Saving money quickly is easy if you learn to control and regulate your daily outings by setting yourself a goal. Follow these easy tips to stay on top of your budget.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Save at Home
Step 1. Unplug all appliances when you leave the house, especially if you leave for an extended period
Step 2. Lower the thermostat
If you are cold, dress in layers. If it's hot, open the windows and don't turn on the air conditioning.
Step 3. Save on furniture
Instead of spending a lot to buy new ones, opt for used ones but in good condition. You will find classifieds online or in local newspapers.
- If you have old chairs, re-upholster them instead of buying new ones.
- If you want to sell old furniture in good condition, post an ad on the internet and in the newspapers of your city, including photos.
Step 4. If you have just taken a bath, instead of flushing the toilet, use the water left in the tub by taking it out of a bucket and pouring it into the toilet
It sounds like an extreme move, but it's another way to save.
Step 5. Spend more time at home
You don't have to go out and spend a lot of money to have fun.
- The next time your friends want to go out, invite them over and make drinks yourself.
- Eat at home as often as possible and don't order from home more than twice a week. If a friend of yours wants to have dinner at a restaurant, invite them over and offer them a delicious dinner or suggest that they cook together.
- Do you really feel the need to watch movies as soon as they come out? On the internet you will find lots of things to watch, for free or at a negligible cost. Thus, you will save on movie tickets and snacks.
- Don't drink coffee at the bar every morning: make it at home; you will be amazed by the amount you have saved in a month.
Method 2 of 4: Save on Transportation
Step 1. Save on driving
The ideal would be not to have a car, but if it is unavoidable for you, use it in the following ways:
- Share a car with your friends: everyone will pay their share.
- Save on petrol by refueling at the cheapest gas station. Even a penny difference in the long run has an impact on your finances.
- If it's a nice day, don't turn on the air conditioner - open the windows.
- Wash the car yourself instead of going to the car wash. Get help from your friends: arm yourself with sponges and a bucket of water; you will have fun and you will save.
Step 2. Use public transport whenever you can:
sometimes it is faster than the car.
- Find out about timetables: you will save yourself the traffic and the search for parking.
- If you use public transport often, subscribe: you will save a lot of money.
- Avoid taxis. If you're drunk and can't drive, get a sober friend to drive you home.
Step 3. Save on flights, even if you don't travel often:
- Don't wait until the last minute to book, or you'll pay a lot more.
- On the other hand, do not book too early (for example four months in advance): the airlines have not yet opened their offers.
- If you are traveling for the weekend, take only hand luggage with you.
Step 4. Walk or cycle if you need to head to somewhere more or less close
In addition to saving money, you'll get great exercise.
- The bicycle is useful for reaching even the most distant districts. It can take only 20 minutes to travel two or three kilometers.
- Swap a weekly hour of training for an hour, not necessarily spun, of walking.
Method 3 of 4: Save at the Supermarket
Step 1. Plan before you shop so you can resist the urge to buy useless products
- Make a list of everything you need for a week. The fewer times you go shopping, the less temptations you will have.
- Don't spend more than an hour grocery shopping so you don't wander the shelves.
- Go shopping immediately after eating - everything looks tasty on an empty stomach.
Step 2. Implement the plan wisely:
- Shop at a store that offers quality specific products at reasonable prices; Don't buy everything at the supermarket - generic goods are cheaper, but those you can buy at smaller gourmet outlets or at the organic market are more expensive.
- Go for generic brands - we often pay more for the brand.
- Use discounts and coupons. Collect the ones you find on the internet, in the post box or in stores.
- Cook instead of buying precooked products.
- If a good that is never lacking in the home is on offer, take the opportunity to buy more.
- Buy products that you always use and can keep, such as toilet paper, in bulk.
Step 3. Be smart in the kitchen
In addition to the expense, you can save on the preparation and storage of products:
- Use everything you have when you cook; do not buy anything until you have emptied the fridge, especially if you have fresh produce.
- Store things intelligently. Freeze products you won't use right away. Strawberries will last longer if you store them in kitchen paper placed in an open Tupperware container, and dill and other herbs will last longer if you store them in paper bags.
- Freeze the bread and thaw it when you need it, so you don't throw away what's left over.
- Cook foods that will expire soon, like pasta that has been in the pantry for a while.
Method 4 of 4: Other Changes
Step 1. Buy clothes wisely
- Combine quality with price: don't believe that quality clothing is only found in boutiques.
- Buy online: you will find advantageous discounts and you will get pieces that no one else in your city has.
- Wait for the sales to start.
- Shop second-hand - you may find some surprises.
Step 2. Save on the gym
- Run outdoors, especially when the weather is nice. You will train for free.
- If you do yoga or dance, buy a monthly pass instead of paying for each class.
- Buy videos and DVDs on the internet to train from home. There are also many free trainings on YouTube.
- To train at home, you will need a couple of weights, a medicine ball, and a mat. Or, you can recycle what you have. Many exercises, by the way, do not require any equipment.
Step 3. Spend wisely when eating out
You don't have to focus your social life at home to save money - hanging out with friends is good, and you can still do it on a budget.
- If you go to a restaurant, eat something at home before you leave so you won't be too hungry.
- Propose to pay in the Roman style, not to divide the total by the number of those present.
- If you go out for a drink and you are not the designated driver, have a drink at home so you won't spend as much at the bar.
- You can also go to happy hour, so you will save some money.
