9 Ways You’re Losing Money Without Even Realizing It

The hackneyed phrase “Money doesn’t grow on trees” is about as annoying as “Live and learn.” But unfortunately, these have become cliches because they are so true. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and there’s no easy fix to paying off your student loans or saving for a down payment. It would be nice if there were some neat financial trick that would ensure you have a healthy emergency fund without making any compromises. And while Priya Malani, Refinery29’s financial expert, doesn’t like to tell you to skip the lattes, the truth is, sometimes you have to skip the lattes in order to pay your bills.

While there aren’t any easy ways to get rich (I mean, there’s gambling and playing the lotto, but neither of those are guarantees), there are a lot of financial institutions that offer deals that would suggest otherwise. There are so many ways to get money fast, but 99.9% of the time, these offers can have terrible long-term consequences that will end up costing you a whole lot more money.

Ahead, Priya and I discuss nine financial offers that all twentysomethings should avoid, from 401(k) loans to credit card consolidation offers. Because when it comes to your finances, if the deal seems too be good to be true, it most definitely is.