Saving money doesn’t need to be hard with those small tips
Saving money by spending less is one of the first steps you take to become rich. By changing some small habits you can decrease your expenses effortlessly. It will be easier to not spend that money.
Here are the small habit changes:
Don’t Get Tempted
Does your commute to work includes going by a shopping mall or shopping street? Do you then usually see something you like, and at the end buy something? Do you see on your way home an advertisement for something nice and you want to buy it then?
You get tempted by store windows and advertisements. It’s easy then to go inside and buy the beautiful things you saw and wanted.
By making the small change of not going through the shopping street on your way home, you will not get tempted to buy something.
On my way home from work I go by some small food stands and it always smells good, and I’m already hungry. I get tempted to buy something unhealthy at Mcdonald’s.
What do I do instead? I take a different way home. It’s not long, but it’s an even nicer and quieter way.
By taking a different street home, you will see some new things, you will see fewer advertisements and store windows. You will buy less because you don’t get tempted. You don’t even know about the things you could buy.
Have a Shopping List
Every time you go shopping (doesn’t matter what): take a few moments before and write down what you actually need to buy and make a list.
What is missing from your fridge that you need to buy? What kind of t-shirt do you need and want to buy?
Prepare a shopping list and then stick to that list!
It prevents you from wandering through the aisles not knowing what to buy and then buying too much, and getting tempted by discounts.
Don’t Go Shopping Hungry Or In a Bad Mood
Shopping can be a kind of satisfaction and can make you excited about new stuff (for a while).
If you go shopping hungry, you will buy more food because you get tempted by everything.
If you go shopping in a bad mood, you want to buy something that satisfies you and that brings you joy for some time.
You will buy more in general but also more things you don’t need or use in the end.
Reduce Online Shopping
Online shops are pure tempting advertisements and made as easy as possible. There is a whole business around the psychology of making online shopping as easy and as persuasive as possible.
You don’t even feel that you bought something. You don’t have to show your credit card or find some cash. You just click a button and that’s it.
That’s why the 1-Click ordering on Amazon is so successful, for Amazon.
You don’t have control over your money and your expenses on your credit card. So don’t do it!
You can use the internet for research or for comparing prices and details, but don’t go shopping online.
Have an Overview Of Your Expenses
Do you know the exact amount of your expenses each month? Do you know how much of your income is left after your regular living expenses?
How do you know then that you can afford that dress or that TV?
People don’t get rich because they don’t know how much they spend each month, or actually how much they have left to spend.
For three months: make a list and write down all your income and expenses. Categorize the expenses and you will see how much you actually spend on what.
I know that sometimes I spend too much on education and online courses. I have a list of the expenses and I know that I need to cut them short.
If you have problems at the beginning spending less: make yourself a budget for each category of expenses. Some people are so strict that they have an envelope with money for each budget point, and that’s all they have to spend that month.
By knowing your expenses you will get a feeling of how much you have left to spend, and when to stop. In the beginning make it a habit to check your expenses regularly, especially the ones on your credit card.
“Never spend your money before you have it.”
— Thomas Jefferson
If You Want To Buy Something: Write It Down Instead of Buying It
If you get tempted by something shiny you want to buy:
- write it down
- wait a few days or weeks
- check then if you still want or need this shiny something
- By writing it down instead of immediately buying it you will resist your temptation but there is the possibility to buy it later, so you don’t need that much willpower at the moment.
“The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it in your back pocket.”
— Will Rogers
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