

Any impulse purchase

.

Think carefully beforehand if what you are about to acquire is really necessary.

When adding all the "ant expenses" made in the month, its impact on the pocket can be surprising.

Photo: File.

2. Not keeping track of income and expenses

Putting together a

is the first step to have 

about

, and begin to better plan consumption based on the money available, reserving a part for 

.

“A budget is the main tool so that our personal finances have an

.

If you don't know how much you earn and how much you spend, it becomes very difficult to keep a healthy control, and

, ”said the founder of GT Educación Financiera and teacher at InvestirOnline,

, to

.

As suggested by Totaro, at first, the preparation of the budget could be

, in order to quickly take control of the finances.

He advised repeating it like this for 

, so that it becomes

that  can be sustained over time.

Then, the budget can become

and, once you master it, you can start

based on whether your goals are short, medium or

.

Keeping a budget requires some

when

, for it to work.

There is no budget that is better than another, only ways of keeping family accounts that are better suited to one lifestyle than another.

3. Misuse your credit card

Short

often very tempting, but it generally undermines long-term goals.

With a short-term approach, many tend to overspend, especially on matters related to entertainment or comfort, minimizing the

that these expenses generate if they do not have the capital to face them.

In this context, although

are very useful to finance necessary purchases and expenses when income is not enough,

can end up bringing many headaches.

Over -

and unnecessary costs are the main problems that users who make

of plastic often fall into.

One should not forget that, each time it is used,

that will later have to be faced, with very high costs in case of default.

Putting together a budget is key to having greater clarity about income and expenses.

Photo: Shutterstock.

4. Buying something just because it's on sale

Promotions and offers, both cash and credit cards, are often very attractive to consumers.

But they often lead to

things that were not planned and that were not very necessary, in order to take advantage of the supposed opportunity.

According to the experts, the expenses should be decided by each person and

or businesses with their promotional actions.

Thus, in the case of card payments, you will be

 unnecessary debts that

in the following months.

And that, in case of not being able to settle on time, they will end up costing much more than the discount that they wanted to take advantage of. 

5. Not having clear financial goals

Lacking well-defined aspirations related to money can also lose the battle to keep personal finances healthy and generate savings.

They recommend, then,

, whether it's saving a full salary or paying for vacations in cash.

"An adequate

, thinking in the long term, is knowing that there will come a time in life when one will not be able to maintain the current rate of activity, to continue generating good income. You have to think about money as a medium that

gives you

" , advised

, a finance magister and author of the book

.

This is why achieving a healthy relationship with money takes more than just educating yourself about personal finances.

It will also be essential to do conscious and deep work to

that act like sticks in the wheel and that not only prevent us from improving our economic situation, but often end up destroying it.

MDG

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