Quick confession: if you’re paying for groceries with your business card “just this once” — you’re not alone.

Every small business owner does it at some point. The trouble is, that tiny habit is one of the biggest money-wasters you can hide in plain sight.

💸 What’s the Big Deal, Anyway?
When you mix personal and business money:

• You lose track of what’s really profit.
• Your bookkeeping gets twice as messy — good luck sorting it at tax time.
• You risk missing legit business write-offs because they’re buried next to random Costco trips.
• If the CRA ever checks? They love messy records — easy money for them, headaches for you.

👎 But It Costs You in Ways You Don’t Even See
💡 Messy money = bad decisions.
If you don’t know how much is actually yours vs. the business’s, you spend wrong. You might think you have a profit — but half of that is just your grocery bill hiding in the same account.

✅ Fix It in 3 Simple Moves
Ready? Here’s how to clean it up without the drama:

1️⃣ Open a dedicated business bank account.
Doesn’t have to be fancy. Just one card for business only. No grocery runs. No Netflix subscriptions. Period.

2️⃣ Pay yourself properly.
Want to use business money for groceries? Pay yourself first. Transfer money from your biz account to your personal one like a paycheck. This keeps your books clean and the CRA happy.

3️⃣ Separate cards & apps.
Use separate credit cards, separate expense trackers — draw a bright line. The clearer it is, the less chance you’ll cross it “just this once.”

🔒 Bonus: Future You Will Thank You
When your books are clean:

• You’ll never stress at tax time.
• You’ll know exactly what’s profit.
• You’ll look way more legit to lenders, partners — or anyone else sizing up your business.