We all have a few dirty secrets we keep locked away. However, when it comes to saving money, some people tend to go down this route as well.
We all have a few dirty secrets we keep locked away in the deepest recesses of our mind. These secrets hold the key to our true nature – the various facets of our psyche that we keep hidden from the rest of the world for reasons best known to us. Heaven forbid they should ever see the light of day or we could have a veritable Pandora’s Box on our hands.
While these secrets are usually of a more personal nature, when it comes to saving money many of us tend to lay our secrets bare every now. Some of these money-saving habits become second nature to us, so we carry them out subconsciously before unwittingly spilling the beans for all to see, much to their obvious horror.
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Pseudo, psychological mumbo-jumbo aside, here are some pretty common but questionable money-saving secrets many of us may find quite familiar:
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Mop Top
How often have you spilled various liquids around your house only to use a random t-shirt lying around to clean it up? After all, you’re the type that thinks spending money on a mop is absolutely unnecessary.
Why buy a mop when your t-shirts, socks or even your underwear can do the business just as well? And if you happen to wear the same pieces of clothing without giving them a thorough wash, then it really isn’t a mystery why only people with stuffy noses befriend you.
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Hotel Freeloading
Probably one of the worst-kept secrets out there, stealing stuff from hotel rooms you’ve checked into just to save on buying toiletries for the month places you in a special circle of hell. You know, the one filled with freeloaders and people with crusty eye goop.
You’re probably the type of person that not only stuffs soaps, shampoos and toothbrushes in your suitcase but sometimes even towels, pillowcases and bathroom mats. We’re pretty sure if the bathtub was detachable, you’d figure out a way to stick it in your pants as well.
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Charged With Battery
Well, if you actually were charged with battery, you’d certainly want to keep it a secret. However, in this case, we’re talking about the beating you dish out to your T.V remote. Ironically, faulty remotes really have a way of pushing our buttons. How many times have you slammed the bejeezus out of your remote to get it working again instead of going out and buying a couple of new batteries?
If you’re guilty of this, then you can be sure there’s a good chance you’ll end up spending more on buying a brand new remote than a bunch of cheap batteries.
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Horsing Around With Gifts
One of the most dastardly money-saving secrets is passing on gifts you’ve received to someone else, complete with the wrapping and tape still intact. Sure, you can save a ton of money this way, but what if you end up gifting an 8-year-old a set of whiskey glasses? That’s certainly one way to change the course of someone’s life, depending on how you look at it.
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Divided We Stand
How about going to a restaurant with your equally stingy pal and splitting everything you order into two? We’d wager there are a fair few of you out there reading this while grinning sheepishly at your screen. In fact, some people even split a soup by four, much to the delight of misers everywhere.
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Shock Therapy
Here’s a little secret many households don’t want their neighbours to get wind of. In order to reduce their electricity bill, all family members gather together in one room and switch off the lights in the other rooms.
Not very ideal if you have a joint family and you’re jostling for space with your sweaty, big-bellied uncles. But hey, whatever helps you save. Just make sure you don’t switch the fan off as well.
Additional Reading: 10 Secret Habits That Will Surely Make You Rich
If you have a few money-saving secrets of your own feel free to write in. And by that, we don’t mean using your jeans to wipe the muck off your car, although we’re sure some of you out there are now getting ideas.
In the meantime, check out our Mutual Funds, Fixed Deposits and other cool financial products that can not only help you save money but help you grow it over time.