Let me tell you a little horror story: Your credit card bill is coming. (Dun dun dun.) There are so many wonderful things about adulthood, including the freedom to do whatever you want with your free time, heading to happy hour with coworkers after a long day, living on your own or with your best friend, and the glorious feeling of payday. However, with all the perks come some major struggles — and paying your credit card bill makes you cringe like no other.
Sometimes, I don't even want to look at my bank account out of fear of what I did the previous month. It's a scene straight out of a horror movie. I know it's my own fault, and I should be more financially responsible, but it's just difficult when swiping is so easy.
Let's be honest: You don't want to be that one friend who bails on Friday night fun, but you know that every movie, bar, and restaurant you go to involves dishing out more cash than you'd like. So, when it's time to pay your bills, that's when you feel the instant regret of all those expenses.
You've definitely cringed from each one of these eight things before that are all too relatable. Who knows, maybe next month will be the first of many months when you spend less money, and the next bill will be easier to look at. (You and your credit card can only hope.)
Receiving your bill in the mail, or that email that says your balance is ready to view makes your stomach drop. You're afraid to open it like something totally scary is about to pop out. Just like a predictable horror movie, you know exactly what's in there, and it's a huge bill you have to pay. Ugh!
You vowed to be better about ordering takeout, but looking at your bill, it's all you see. You cringe a bit about all of the pad thai, sweet and sour chicken, and pizza you ordered when you could have just cooked something at home. Despite all the cringing, the food was delicious, so just hold on to that positivity.
Along with every takeout item you see on the breakdown, there's also an enormous amount of charges dedicated to transportation. You bought that monthly MetroCard, and vowed to take the subway everywhere. However, you see all those Lyft and Uber charges and remember how much easier it was to just call a car rather than to walk to the subway station.
Looking at the large sum, you immediately get defensive. It has to be someone else, and not you, who did all this damage. That's when you look through every single expense to make sure there's no fraudulent activity. However, the biggest cringe of all happens when you realize it's all correct, and it was you.
Looking back at your past expenses, you begin to make a budget plan for next month. Maybe that means back on buying an iced coffee every morning, or only ordering takeout once a week. However, looking at how much money you should spend each week to meet your goal is giving you the ultimate chills. Honestly, it's like you're grounding yourself.
Saying goodbye to your paycheck is the hardest thing to do. You were so excited to receive it, and you even started daydreaming about the jumpsuits and sparkly backpacks you wanted to buy. Unfortunately, that paycheck becomes nonexistent after receiving your bill. *Starts to tear up.*
You have a coffee machine at home. Heck, you might even have a free one at work, so you truly don't know why you needed to buy so much coffee all month long. The price for a latte at a chic café is honestly just ridiculous at this point.
Times like these call for desperate measures. You might start checking every pant pocket and the bottom of literally all of your purses in hopes of finding some extra cash. You never know, am I right?
