Saving Money
There are a million blogs and articles dedicated to the topic of saving money, or even making more, but very few actually ask you take a good long look at your lifestyle. In fact, when you’re looking to save money, most people automatically think about making big, dramatic changes, when there are some fantastic options that are actually much simpler.
The first step is to truly evaluate your lifestyle. Grab a pen and notepad and list out everything you consider a luxury lifestyle choice. To help you get started, we’ve comprised a list of some of the most common ones below:
- Your daily café coffee
- Hair cuts, nails, spray tans
- Expensive restaurants
- Housekeeper
- Car wash, detailing
- Gym, yoga, crossfit membership
- Designer clothing
- Luxury vehicles
These items often feel like they’re part of our identity. We have grown accustomed to living with them for so long. But they are merely conveniences we enjoy having around. The key is to remind yourself of the difference between need and want. Unfortunately this isn’t the most exciting way to save money but if it has to be done it’s a fairly simple option.
It’s the small things that will save money
Consider this: if you and your partner both purchase one coffee a day in the morning, you’re likely spending a minimum of $10 a day. This translates to $3,650 a year! If you’re looking to save money, what better place to start than with your coffee habit?! Consider investing in a coffee maker. Even if you spend $200 up front on a machine you’ll still be saving thousands over the year.
The point is, while it may seem like you can’t live without your gym membership, morning coffee or designer clothing, you can easily cut back and save major dividends over the course of a year, or even just a couple of months.
It doesn’t have to be forever, but cutting back, can make a huge difference to your bank account. Ask yourself, what can I live without for a few months? If you’ve been running outside lately, cut out the gym. Consider selling some of the designer clothes you no longer wear to fund your next purchase. Minor changes turn into big results.
If you’re interested in learning different ways to save money, check out our recent blog post on 3 Top Tips to Stay On Budget!