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Most of us have at least one bad financial habit. But some habits are worse than others, especially over time. Do you have any of these?

Treating your credit card like free money…

So many people get so excited when they get their credit card. The problem here, of course, is that people tend to use their credit card as free money for ages after they get it. You need to pay back everything that you use your credit card for – and usually at unkind interest rates. The average interest rate is about 19% APR. Don’t think that’s a lot? Over time, that’s a bundle. Read more at .

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…then making minimum payments on your credit card

This is actually a problem even if you’re not overspending with your card. When people aren’t treating credit cards like free money, they’re treating it like very cheap money. They have to start paying that credit back every month, but they’ll pay the least that their bank will allow them to pay. Big mistake. The longer you take to pay back credit, the more expensive it is in the long run. It will also look bad on your credit report if you ever have to get one. Read more about credit report no-nos at http://moneyover55.about.com/od/managingdebt/a/creditscore.htm.

Not exploring your options

I’ll admit that this sounds a little vague. Technically, this can be split up into two habits. The first is not looking for another deal when it comes to something you want to buy. This could either be searching for a cheaper option, or looking for an outlet that sells the same item for less. However, it would be fair to ss. Stores usually have savings schemes if you’re a member, for example. You can also search online for coupons before you start shopping. Find out more at .

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Impulse buying

You may have heard before that you should let time pass when you think you want to buy something. But that kind of advice assumes that all impulse buys are quite expensive. Not so. Have you ever walked into a shop to buy one food item, then ended up stockpiling for what seems like a month? That’s a type of impulse spending. When you go out for specific items, try to stick to those items! Read some more tips at https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/how-to-stop-impulse-spending.

Not letting your investments be

This doesn’t apply to everyone, of course. But if you’re making frequent visits to a financial blog such as this, chances are you’ve got an investment or two. Or, perhaps, you’re merely interested in looking into investments. In any case, one of the most understated bad financial habits that investors have is always checking their investments. It seems like a good idea, on the surface. But let’s say you have a long-term investment. Long-term investments tend to be quite volatile in the short-term. Over long amounts of time, they tend to see good profits. But in-between, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster. If you check it obsessively, you might be tempted to sell off prematurely. Read more about investments at https://everythingfinanceblog.com/17657/high-risk-vs-low-risk-investments.html.