Even if you’re a penny-pincher, you might still be wasting your hard-earned cash in ways you don’t even realize. Here are the top three wallet-busters according to SmartMoney.com.

• Money waster #1: The grocery store. One of the biggest ways people waste money there is by always buying name brands over generic brands. The fact is, there are some products you should ALWAYS buy generic – like produce and over-the-counter medication. Why? Because bananas will taste the same no matter who grows them and most generic drugs are made using the exact same formulas as name brand drugs. Yet generics cost much less, because grocery stores don’t advertise them. So, they pass the savings on to you.
• The #2 money waster: is your job. Ask yourself this: Are you taking advantage of all your job’s benefits? If you’re not, you might as well throw your hard-earned salary down the drain. For instance, 96% of employers now offer some kind of 401(k) savings plan. Often they’ll match your contribution – increasing your savings. Plus, the money you contribute to your 401k is a tax write off. Your employer might also offer group discounts on things like car insurance and life insurance. Ask Human Resources about discounts from local businesses because who knows, your job might entitle you to half-off at the local movie theater, or a dollar off your next car wash!
• The third biggest money waster: Your cell phone. The fact is, most companies offer brand new phones FOR FREE – in exchange for signing a long term contract. If for some reason you have to break your contract, here’s how you get around paying those expensive “early termination fees”: The website CellTradeUSA.com offers a match-making service that lets you trade your unwanted contract with someone else. In other words, they’ll agree to take over your current contract, while you move on to a different plan and you only pay a one time fee of $20.  This is far less than the $200 fee your cell phone company will charge!