Common money mistakes — we all make them, especially when life feels like it’s spinning out of control. You know how to budget. You skip the lattes. You’ve got your meal plan down. But then stress hits, and suddenly all those good habits fly right out the window.
Sound familiar?
In this post, we’re walking through five money mistakes that are super easy to fall into when you’re overwhelmed — and how to get back on track without losing your mind (or your savings).
1. Impulse Spending Feels Like a Fix
When life gets messy, impulse spending can feel like the one thing you can control. You’re stressed, you’re tired, and before you know it, you’ve hit “Buy Now” on three different carts.
Let’s be honest — for a lot of us, spending feels like comfort food. But that quick dopamine hit? It fades fast.
Here’s what helps:
- Use a 24-hour wait rule. Add it to your cart, then walk away. Nine times out of ten, you’ll come back the next day and think, “Why did I even want this?”
- Check your self-talk. Stress lies. It’ll try to convince you that you need something you don’t. Start telling yourself: “This feeling will pass. That Amazon order won’t fix my stress.”
2. Saying “Yes!” Out of Guilt
You’re exhausted and someone asks you to pitch in — for a dinner, a donation, a gift. And even though you don’t really have the money (or the time)… you say yes anyway.
When it comes to common money mistakes, this is one that people often overlook – or internally justify. This is guilt spending, and yep — it’s expensive.
What to do instead:
- Have a script ready. Something like: “We’ve already used up our giving budget this year, but I really hope it goes well.” That’s honest, kind, and firm.
- Set a giving budget. Giving’s important — and you can do it thoughtfully without wrecking your finances.
3. Abandoning the Budget Altogether
Sometimes, stress hits so hard you just… check out. You stop looking at the budget. Stop tracking spending. You go full “I can’t even.”
We’ve been there too.
Instead of quitting completely, simplify:
- Focus on your bare-bones budget — housing, utilities, food, transportation.
- Drop the extras for now. The world won’t fall apart if you say no for a little while.
- Give yourself permission to pause — not to quit.
Crisis mode budgeting often means you’re taking care of what matters most until the dust settles.
4. Letting Convenience Spending Get Out of Hand
When your brain is overloaded, it’s just easier to grab takeout, Instacart everything, and keep that extra streaming service you signed up for three months ago.
We get it. Sometimes you need convenience. But if you’re not careful, temporary habits turn into long-term expenses that quietly drain your budget.
How to keep it in check:
- Make a list of every convenience you’ve added recently — food delivery, subscriptions, whatever.
- Ask two questions:
- Do I actually need this right now?
- Does this align with my values and goals?
5. Avoiding Looking at the Numbers
This might be the biggest of the common money mistakes — just not looking. You avoid your bank account, skip the budget check-in, pretend the numbers don’t exist. But, here’s the fact: There are numbers that you need to know.
We’ve all had that moment: “I can’t face it right now.” But avoidance = bigger mess later.
Here’s your tiny first step:
- Open your bank app.
- Look at it for 60 seconds.
- That’s it.
Chances are, it’s not as bad as you thought. And even if it is? Knowing your numbers puts you back in control. You can’t fix what you won’t face.
Your Turn
Which one of these money mistakes creeps in when you’re under stress?
Share it in the comments — and then let us know your go-to way of handling it. Whether it’s a trick, a mindset shift, or a habit that helps you reset, we’d love to hear what works for you.
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This was a good one! 🙂 “I just can’t look” has been my biggest response to stress. Things are on a good track right now. I enjoy you guys’ youtube channel. Lots of good advice in a entertaining format!
I totally agree. I’m a “don’t look” person, too. Glad our content is helpful to you.
When crisis hits, usually we grab a takeaway or I stop at Lidl on the way home and get a family pie and frozen veg or a lasagne..but now I am successfully managing my high blood pressure with diet and exercise, and hubby has hereditary high cholesterol (FHC) so we have to be more careful to be healthy and not eat out. I’ve started cooking once and eating twice and putting the 2nd batch in the freezer. Last week we found out my husband needed an emergency surgery and it was booked for 9am in London – we had to leave the house at 6.50am to get there! Half of me said we will grab something at the hospital but the other half (the half thats been watching Hope and Larry) said no, the food in the fridge will all go off. So I had a quick squizz in the fridge and decided to cook the 2lb of lean beef with onions carrots and lentils, and make some of it into cottage pie with cabbage for coming home from the hospital, and reserve the other part another recipe – well we added tinned beans to half of it and had beef and bean chilli on baked potatoes and I still have the other part made into spaghetti bolognese, for tonight. I also made overnight oats for us all and a packed lunch of pasta pesto and I even had snacks and emergency water bottles in the cellar for us to take 2 each! My son, who we home educate came with us, we took out laptop and he did his lessons in the waiting room. There is a Costa in the hospital (do you have this in USA?) and he wanted a muffin. I saw I had a free drink on my app so I got him his muffin for about three pounds and got myself a decaf soya latte which I thorougly enjoyed as its a rare treat. Saved loads of money and stayed healthy. I’m happy with that. Thanks for all the guidance and pep talks. Whenever my budget starts going wrong I say I know what I need to do, where’s Hope and Larry?! and I go to Youtube. You have a “this is the Aunty and Uncle who will know how to fix anything” vibe, which i appreciate!
Sounds like you’re doing a great job learning to plan ahead.