A personal finance guru reveals the mistake we all make that leads to financial stress
In her book ‘Break your Budget’, Michela Alloca details where the small expenses are that are wasting your money and how you can save.
American financial expert Michela Allocca is clear about what you should always do to maintain healthy finances in 2025—whether it feels lazy or requires effort. It all starts with small habits, such as returning items you don’t truly want, avoiding unnecessary sale purchases, and carefully tracking your expenses to understand why you’re not saving.
One of her key principles is returning things that don’t convince you, even if it requires extra effort. “If I order clothes online and try them on but don’t feel absolutely thrilled or eager to wear them outside, I return them,” she explains.
“I don’t care if I have to find a place to print a label. I don’t care if I have to walk or drive to a UPS or FedEx store. I don’t care if it costs me a five-dollar restocking fee—I’m returning those things.” She’s also firm on the consequences of keeping unnecessary items: “Saving things you don’t like or won’t use is basically like flushing money down the toilet.”
Allocca also advises against using traditional savings accounts, emphasizing the benefits of high-yield savings accounts instead. According to her, traditional savings accounts linked to checking accounts are a “total waste of space” due to their minuscule interest rates—often as low as 0.1%—while a high-yield account can offer at least 3.5%, as long as it’s insured.
@breakyourbudget Replying to @tuntejababes this is how I track my expenses and my finances overall!
♬ original sound - Michela - Break Your Budget
How to save money in 2025: explained
Along those lines, she recommends avoiding debit cards altogether. Instead, she puts all her spending on credit cards, using them strategically to ensure she only spends what she has, avoiding day-to-day debt.
She also warns against shopping sales just for the sake of it. “I don’t shop on sale—and that doesn’t mean I never buy discounted items,” she clarifies. “If you buy something on sale that you don’t actually need, you’re not saving money—you’re just spending it.”
Trump’s unilateral decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico is most likely illegal and most definitely harmful.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 2, 2025
Economists estimate that these will increase costs for the average American family by as much as $1,200 a year.
We need to drive prices DOWN, not UP.
Finally, she highlights the importance of tracking expenses, even though it can be uncomfortable. Writing down where your money goes—fixed expenses, incidental costs, food, gas, transportation, clothing, bills, and extras like insurance or birthday parties—can feel overwhelming, but seeing it laid out in a table helps identify not just small, everyday expenses but also larger patterns. This awareness allows for better financial planning based on your salary and income.
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