Advertising
Advertising is a pretty obvious pratfall that can get you to spend money on social media. But that doesn't mean you're not susceptible. With intelligent advertising tailored just for you based on your browsing history and other data, it's easy for those ads to be for things you want, even need, but weren't planning on buying. That's one way that social media can bust your budget. You can always install an ad blocker to help filter out some of the advertising hitting your eyeballs, or even just vow to spend less time on some of those sites to keep temptation at bay.
Lowered Productivity
We're great at convincing ourselves that we are master multitaskers, but the truth is that switching back and forth between tasks isn't the way to be productive. Study after study has come out about the myth of multitasking (as in, we're not good at it), and social media is a big culprit. If you're being less productive, that can cost you big. And the more focused you are, the higher your productivity, and the higher your potential for increased earnings or a coveted promotion. Sometimes it pays to switch off your phone and dig in.
Time is Money
According to Market Watch, the average American adult spends over eleven hours per day in front of a screen, watching videos, reading articles, and scrolling through social media. That's most of the typical person's waking hours! They say time is money, but how does that really break down here? Let's say a person makes $10 per hour. If they spend 11 hours each day on social media, that's $110 per day down the drain or $550 in a typical 5-day workweek.
Now, that's not to say that you should spend every waking hour working, either. But if you're finding that you don't have enough time to spend with your family and friends, or pursuing hobbies you love, it may be that excessive screen time is to blame. Try downloading an app that tracks your screen time and let it run for a week. You might be surprised by what you discover.
FOMO is the new keeping up with the Joneses. Fear of missing out hits millennials hard, but every generation had its own version. Don't let FOMO push you to decisions that go against the gains of budgeting and frugality.
Just like looking over the white picket fence to see Mr. Jones's new car led to overspending in the middle of the 20th century, so can scoping out the lavish-seeming lifestyles of Instagram influencers bust your budget in modern-day. Don't let that kind of thinking creep into your life. Instead, focus on what you do have and how it enriches your life.
Don't let FOMO get your account balance down. Start saving now with a personal savings account with RMCU.
If you enjoyed this blog, you might enjoy these other related blogs:
- So You Want to Take Your Kids to Disney World: How Much to Save and How to Do It
- Budgeting Your Money Doesn't Have to Stink! Try These Ideas to Make Budgeting Easier
- Creative Ways to Save for College
Non RMCU links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Rocky Mountain Credit Union of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. RMCU bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external sites.
