Growing up you really thought money grew on trees like your grandparents told you.
My First real life experience was my first semester at university, I went on a shopping spree with my student loans after I had paid rent etc, as I just “assumed” this is was a monthly budget and I would get this same amount each month…. Little did I know… I was calling my parents for money before long.
Now that I am married and living on my own for 15 years, I have learned so much about budgeting, saving etc.
Here are 5 tips for saving
- Budget always. Budget every last dime. Do not feel deprived. Budget for eating out, the movies, etc , I also budget for shopping.
- Set up an emergency fund- this will not come over night. A good emergency fund will have 1000.00 or more in it, this is to be used for a car break down, an emergency in the family, ( not to be used for eating out etc, this is not an emergency) Quit using credit cards.- If you have a habit of getting into trouble with credit cards, hide your credit cards and keep them in a safe place in your home, not in your wallet. If you need to keep a card for emergencies, that’s okay. Just don’t carry it around with you. If you’re often tempted to use it, keeping your card “out of sight and out of mind” might help.
- Extreme couponing is a thing as well... I have never fully gotten into it but I do love a good deal. Some stores have coupons running all the time - for example Macy's which is an amazing store with great deals have coupons running at all times, you can check it out here: https://www.raise.com/
coupons/macys.
- Menu Plan and stick to your list. I menu plan for 2 weeks at a time and the first few shopping trips will feel like they are expensive but once you get a stock going, you wont have to buy so much the next time or the time after.
- Choose quality over quantity. This can apply to food, clothes, electronics and much more. Although it's tempting to choose the more budget-friendly version of an item, sometimes choosing quality over quantity will save you more in the long run. Save up your money and get the best-quality product you can afford, and leverage the cost-per-wear philosophy with more expensive clothing and shoes.
- Read a personal finance book, check out Dave Ramsey, he has some really great books that will help everyone
Let me add one more tip - coupons, coupons, and more coupons! Coupons can save you SO much money at the grocery - IF you know what you're doing! :)
ReplyDeleteFor a lot of people, it's hard to set up an emergency fund because they have no money left over after paying bills. That's why they are never prepared when they need car repairs or any other unexpected expense.
ReplyDeleteDave Ramsey's teaching is great. Crown Financial is very similar and also awesome. Great tips for us.
ReplyDeleteI never buy anything without doing a quick online search for coupons. It really helps!
ReplyDeleteYes! We did Dave Ramsey's total money makeover or and I am so glad we did! We've been able to buy our last three vehicles in cash and live on one income for five years with God's provision in other areas, but I can't recommend it highly enough.
ReplyDeleteMy credit card at one point was my biggest money sucker. I had to learn to be more disciplined with it. I now only use it for emergencies. Doing so has saved me a lot of money. I also only pay cash for most things...if I don't have the cash, I don't buy it.
ReplyDeleteI needed this. Great tips. Thanks for sharing! I used to have a budget we followed but I've gotten away from it and it's hurt it. I really need to get back to it. It's so helpful to see how much money we have and where it needs to go.
ReplyDelete