Look, I know this feeling too well.
It’s the 20th of the month. You got paid 2 or 3 weeks ago. You check your account balance and… ₦3,500. How? You didn’t buy anything big. You didn’t go clubbing. You’ve just been living your normal life.
But that’s exactly the problem.
Your money isn’t disappearing because of one big expense. It’s dying the death of a thousand cuts—₦500 here, ₦1,000 there. By the time you realize what’s happening, your salary has evaporated like morning mist in Lagos sun.
I’m not here to lecture you about budgeting or tell you to stop enjoying life. I’m here to show you the seven sneaky ways your money is leaking out—and simple fixes that don’t require you to become a financial analyst or live like a monk.
Let’s be honest: most of us could save an extra ₦30,000 to ₦50,000 monthly without even feeling it. We’re just bleeding money in places we haven’t noticed yet.
Ready? Let’s find your leaks.
- Death By Small Purchases
You know that ₦200 gala and Coke you buy every afternoon? Or the ₦500 airtime you recharge “just in case”? Or that ₦800 Uber ride because you were running five minutes late?
None of them feel like real money.
That’s the trap. Our brains don’t register small amounts as actual spending. But I’ll tell you what happened when I finally tracked mine for one week: I spent ₦11,400 on things I couldn’t even remember buying by Friday. Multiply that by four weeks and you’re looking at over ₦45,000 annually—just… gone.
Here’s what actually works:
Try this for just one week. Withdraw cash—maybe ₦10,000 or whatever you think you’ll spend. Don’t touch your card. Pay for everything in physical naira notes, and keep a small notebook (or use your phone’s notes app). Write down every single purchase. Even that ₦50 pure water.
When the weekends, add it up.
I promise you’ll stare at that number for a full minute. Then you’ll understand where your salary actually goes. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And that awareness alone will save you thousands.
- The Data Plan Nobody Actually Uses
Real talk: when last did you actually use all your data?
Most of us buy 10GB plans because it feels safer. “What if I run out?” But then we’re on Wi-Fi at home, on Wi-Fi at work, and we end up using maybe 5GB max. The telecoms are laughing all the way to the bank while we’re renewing packages we don’t need.
The fix is stupidly simple:
Go to your phone settings right now. Check your actual data usage from last month. Be honest about what you really used. If you’re consistently using less than you’re buying, downgrade your plan next time.
Also, turn off video autoplay on Instagram and Twitter. Those 15-second videos you mindlessly scroll through? They’re eating your data and your money.
You could save ₦2,000-₦3,000 monthly. That’s ₦36,000 a year. That’s not small money.
- The Daily Lunch Habit That’s Quietly Bankrupting You
I’m not going to tell you to stop eating out completely—that’s unrealistic. But let’s do some math that might shock you.
₦1,500 for lunch × 5 workdays = ₦7,500 per week ₦7,500 × 4 weeks = ₦30,000
Add your weekend shawarma runs and Friday night small chops, and you’re easily spending ₦40,000-₦50,000 monthly just on food you could’ve made at home.
What worked for me:
Sunday meal prep. I know it sounds boring, but hear me out. While in Uniben, I would spend 2-3 hours on Sunday cooking in bulk, and stew was what I cooked most. I would usually cook a big stew because I considered it to be versatile. You could practically use it to eat almost anything you like eating.
You don’t have to be a chef. You don’t even have to be good at cooking. You just need food you can grab at home.
Start with three days a week if seven feels overwhelming. Bring lunch Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Buy lunch the other days. You’ll still save ₦15,000-₦20,000 monthly, and once you see the money piling up, you’ll naturally want to do it more.
- Rush Hour Is Robbing You Blind
Have you noticed how leaving home at 7:30am costs you ₦1,200 for that same trip that would’ve cost ₦700 at 6:45am?
That ₦500 difference is what Uber and Bolt call “surge pricing.” What I call it is a tax on poor planning. Do that every workday and you’re losing ₦10,000 monthly for literally nothing—just the crime of leaving 30 minutes later.
The solution:
If your job has any flexibility at all, shift your schedule by 30 minutes. Leave earlier or later to miss peak surge hours.
Or find a colleague who lives near you and split rides. You get company, they save money, everybody wins. I’ve seen people save ₦5,000-₦8,000 monthly just from this one change.
That’s almost ₦100,000 a year. For waking up 30 minutes earlier.
- The Friends and Family “Loan” Program
“Boss, abeg help me with ₦5k. I go pay you back on Friday.”
Friday comes. Silence.
Two weeks later: “Guy, you don forget that money I borrow?”
“Ah, I dey come, I dey come. Na this my landlord wahala…”
We’ve all been there. You want to help. You genuinely care about your people. But somehow you’ve become everyone’s emergency bank, and that “loan” was never coming back anyway.
Here’s the script that saved me:
If it’s not a matter of life or death emergency, run. Tell him/her “I wish I could help, but I can’t afford to lend anything at the moment.”
Simple. Honest. Firm. No long stories.
You’re not a bad person for protecting your financial future. You’re not wicked for saying no. The people who genuinely care about you will understand. The ones who get upset? They were just using you anyway. And let’s face it, they would survive just fine without you.
Save your money for your own dreams. Help people in other ways if you want to—give advice, give time, give support. But stop giving money that never returns.
- Subscriptions You Forgot You’re Even Paying For
Netflix. Spotify. YouTube Premium. Apple Music. DSTV. That Korean movie app you hardly watch nowadays.
Each one is just ₦1,500 or ₦2,500. Not a big deal, right?
Wrong. Combined, they’re sucking ₦5,000-₦8,000 out of your account every month, and you’re probably only actively using one or two of them.
Do this today:
Check your bank statement or your Google Play subscriptions. Write down every recurring charge. Then ask yourself: “Did I use this in the past 30 days?”
If the answer is no, cancel it. Right now. Don’t wait till next month.
If you’re keeping Netflix, share it with your siblings or roommate. Most services allow multiple profiles. There’s no point in everyone paying separately when you can split one account.
You’ll save ₦3,000-₦5,000 monthly minimum. That’s ₦60,000 a year on services you weren’t even enjoying.
- Shopping Like Every Day Is Payday
That phone case looked cool. Those shoes were on sale. That kitchen gadget was “so useful” (you used it once). Before you know it, ₦12,000 is gone and you’re left wondering why.
Impulse buying hits different when you’re scrolling Jumia at midnight or when Instagram ads catch you at a weak moment.
The 48-hour rule changed everything for me:
When you want to buy something that’s not essential, wait 48 hours. Just two days. If you still want it after that time, go ahead and buy it. But most times? The urge passes. You realize you didn’t actually need it—you just wanted it in that moment.
Another trick: Set your phone wallpaper to your actual financial goal. Maybe it’s a car. Maybe it’s your own apartment. Maybe it’s starting that business. Every time you’re about to impulse-buy something, you’ll see that goal staring back at you. It helps.
Let’s Add It Up (This Part Will Surprise You)
Okay, so you don’t have to fix all seven leaks. Let’s say you tackle just four:
- Stop eating out daily: Save ₦25,000
- Downgrade your data plan: Save ₦3,000
- Cancel unused subscriptions: Save ₦4,000
- Avoid rush hour transport: Save ₦5,000
Total monthly savings: ₦37,000
In one year, that’s ₦444,000. Almost half a million naira.
That’s enough to pay three months’ rent. Fund a side hustle. Buy that laptop you’ve been eyeing. Build an actual emergency fund.
Now imagine if you fixed all seven leaks. You could be saving ₦50,000-₦60,000 every single month. That’s ₦600,000-₦720,000 a year.
From the same salary. Without getting a raise. Without a side hustle. Just by plugging the holes in your bucket.
Your Challenge (If You’re Serious About This)
Here’s what I want you to do this week:
- Pick any three leaks from this list that hit home for you
- Implement the fixes TODAY (not tomorrow, not next week)
- Track what happens for 30 days
You don’t need to be perfect. You’ll mess up sometimes. That’s fine. Just be consistent enough to see results.
Then come back here next month and tell me how much you saved. I genuinely want to know. Let’s build a community of people who actually understand where their money goes.
Final Thoughts
Your money isn’t disappearing because you’re irresponsible or bad with finances. It’s disappearing because nobody taught us to pay attention to the small stuff. We focus on big purchases while the small ones quietly drain us dry.
The difference between constantly broke and surprisingly comfortable isn’t usually about earning more—it’s about keeping more of what you earn.
So start today. Pick three leaks. Plug them. Watch what happens to your bank balance in 30 days.
Your future self will thank you.
Now tell me: which of these leaks hit closest to home for you? Drop a comment below. Let’s talk about it.