Americans say these are the top 5 things they waste the most money on

CNBC

a day ago

Wasteful spending can happen to anyone.
Take Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who spent thousands on VIP bottle service in nightclubs his rookie year in the NFL, leaving him "damn near dead broke," he said on his "New Heights" podcast in 2023. Or Chris Nassetta, the CEO of Hilton, who once spent $20,000 on a Porsche while fresh off a breakup in his 20s, he told CNBC Make It in 2023.
While these examples tend to the extreme, 85% of Americans say they will at least occasionally spend money on an unnecessary expense, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans released last week by Motley Fool Money. Here are the top five most reported wasteful spending habits:
It's no surprise food has such a prominent role in wasteful spending. For a significant majority of people self-made millionaire and author Ramit Sethi talks to, food "is the biggest category where there's money to free up and redirect into something that matters more," he wrote in February.
Not only is spending on food hard to track, especially for couples, but Sethi said buying food is also an emotional decision: "It's about convenience, impulsivity, reward and more."
Whether it's ordering food out of convenience or buying something new due to boredom at home — which is when Motley Fool Money says wasteful spending happens the most — here are three steps experts say you can take to control unnecessary spending.
To curb impulsive spending, "one of the biggest things you can do is take a beat," Keith Barron, a personal finance expert and former head of marketing at Jenius Bank, said in 2024.
Instead of immediately heading to the check out tab when online shopping, add the item you want to buy to a wish list and wait a couple of days to see if you're still interested in buying the product. Often, you'll find you no longer want it, Barron said.
In a world where online shopping can be seamless, consider adding additional steps that will make spending more difficult, such as going to a store in person or turning on mobile banking notifications, Samantha Rosenberg, co-founder and COO of wealth-building platform Belong, said last fall.
"The extra decision points like choosing the store, traveling there, evaluating the item in the flesh and then having to stand in line to buy it will help you slow down and think more critically about your purchases," Rosenberg said.
Automating financial tasks — such as directing money into retirement accounts like a 401(k) or individual retirement account, or into a high-yield savings account — through payroll deductions or regular bank withdrawals can help prevent wasteful spending that eats into your savings, Sethi said on his "Money for Couples" podcast last year.
"If you want your money to go somewhere, you need to make it automatic," Sethi said. "Whatever is left, you're going to spend it."