Start to think differently.
Many people feel helpless when it comes to saving money. People uselessly spend money on stuff like cars, clothes, trips, food and movies, and later on regret over overspending on these things. They then look out for ways to trim their budget in order to increase their savings. But for that, you need to bring lifestyle changes in your daily habits to prevent unnecessary spending. The formula is pretty simple. Determine your goals, plan out a saving/investment strategy, follow the plan, and stick to it. Following are 20 simple lifestyle changes that will help you Save Money.
1. Record your savings and spending
Keep a record of your spending and recalculate you budget periodically. This way, you can keep a track on your expenses and maintain your money balance.
2. Go Homemade
Restaurants will always charge you extra. Try to eat more at home. This will not only increase savings but will also make you eat healthier.
3. Go out with only cash in hand
Whenever you go out, just take the minimal amount of cash which you require because whenever you carry your card with you, you will spend significantly more.
4. Reduce buying branded products
You can buy generic in case of products you don’t care about. Find out what’s more important and on what all products you can sacrifice.
5. Avoid opening credit cards
If you are not making any money currently, you should avoid opening a credit card. Having a credit card in hand will always tempt you to spend money on unnecessary stuff.
6. Stop buying fast food
Once you get into the habit of eating fast food, you are never going to get out of it. Eat healthy and start preparing your own food.
7. Brew Coffee at Home
Instead of going out and purchasing coffee from a coffee shop, brew coffee at home. Saving those 250 rupees which you spend on Starbucks everyday will help you save thousands in the future.
8. Automate your savings
Create Automated Savings by transferring fixed amount of funds automatically into your savings account. You can try Sqrrl, India’s Best money saving app, which helps you reach your dream plans faster, with smart and automated investments. Sqrrl will draw small sums of money automatically from your bank account and help your Automated Savings will grow at 6-7%, instead of 3.5% in a regular savings account.
9. Buy used books
If you are an avid reader and buy new books every time, then you are definitely spending a lot of money. You can always go for second hand books from friends, book fairs etc. You can also switch over to reading e-books.
10. Tailor your own clothes
Try to learn some small tasks like stitching ripped clothes and lose buttons and fix your clothes by yourself. This way, you will not have to spend money on the tailor or buying new clothes every other day.
11. Prevent using private vehicles
Leave your car at home. In case you need to travel only a mile or two, then you can always prefer to walk. Also, try using public transport.
12. Turn the heater down
Turn the down the temperature of your heating thermostat by a small degree not enough to notice a difference but enough to Save Money.
13. Waste less food
Preserve food in the refrigerator and use it for a longer time. You can freeze your meat and bread till you want to eat them again.
14. Lower your electronics purchases
Try to make you mobile or laptop last a year or longer. The price of electronic devices drastically goes down with time. This Money saving idea will make you spend less on technology and invest on better technology in the future.
15. Start using coupons
Look out for online coupons and discounts while you shop online. You can also look for weekly coupons in the Sunday newspaper. This will help you save thousands a year.
16. Bring lunch to work
Don’t always go out for lunch and breakfasts. Once you get into the habit of packing lunches for yourself every day, you will see a big impact in your savings.
17. Save on tax
There are many companies that help you plan your Tax Saving in simple and convenient ways. With Sqrrl, you can invest large or small amounts, as per your convenience. It has made Tax saving hassle free by making all investment statements required for tax filings delivered right into your inbox.
18. Try to live in a smaller place
A small place will not only be cheaper, but with less space you will be able to accumulate less stuff.
19. Cut on hanging out with friends daily
You need to put a limit on spending on vacations, parties and hangouts on a daily basis. In order to keep up with our friends and colleagues, we overspend on things.
20. Be happy with what you have
Don’t always keep longing for more. Don’t spend more than you can afford because we should learn to be content with what we already have.
It’s never too late to take control of you money spending habits. If you slowing adopt these changes in your lifestyle, you will be surprised to see how much money you can save.
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