4 Ways Procrastination Can Cost You

The following post comes from Veronica Bowman at partner site at The Dollar Stretcher.

Procrastination may cost you more than you realize. If you’re trying to pinch pennies, cut corners, and stretch a dollar as far as it will go, you can’t afford to let procrastination become a threat to your budget. Because it can cost you money…

1. Around the house

Procrastinating about some minor home repair projects can drain your budget. Your power bill may be higher simply because you have put off projects like insulating doors and windows. You could be saving money if you took a little time to put energy-efficient light bulbs throughout the house. Replacing old, worn out, or outdated window treatments with thermal window treatments can help save you money year-round.

Changing the heating or air conditioning filter is often a task that people procrastinate about. However, leaving a dirty filter in place increases your monthly power bill. Take a moment to look around your house and make a list of the small energy-saving repairs you’ve been putting off. Start working your way through the list. Each energy-saving improvement may actually inspire you to complete another one without procrastinating.

2. Clutter

Clutter combined with procrastination can really dent the budget. If your cabinets, closets, garage, basement, office, or any other area of your home is cluttered, you probably don’t actually know all of the things you have in there. You may waste money buying something you already have but simply didn’t see underneath the clutter.

If you have procrastinated about cleaning the refrigerator or organizing the pantry, you may end up throwing away food that becomes outdated before you get around to using it. Late charges are definitely an unnecessary budget breaker. It wouldn’t take very long to establish a system of organizing incoming and outgoing mail so that important pieces of mail or bills do not get buried under an accumulation of stuff. Taking time to get organized should be an immediate priority on your list of things to stop procrastinating about.

3. Painful expenses

Some expenses are not only detrimental to the budget, they’re also painful. If you’ve been planning to put a non-slip mat or stickers in the tub or shower but haven’t done so, in an instant, you could find yourself with a painful injury and high medical bills due to a fall. The same is true if you have things like broken steps or loose handrails that are an accident waiting to happen. These are things you should not procrastinate about repairing. The cost of the repair will be far less than the cost of recovering from an accident.

4. Budget issues

You may have read that one way to save money is to compare insurance rates and find the lowest cost available for the coverage you need. However, if you keep planning to compare but don’t follow through, you’ll continue to pay higher premiums and make stretching your paycheck more difficult. The same is true if you keep intending to research and locate the best phone plan, Internet service, and any other monthly service that has companies competing to be your provider. Procrastinating about setting up a budget can cost you in many ways. If you see where your money is going, you will be able to make adjustments that will help you reduce certain costs and spend more wisely.

Almost everyone has been guilty of procrastination at one time or another. It’s easy to put certain activities such as home repairs and budget planning aside in favor of doing things you find more enjoyable. But, when you consider how much your procrastination is costing, you might quickly decide that home repair, budgeting, clearing clutter, and establishing a system of organization are matters that deserve your immediate attention.

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