Everyone loves a good deal, but going cheap at the expense of your health, home or sanity is just plain stupid.
To get you on track, we've rounded up 12 of the most penny smart and pound foolish moves you can ever make with your money.
Hitting the vending machine for cheap snacks
Cheap snacks aren't helping your wallet or waistline, says nutritionist Rania Batayneh of Essential Nutrition for You.
Bankrate.com found 72 million Americans could save on doctor's visits, health insurance premiums and groceries if they simply ate better. They might even get a salary boost.
Bypass the vending machine and purchase high quality snacks online instead, says Batayneh.
"I subscribe and have KIND bars shipped to me monthly through Amazon," she says.
"I don't pay shipping and it comes automatically out of my bank account. Grabbing a candy bar from the vending machine wastes money and calories."
Going the poor man's divorce route to save $20,000
Skipping a $20,000 divorce sounds logical, but think twice before forgoing divorce, no matter how strapped you are.
From custody battles (who gets the kids?) to trouble remarrying and filing taxes, there's a buffet of issues to work through like late car payments, foreclosed homes and anything else your deadbeat spouse left kicking around that'll drag down your credit.
Gabrielle Clemens, an attorney at law in Boston and financial planner says it best: "There's no good argument for staying married to someone who has no control of your life."
Upping your insurance deductible to save upfront
It sounds smart on the surface, but increased exposure makes this a very bad idea, says Money Crashers founder Andrew Schrage.
The $10 you save a month won't even begin to pay for that wrecked Camaro your flooded house.
"An unexpected event can force you to pay hundreds or thousands more, depending on how much you agreed to increase your deductible," says Schrage.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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