Let’s be real… if it wasn’t for that paycheck, many of us likely wouldn’t work. You don’t show up groggy eyed for eight hours a day out of the goodness of your heart. Sure, you may enjoy your work… you may even love your job! But for most of us, it’s all about that thank you note you receive from your bosses in the form of a check. We have bills to pay, after all!
But is your job actually costing more than you’re gaining?

Sound ridiculous, right? No way your hourly rate or salary pay costs you money… you’re doing nothing but working at your job (hopefully), so where could that money be coming from? Check our list below, and determine whether or not you spend more than you make at your job. If so, it’s time to reevaluate what you need to focus on. Now, don’t quit your job or anything, but if your job is costing you, determine where you can save more, make more, and hold onto more of your check each month.

• Childcare. No kids? Skip down. Got little ones? Then you know they’re not free. The average cost of childcare is just shy of $12k per year, and if you live in a metropolitan area, chances are it’s much higher than that. Making sure your children are in good condition while you work can be one of the biggest drains to your bank account, taking money away as your work to gain it.

• Clothing. The average American spends anywhere from $50-150 on clothing each month. Chances are you can’t wear your favorite Metallica shirt to work, so some of that money is going to apparel deemed work appropriate. Most of us have sections of our closet dedicated to “work clothes”, items we’d never wear on a night out, but still taking up a decent amount of space because you just know Carol will say something snide if you wear the same thing twice in one week.

• Food. Picking up a coffee on the way to the office after a long night. Lunch with the coworkers just to get out of the office. Happy hour afterwards to gripe about that annoying boss or customer. These expenses may never get above $15 on a single spend, but over the course of a month, you could be spending upwards of $70 on food, racking up $840 at the end of the year.

• Commute. A car costs anywhere from $7-11k to own, between insurance, gas, and maintenance. Then there’s the commute itself, which is time you don’t get back. This means you’re spending a ton of money just getting to work, let alone everything that comes with it.

• Non-Work Work. You’re putting in extra hours at the office, so there’s less time at home to take care of everything. Your lawn needs to be mowed, you have meals to plan for, and the place could use a tidying up… all things that you can spend money on to have taken care of for you so you can finally relax. If time in the office is keeping you from what you need to be doing elsewhere, it can cost much more than you believe.

• Time & Sanity. You may not put a price tag on it, but the amount of time you spend working and the stress that it provides can be a burden all on its own. Yes, no one goes to work because it seems like a fun way to kill an afternoon, but if work takes away more than it gives, it can be about more than money.