Most of us have been (or will be) tempted to do one or more of the following things during some point of our financial lives. These are all really common things to do with money.

Unfortunately, while they usually seem like good ideas on the surface, all too often they’re recipes for disaster. Here are twelve money temptations to avoid.

1. Using money to meet your emotional needs.

While no one wakes up one day and says, “Hey, I think I’ll go out and buy something to meet my emotional needs” it’s not uncommon to think things like “I’m bored, maybe I’ll go shopping” or “I’ve had a hard week, I deserve this new video game.”

The problem with using money to meet your emotional needs is twofold: it doesn’t work (except on a very temporary basis) and it leaves you with less money (money that you could probably better use elsewhere). » Read more

I heard a radio ad that started out in a very serious-sounding tone with, “In these economic times, every dollar counts.”

I couldn’t help but blurt out, “Doesn’t every dollar always count!?”

Now, of course I knew what they meant: Times are tough, use your money wisely, buy our stuff.

But that isn’t the point. The point is, we often don’t use every dollar wisely. Often this is unconscious. » Read more

Have you ever gotten that “Tell me about one of your weaknesses” question during an interview?

“I tend to be a perfectionist” is one of the standard answers.

That answer is meant to emphasize that you work really hard to do a good job, but the truth is, the idea of perfection is overrated.

Especially when it comes to your money. » Read more

It can be easy to forget that there are usually more than two options when faced with a big decision or even just a question.

This was brought home to me during a simple conversation.

My husband was looking for a particular book on our shelves and asked, “Is it a paperback or a hardback?”.

I jokingly replied with “yes” because I had no idea, but then realized how often questions and decisions are presented as an either-or choice as a matter of course. » Read more