The Top 10 Money Wasters That You Do Everyday

CNN Money has recently released a list on the top 10 money wasters from the average American.

While some of the things you waste money on are very obvious and predictable, you will be greatly surprised of how much you will save yearly by cutting down on bad habits.

Peep the page #’s below to see how many of the 10 money wasters you are guilty of, and what you can do to prevent it.

Using the closest ATM, rather than the one at your own bank will typically costs you about $5.

The average American makes anywhere from five to 10 unnecessary ATM withdrawals a month, adding up to around $40 or almost $500 a year.

Consumers bought more than $70 billion worth of lottery tickets last year, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. About $38 billion was awarded in prizes.

Most players spend between $10 to $20 a week on lottery tickets, mostly on the scratch-off variety.

That adds up to a whopping $520 to $1,040 a year.

Americans spend an average of $8.43 each time they stop at a coffee shop, according to data compiled by Mint.com.

With caffeine fiends filling up an average of 46 times last year, this adds up to a total annual bill of $385.97.

Americans spend $80 billion on cigarettes per year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many smokers spend about $70 a week, or $280 a month, on packs of cigarettes.

The infomercial industry brings in about $400 billion a year, according to the Electronic Retailing Association. But it’s no secret that many impulse purchases go unused.

Several spenders who spend around $200 a month purely on infomercial purchases, most of which they admit go completely unused.

While a 9-ounce box of Rice Krispies costs $4.79 at one New York City grocery store, its 12-ounce generic brethren costs only $1.99, with an identical list of ingredients.

And a $2 or $3 price difference can add up.

You could save at least $50 to $75 a month if you’re spending $500 to $600 a month on groceries for your family.

Consumers spent an average of $28.47 on each restaurant meal in 2010 and averaged 82 restaurant visits during the year, adding up to $2,341, according to Mint.com.

When you realize how much the habit is costing you, brown-bagging lunches could end up saving more than $2,500 a year.

Some have been spending $75 a month on a gym membership they have never used.

It would be cheaper to just buy a bike or treadmill for your home.

Lifesta, a site that will buy back your unused deals, estimates that 20% of all daily deals go unused.

That’s a whopping $532 million wasted, based on the Local Offer Network’s estimate that the daily deal industry will grow 138% to $2.66 billion in 2011.

You might be paying for the silver or gold cable package with lots of channels when you’re only watching the same 10 channels, and the same goes for cell phones.

You could be paying $100 a month for your cell phone plan and only using $50.