4 Money Saving Tips That Don’t Work

We all want to save money, and there’s a wide world of information out there trying to help us. But: all savings tips are not created equal. Know your own spending habits and priorities when evaluating tips. To start, we’ve got ten tips that may make you spend more than you save.

1. “Don’t spend any money.”

If you want to stop spending so much money, a bad way to start is by promising yourself that you’ll stop spending money, full stop. It’s not possible. Instead, focus on actionable goals, like that you’ll stop spending money on fancy coffee. Lofty goals are useless if they aren’t sustainable!

2. “Join Costco to save on bulk items.”

Okay, so maybe you’ll save a few cents per square of toilet paper. But for the privilege, you’re paying an annual fee and exposing yourself to products that you never would have bought otherwise. That 3 pound bag of Craisins is such a deal until you realize that Craisins have never been on your shopping list. You’re out $10.

3. “Consolidate your credit card debt.”

Transferring credit card balances from high APR cards to a lower one is a great tool to pay less interest on your debt, but it only works if you cut up the cards that you pay off. If that zero balance on your Visa is too tempting, leave your maxed out credit balances right where they are or close the old account, pronto.

4. “Sew your own clothes”

DIYing your wardrobe is a great goal, as long as it’s your goal to have some fun and make some unique clothes. If it’s your goal to save money, move along: fabric is expensive and there’s no money to be saved here.