Browsing the Internet after a party – and suddenly your credit card is on fire! We buy things that we actually don't need at all. Why don't we just go straight to bed? That's not only healthier for the budget, but also for our heads. Of course you can make a wish list for must-have items. But then sleep on it and take another look with a clear head. Perhaps then it will be clear that you actually don't need that tenth pair of trainers.

You've been battling for days on the same level, trying again and again to order your fields in time or to beat your next opponent. And you just can't do it. But help is on its way: buy a quick superbooster for two francs and a gold coin for five francs and suddenly you're one level higher, your fields have been harvested and that final enemy is defeated. The funny thing is, that final opponent, “Credit Card Bill”, is lying in wait at the end of the month.

Picking up a little something on your way home or wandering through the supermarket with a rumbling tummy is toxic for your wallet. You arrive home with plenty of shopping only to find that you actually have a full fridge already. And that you've spent a whole lot more money than you wanted to. Because stupidly, you left your shopping bags at home again so you had to spend another 20 cents on yet another paper sack. So this one settles alongside the other ten you already have.

When there's much too much month left and not nearly enough budget, you simply stop looking at the bills. What you don't know can more easily be ignored. The silly thing is though, most companies start to add on dunning charges right from the first payment reminder. To stop this happening, bills can be paid immediately via e-bill or direct debit schemes (LSV). Or pay your bills quickly and easily using Scan + Pay on your smartphone.

This means that even the best excuses are no longer any good.

Full of enthusiasm and anticipation, you set up your gym subscription in January with the firm intention of going training at least twice a week this year. Meanwhile, June has come, the weather is superb and you've seen the inside of the gym a grand total of four times. And you're no closer to your fitness goals either. So that top-of-the-range subscription for over CHF 1,000 turned out to be good for nothing. We can only hope that the subscription doesn't get renewed automatically and that a second year doesn't go unused.

Are any of these five ways to waste money familiar to you? Perhaps you can see yourself in several of these points? Now you know what to look out for in future to do things better. And definitely not pour any more money down the drain.