Avoiding The ‘Lazy Tax’ On Your Life

Everyone is playing you.

Okay, that’s a bit dramatic. But, in all sincerity, it can feel that way sometimes.

I find financial education to be a continuous “one step forward, two steps back” situation. Any time I think I’m getting a foothold, there are suddenly even more questions.

Then, in an attempt to find those answers, I discover that everything is even more nuanced and even more complex. It’s exhausting, honestly.

There lies the lightbulb moment, dawg: People make this shit sound complicated on purpose.

Let’s talk about some of the grimiest finance traps and grifts that I’ve encountered, as well as some tactics to help you avoid them yourself. ↓

#1: The Convenience Trap

This is quite possibly the most financially draining trap I’ve put myself through.

The convenience trap is exactly what it sounds like: Companies offering enticing ways to make your day a little more simple, a little less physically taxing, and then taking a lot more money from you.

They feed off of your laziness. You can deny it all you’d like, using excuses like: “The time I save by not doing XYZ is totally worth the $20 fee,” or “If I didn’t have Amazon Prime, I would have to get my decorative lamp delivered on Wednesday instead of Saturday.” Still, the fact is that you’re getting played.

How Can I Avoid This?

Easy. Start doing things for yourself, dude. Don’t buy the pineapple chunks; buy the stupid pineapple and cut it up yourself.

In general, ask: Can I do this myself? Set a cap for how much convenience is worth to you, and actually abide by it.

#2: Getting Things For “The Points”

This is something that admittedly took a while to get through my skull:

No amount of credit card points will make up for buying things you cannot afford.

In these scenarios, the only “winner” is the company.

It’s the same with store loyalty programs—they’re counting on you to keep coming back again and again, even if you might find more value shopping elsewhere.

How Can I Avoid This?

For loyalty programs, do the math and consider if sticking with one brand is actually benefiting you. Often, shopping around is cheaper.

For credit cards, start completely ignoring the points/rewards. If they add up, awesome. If not? Who cares, dude. At least you aren’t in debt for an imaginary flight.

#3: Caring About Something’s “Social Currency”

Newsflash: Unless you’re a sixth-grade girl, no one cares what brand you buy. 

It doesn’t matter if you have a generic knockoff of a viral product or if your groceries are all Aldi-branded instead of Whole Foods.

The funniest part is that, even on the slight off-chance that you do impress someone with your Stanley Cup, those people are guaranteed not to be the type of people you genuinely want around you.

How Can I Avoid This?

Have meaningful friendships with people who are not materialistic. Limit your time on social media as much as you can.

Always ask yourself about the intention behind your purchase: Is it truly for you, or is it for the sake of content?

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Budget-Friendly Find of The Week:

In case I haven’t mentioned it, I am going on a two-week trip to Scotland next year! I’m psyched, as I’ve never actually had the opportunity to leave the US.

So, I’m happy to talk about Skyscanner, a TOTALLY FREE app that is arguably the easiest and least ad-bomby way of checking flight prices to specific cities during specific times.

Something else I love about Skyscanner is that you can enter a date range and see the prices for practically every city at once, or you can enter a city’s name and see the prices for practically every date at once!

It’s very flexible, and a great resource for traveling on a budget. ✈️

This Week’s Money Wins & Fails:

Wins:

• I’ve been picking up one extra shift per week at the coffee shop I work at, and that alone has made me damn near an extra $200 a week ($14.50/hr + tips)!

• It’s about to be Thanksgiving, which means enough leftovers to negate my usual grocery trip next week.

Fails:

• I had an unexpected medical bill I had to pay, which was $177.

• Even scarier, I had an unexpected DING TO MY CREDIT because there was a fee owed to my old apartment complex that I didn’t know existed, and it went to freaking collections. I was lucky; it was eligible for appeal, but it was $370 just to get it appealed.