Where does the money go? Answer: holes in your spending plan or spending leaks. 
A spending leak is an uncontrolled expenditure of resources. Spending leaks are caused by a variety of reasons, both personal and economic. Common examples of spending leaks are susceptibility to impulse purchases, routinely paying credit card interest, or using energy inefficiently. Whether small or large, leaks add up and reduce the chances of achieving your goals.  Sometimes spending leaks are hidden or camouflaged. So they have to be discovered. Others are more apparent. Once discovered spending leaks must be fixed.
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Fixing a spending leak may be quick or require a long term behavior change. All are repairable with varying degrees of difficulty. Here is one spending leak repair that is sustainable. It is a behavior change that eliminates a leak for a lifetime. Make a quality decision to Stop Paying Fees. A quality decision is one from which there is no retreat. Most people don’t make a lot of those in their lives. Nor should they.  But you can on this one. Just set your jaw, head down, and just do it.

Fees are not interest. They are other charges for privileges or penalties you have accessed through your actions. If you don’t access them, you don’t pay. It may take a strategy and some time to sustainably eliminate all fees but it can be done.I have for decades. 

Here are 5 fees to never pay again. When it comes to my money I see paying these fees as a self-inflicted wound. Those are the worse kind. I decided to stop hurting myself on purpose.

1. Late payment fees Stop paying your mortgage, rent, insurance, and utilities (cell phone, cable, electric, gas, etc.) late enough to incur a late fee. Yes, paying before the next billing cycle and not getting delinquency on your credit report is a very good thing. But paying an extra fee for being late is not. Credit cards not only have interest but late fees. Most credit card interest rates are usurious already so paying to be late makes “worse matters worst.” Another benefit of not paying late fees is your monthly cash flow and disposable income increase. This provides for a greater sense of financial well-being.
2. Traffic, parking, and civil fines The behaviors that cause these fees are generally under our control. Simply, obey the laws. Even in a high-enforcement area, if you don’t break the law, you shouldn't be cited. However, no one is naive enough to believe that. The next step is to challenge all civil citations. Have your day in court. (MINOR CIVIL NON-CRIMINAL INFRACTIONS ONLY. IF YOU NEED A LAWYER. GET ONE. NOT FOR DUI) Taking the matter to this level is an investment of your time as a citizen to interact with your local government. If efficient, the worst that happens is going to be whatever the best deal that you can negotiate for yourself. If your local government is inefficient, then you may win a default judgment and owe nothing. Be mindful, there could be collateral damage to your insurance premiums and credit rating after a traffic conviction.
3. Overdue rental fees on video, cars, libraries, etc. Just get the item back on time. 
4. Bank fees require vigilance because for most banks they produce significant revenues. Always be on the lookout for no-fee checking and savings account relationships appropriate to your household income. Some bank’s fee structure may be hostile to “low volume, low activity accounts.” The translation is: “you can’t maintain a minimum balance or have sufficient account activity for the bank to make a profit on your money.” Once you have the right-sized bank relationship, be proactive in eliminating all fees such as overdraft, ATM, and cash advances. Make sure checking and savings remain free or you are actually using most of the benefits of the “premium” relationship. You can change financial services product options and maintain the relationship’s longevity. Longevity is often a positive factor when accessing financial services.
5. Convenience fees for tickets or meal delivery. This one is more fluid. But my default position is no fee. If I am hungry, I pick it up or cook. Is there another cheaper way to get that ticket? Do I even have to go? My fee aversion has saved a me ton of money by forcing me to an more cost effective option. 

Stop paying fees. It’s like giving away your money without any of the benefits of philanthropy.

In 2017 Equifax acknowledged a data breach that affected about 148,000,000 Americans of the 209,000,000 Americans 18 years and older.  The data breach released Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as:

• Names
• Social Security numbers
• Gender
• Birth dates
• Addresses
• Driver’s license numbers

​Ouch, that hurts! Since more than 70% of credit eligible adults data files were compromised, it would be wise to take protected yourself.
What you must do now since Equifax has set a deadline of October 15, 2019. 

1. Check to see if you were affected. If so, file your claim.  Equifax changed some terms recently, so check again even if you are sure you previously filed a claim. Also, it is wise to all family members regardless of age while you are at it.
2. Check your credit reports from all three major bureaus for changes in your file. Be mindful of recent inquiries, other addresses and other names not just the tradelines in the file.
3. Check your credit statements for charges you don’t recognize.
4. Change vulnerable (read ALL) passwords for online, ATM, credit card accounts, etc. While you’re at it, use the latest cybersecurity password best practices.

Other things you can do.

1. Get credit monitoring as part of the data breach settlement. For most people, this will probably be the best fit. It's simple easy and adds another layer of protection to your data. It will also be free for up to six years. The problem with credit monitoring as a cybersecurity strategy is that it is reactive. It tells you after the fact. There are proactive strategies you can use also.
2. Place a fraud alert on your credit file. A fraud alert requires potential creditors to take additional measures to verify your identity when they receive an application. You have to go to one of the 3 major credit bureaus to do this. But once you do that bureau is required by law to contact the other two. And they must place fraud alerts in your file also. 
3. Consider using a credit freeze. This will totally lock down your credit report. It is more of a nuisance since you have to contact each of the three credit bureaus individually.

​Don't delay. Protect yourself and your family from this data breach.