These Nonessential Items are Costing You $18,000 Per Year
Everyone needs a little luxury in their life, but are consumers spending too much? New research commissioned by Ladder and conducted by OnePoll shows that the average American spends almost $18,000 a year – or more than $1 million over the course of an adult lifetime.
Results of the survey, consisting of 2,000 Americans, showed that consumers are most vulnerable to superfluous monthly spending on the following items:
- Dinner at Restaurants: $209
- Purchasing Lunch: $173
- Take Out or Delivery: $177
- Drinks: $189 on cocktails and $20 on coffee
- Cable: $91
- Streaming: $23 on movies and TV shows and $22 on music
- Paid Apps: $23
- Subscription Boxes: $93.96
- Impulse purchases: $109
- Rideshare: $96
These non-essential items amount to approximately $1,497 per month.
If you have the budget for these items, then you don’t have to worry. But the poll found that 58% of respondents felt that there were important things they could not afford. For example, 38% claimed that they did not have enough money to put into a retirement account and 35% believed they could not afford life insurance. According to the research, 70% of Americans believe they could be smarter with money. This speaks to a dangerous financial culture: spend now, save later.
There’s always time to make better decisions. One step you can take right now is to lower some of your bills that contribute to high monthly spending. Billshark can negotiate your bills like cable, internet, wireless and home security. With an 85% success rate and absolutely no risk, this is a simple step for consumers to get better control of their finances and start making smarter decisions. Send us your bills, and we’ll lower them in minutes.