Hey everyone! Sooo inflation is at its highest right now, recession is on its way, the gas prices are unheard of and we are slowing going into debt.
However we all want to join the FIRE movement, we all want to take a vacation, we all want to enjoy life.. forget vacation and FIRE, we all want to keep our head above water and merely survive!
But what if we were took a smart approach and stop spending money on unnecessary things? What if we examine our spending habits and only use our hard earned money on only the things that we need.
I am going to show you a few things that you can do to save some dinero and keep your hard earnings in your pocket..
Let’s go!
Books and magazine. I see this happening over and over again, people spend so much money on books. The book stores are packed but the libraries are empty! In case you haven’t noticed, the cost of one children’s book range from 8 to 15 bucks! And that’s for one book. Try purchasing a couple of book and trust me it’s going to add it pretty quickly.
People there are libraries, there are used book stores, there are reading clubs and there are friends who throw away or donate books. Try it and I can almost guarantee you that you will save a big chunk of money every year. I walked into a library once and was shocked to the types of books you could find to read.
Gas. Yes I said it Gaasss. Have u seen the price of gas lately. Today, to full up your car, we are looking at close to $100 and even more depending on the model of car that you drive.
Now the question I ask myself is, what is wrong with taking the bus or a train, riding a bike or hell even walking! The last time I checked some of these options are much cheaper than paying for gas and others are even free. In addition to that, it has been proven to improve on our everyday wellness.
Trust me, you need any form of activities that will improve your health and wellness. Ask your doctor! To get various tips on how to increase your wellness check out this wellness checklist which includes various tips for every single day of the week.
So my friends do yourself a favor and stop throwing money at the gas ⛽ stations.
Don’t buy stuff because they’re on sale. Ok this is one which drives me crazy! Some of us including myself sometimes cannot resist a good sale.
But the question is, do we really need the items that are on sale. An even better question is is it REALLY on sale. Let be smart about it and do yourself a favor, get a shopping list such as this one and stick to buying items that you need. Having a list will keep your money to yourself and keep your budget at bay.
I find that when an item is on sale, it is for a reason…maybe the material is cheap, maybe there are too many complains about it or just maybe the store is trying to get rid of it. Regardless..do u really need it. Don’t buy a pair of jeans if it is on sale if you have 5 other pairs which you hardly wear.
Soda Before I start on this one, I want you to Google the ingredients of soda. Tell me what comes up. Or better yet..read up on the effect of soda in the body. This one goes without saying..it is bad for your health! Guys, ladies our body is our temple. Let’s not use our money to destroy it.
Pre cut foods. Raise your hands if you prefer to buy precut fruits for your smoothies instead of cutting the fruits yourself. GUILTY!
But did u know that these pre cut food are more expensive than cutting the fruits yourself? Not only pre cut fruit but anything that has a PRE in front of it, such as pre cooked chicken or pre shredded cheese. Why pay for something that you can do yourself.
Gym membership. We have been hearing this one from all direction that we turn. Stop spending money on gym membership! Instead buy the equipment that you need and set up your home gym.
How often do u think that you will have the motivation to leave your 🏠 house and head to the gym. Not too often. That much I can tell you. I have learned the hard way when I realized that I was just throwing money at the gym.
Also in this day and age, there are so many YouTube videos which does the trick right at home. If you search carefully, there are now some public parks which consist of an outside gym which are FREE.
Name brand food. Can someone tell me if the brand name food item taste better than the no name brand?
I honestly do not think so. If you noticed, brand names items consist of fancy packaging, expensive ads and expensive prices. The trick is to look at the ingredients and the weight of the item to determine if it is really worth the price. Nine out of ten times..it is not.
So my friends, this is one category which is easy to give up.
Cable This one goes without saying that it is definitely not needed. Most cable company offer the basic channels which many consists of news and sports. If you’re not into any of these, get ready to spend more money to get the channels which you really want.
But think about it..why would u need Cable. You want to know what’s going on in the world..turn to the internet..you want to watch a movie…rent and order it from the library..you have your special shows which u love to binge watch…I can almost guarantee you that it’s either on you tube, Netflix etc.
I knew a long time ago that cable was a waste of money when all channels shows news which depresses the hell out of you. Get rid of it.
New and brand name kids clothes. I know I know. we all want to see our kids looking cute up dressed up. But did you know that kids grow every day?
Not only that, think about the food stains, the diaper accidents and mud puddles that comes on a daily basis.
So the brand name clothes that you bought with half your weekly salary, goes down the drain after a month.
Let’s not mention if your child goes to daycare or school with these clothes. After having two kids, I can tell you that it is definitely not worth it to buy new or brand names clothes for your kids especially if they’re an infant, toddler and preschoolers.
Now don’t get me wrong..buying a beautiful new outfit once in a while for your little one is ok but how much are you willing to break your budget for an outfit which will only last for 3 months or less.
In my opinion, getting the right outfits and things for your baby is important so check out this checklist which will not break your budget.
Coffee. Now last but not least COFFEE. We all have heard it from everyone. Dave Ramsey, your financial planner, your grandmother and your budgetista Stop buying coffee and make your own!
Look it up, any financial person would advise you to stop wasting time and money on a line waiting to buy your money buy coffee which can be made at home. I get it..you can’t start your morning without it, well then make it yourself.
Buy yourself a coffee machine and a travel cup and voila $500 bucks saved right there.
Ok so I have given you a list of a few things to not spend money your hard earned money on if you want to survive in these times.
If you do have other ideas of how to save money leave them in the comments before.
If you’re saving, you’re succeeding
Steve Burkholder