The 12 Middle Class Money Traps That’s Keeping You From Being Rich

Feel stuck in your financial situation? If so, you may be guilty of one of these middle-class money traps!

Living Beyond Your Means

Some people like to pretend they have more money than they do. One of the most common money traps that people fall into is spending and living a lifestyle more than they can financially handle.

It’s a problem that a lot of people all over the world experience. Why? Because they splurge more than their income and end up not having money to make investments that generate wealth. You should always live within your means and spend extra income on investments and not luxury items.

Not Saving or Investing

Everyone should learn how to invest to build wealth. However, people tend to have a short-term view and not worry too much about the future.

Even if they do invest, most people only do it with one or two mechanisms instead of expanding their portfolio, which can be financially limiting and leave you vulnerable. Saving can be your safety net for a more secure financial future.

Impulse Buying

Impulse buying is when you suddenly purchase something, whether it’s cheap or extremely expensive, without planning to do so in advance. We’ve all done this, but some can’t help themselves.

It’s one of the most innocent-looking yet terrible money traps that affect your savings. Impulse buying can lead you into debt and prevent you from growing your long-term wealth.

Ignoring Debt

If you have a debt, know your responsibilities, and never ignore it. A lot of people tend to get into debt to maintain their lifestyle with the likes of auto loans and high-interest credit cards.

If you think about it, you’ll never get rich when you’re drowned in debt and interest. Why? Because instead of making yourself wealthy, you’re making those companies rich by paying interest. Use any spare interest to get that debt paid ASAP.

Not Budgeting

Budgeting wisely and avoiding unnecessary splurging is one way to increase your wealth. However, a lot of people hate budgeting and think it’s a tedious and unnecessary activity. Unfortunately, avoiding it is one of the usual money traps that keep the middle class from getting rich.

Some tend to mentally segregate their cash into various categories thinking that doing so will help them budget their expenses. The thing is, it leads to irrational purchasing decision-making and wasteful spending.

Renting Instead of Buying

There are people out there who prefer the idea of renting to buying. It’s less of a commitment and there are other perks such as someone else needing to pay for the likes of building maintenance etc.

However, renting can be a huge money trap as you aren’t benefiting from increasing your equity and rising house prices. While not everyone can afford to, it’s important to own property if you can, as this will make your life a lot easier as you get older.

Subscription Services

Subscription services are tempting as they usually have a low fee and allow you access to entertainment or something else you may enjoy.

The trouble is that all of these subscription services add up and you can easily spend over $100 per month on things that you barely use. It’s time to streamline your services to cut down on pointless spending.

High-Cost Degrees with No Career Plan

We were all made to believe that education equals a better career, leading to a sound, secure financial future. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case because some educational investments, especially high-costing degrees, don’t always yield returns that can pay off the huge debt acquired from student loans.

While degrees can be important if you have a clear career path in mind, far too many people get stuck with high debt and a pointless degree.

Neglecting Health and Wellness

Yes, neglecting health and wellness is a money trap, even if people think skipping the vitamins and medical checkups makes them save more.

If you neglect health and wellness, it can eventually lead to costly and unnecessary bills, as well as decreased productivity and efficiency. Looking after your health will save you a lot of money further down the road.

Not Negotiating Salary and Prices

It may not seem like it, but this is another money trap that leaves the middle class earning less and paying more than they should. If you don’t negotiate a higher salary because you’re too shy to do so or just don’t feel the need for it, that’s a problem.

The same goes with haggling for better prices: if you don’t, you could end up overpaying for services/goods. Missing these opportunities can prevent financial growth while limiting your chances to invest and save.

Excessive Dining or Take Out

We get it, eating out is fun. And for those times when you can’t be bothered cooking, take out is always tempting. But while the temptation is there, these are classic middle-class money traps.

The reality is that you can often buy a week’s worth of meals for the same price as dining or take out. Meal plan to save yourself a lot of money.

Keeping Up with Others

Everyone gets pressured because of random societal issues which lead them into lifestyles and consumption habits they can’t afford. These people tend to get pressured into matching or surpassing their peers, leading to overspending on unnecessary items and services.

This consumption pattern is usually called “keeping up with the Joneses”. Keeping up with your peers is fine, as long as you don’t overdo it. Going overboard with it can lead to an unnecessary cycle of debt and overspending that pushes away your chances of acquiring wealth.