When we think of people wasting money, we often muse about celebrity mansions and billionaire yachts. But average Americans waste loads of money too, and they don’t always know they’re doing it.
Here are five shocking ways Americans waste money every year:
1. Gift cards
Americans waste $6 billion worth of gift cards each year — enough money to give anyone a headache. People could avoid this waste by just checking to see that they use their entire gift card balance after holidays and birthdays. Americans could also cut down on this $6 billion loss by making sure they only give gift cards when a recipient is certain to use it. 5 Shocking Ways Americans Waste Money

2. Coffee and lunch
One out of two American workers buys coffee on workdays, and two out of three buy lunch. While not a waste of money in the strictest sense, this can add up to an unnecessary $1,092 per year on coffee and $1,924 per year on lunch. Instead, Americans should consider investing in a coffee maker for home or pack a lunch a few days a week to save some cash.

3. ATM fees
Do you ever withdraw cash from an ATM outside your bank’s network? That’s costing you an average of $4 per transaction, and it hurts Americans to the tune of about $7 billion in ATM fees every year. Avoid this by using in-network ATMs, or by getting cash back at the store.

4. Not earning good interest on your money
If you’ve got money in the bank and it’s not earning you good interest, then you’re essentially losing money. Find a place for your money that gives you better interest and you’ll be maximizing the return on your money each year.

5. Making silly purchases
Okay, we’ll admit we’re throwing this example in here somewhat gratuitously: a Doritos chip resembling the Pope’s miter sold on eBay for $1,209. That’s just silly. But it’s a good reminder that many of us make purchases that are, shall we say, imprudent. Americans could save a ton of money every year by cutting out these unnecessary purchases.

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