Financial sabotage -- how each Sun sign can screw up

Despite our best efforts to keep a perfect financial flow going in our lives, how many times do we fail to set it straight? If you're willing to face your inner saboteur induced by quirks in your personality, you're halfway there.

Aries
Just as you start to make progress on your spending-savings ratio, impulse buys and kamikaze spending habits can instantly set you back in the red. You love challenges, so try saving a quarter of your income over the next year. Put that Arian noggin to good use -- a penny saved is one Ram less burned.

Taurus
Playing it too safe, putting all your eggs in one basket, or being loyal to a financial fault are just a few typical Taurus no-nos when it comes to avoiding fiascos. Of course, with Taurus being the sign of money, it's rarely that dramatic. Rather, it's usually a slow draining of funds that happens over time when you refuse to bust a risky move.

Gemini
Blame it on the evil twin who steals your credit card and goes on a luxury bender when the good twin isn't looking. Other sabotaging factors include inconsistency and the part of your psyche that refuses to play grown-up and live within your means. It's not a bad idea to have two bank accounts: one for saving, the other for splurging.

Cancer
You're famous for your under-the-mattress banking methods, but that doesn't quite yield dividends, does it? As scary as it is in this market of dire uncertainty, it might pay to get some good counsel and venture into the daring world of investments. Remember, you can always leave a little extra backup stash in your humble abode for safekeeping.

Leo
When your bank balance goes south, you can blame it on your inner superstar complex. It takes some serious coin to finance your red-carpet swagger, and you're certainly not one to cheap out when it comes to ... well, anything. That's the problem, Leo: You do everything large, especially throwing your cash around like a big shot and spoiling those you love.

Virgo
You're an odd case, because your brand of sabotage is rather tricky -- you sabotage by being too good! You get so engrossed in your worried workaholic frenzy, you don't even have time to enjoy the money you make. Plus, you feel you never have enough. Money isn't just the root of all evil -- it could be the very ticket out of your neurosis, if you learn to dip into your stash every now and again.

Libra
You've surely heard this a thousand times, but the only thing stopping you from financial greatness is the big L word: laziness. You get comfy in your leisurely patterns for fear of tipping your delicate scales. The early bird catches the worm -- and yes, that means forsaking your beauty sleep if you want that green!

Scorpio
You're undoubtedly aware of your own arsenal of sabotage, but just in case you're in a denial phase and need a friendly reminder of your inclination to destructive decadence: You love and hate with equal Scorpio fervor, and the same passion applies to your approach to saving and spending. Seek a middle ground!

Sagittarius
Lucky Sagittarians always land on their feet and are rescued from total devastation just in the nick of time -- but this is actually the problem. You rely on that eleventh-hour saving grace to shelter you from ruin, when you should be creating your own safety net; as a result, you never get ahead. Plus, living life like you're on an endless vacation may be fabulous, but it sure can be hard on the piggy.

Capricorn
A Capricorn? Sabotage their finances? Blasphemy! You pride yourself on your pragmatism and "penny-saved-penny-earned" common sense, but that doesn't mean you aren't prone to a few inherent traps in the material world. You can't stand shabby quality or imitation products; on the other hand, being overly conservative could cause you to miss windfall opportunities.

Aquarius
The dips and dives in your portfolio are often a direct representation of your inevitable eccentric streak. You'll save and save and save, then suddenly decide you need to turn your home into a photo studio in one fell swoop. Or you'll buy a rare, but expensive velvet jacket, just because. These quirky whims can set you back.

Pisces
Oh, poor dear Pisces. Sabotage is your middle name when it comes to dreary, earthy things like paying bills. Between wanting to save the world with one fell checkbook and believing that fairytale magic can save you from debt collectors, you run the risk of being a tad bit unrealistic when it comes to finances. But then again, Anthony Robbins is a Pisces, so there's hope!