Life happens- an emergency arises, an unexpected expense swallows up your savings, you lose your job and fall on harder times. These are all very possible realities, but regardless of the shit that happens in life, there are some financial no-nos that are never excusable.
Being Delinquent on Rent. It never ceases to amaze me how often I hear of landlords or friends having to seek out and approach their tenants or roommates about late or incomplete rent payments. If you can’t afford to pay rent fully and on time, don’t sign the lease! Your irresponsibility should not be another person’s burden.
Flaking on Group Payment. Sure, there are times where you forget to bring cash or your credit card is being temperamental, but don’t be that person who constantly needs to be spotted. If you do have a friend cover your costs, pay them back as soon as possible. Don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to ask you for their money.
Not Tipping. If you can’t afford to leave a respectable tip for good service, you can’t afford to go out. Period.
Using the Company Credit Card. It’s one thing to take an extra pen or some envelopes home from the office, it’s another to charge your personal expenses to the company card. If you want to find yourself in truly tough financial times, keep doing that, and you’ll undoubtedly be unemployed soon enough.
Have you ever been guilty of any of these financial no-nos?
Stefanie is the author of the personal finance and lifestyle blog www.thebrokeandbeautifullife.com.
Honestly, with the expectations now that you have to tip for everything, I rather not go out. It’s now expected to tip for to go orders, and any other services you want. 🙁
I too wish tip were included in the price- so many times I’m stressed about what the tip etiquette is in a given situation. But for waitstaff I know better and always try to leave at least 18-20% (for good service) as I know it is an essential part of their take home pay.
I’m a bit iffy on that. I’ll still tip if the person gives fantastic service on a takeout order, but if they’re just processing the payment, does that require a tip?
Still, staying in if you’re short on cash is smarter. Forget the tip, you shouldn’t be ordering the thing you’d be tipping for!
Ah that’s so tricky. I typically don’t tip if I’m ordering to go. But if I walk into a sit down restaurant and they offer me water while I’m waiting for my to-go order to be ready I’ll leave a dollar.
Agreed completely. The spotting thing in terms of covering for someone can get old quickly, and people can hone in on that easily.
In terms of tips, I absolutely agree in terms of going out to a restaurant, or when getting service that has historically required tips. However, tipping has gotten a bit out of control in many cases, such as to go orders as SFL mentioned in her comment above. Tip jars too! But in standard, traditional tipping situations, yes I agree wholeheartedly that one needs to tip and be more than fair.
“The evolution of tipping”- now there’s a blog topic 🙂
I would add ‘Don’t go silent if you can’t afford a payment’. If you’re going to be late on a payment or can’t make it, the worst thing you can do is ignore that it happened. If you proactively work with whomever it is you can’t afford to pay, more often than not they’ll be willing to work something out with you, especially if it’s your first (and the last, right?) time being late.
Agreed. Ignoring a missed or late payment is so much worse than acknowledging and being upfront about it.
Great post Daisy. My boyfriend always says that if you have to choose between food and rent it’s always better to have a roof over your head. Have a great weekend.