How to save money while still feeling good about yourself
Whether you have a large investment in perspective or your finances have simply been diminished in recent months, reducing everyday expenses is one of the most widespread New Year’s resolutions; an almost mandatory objective during the steep January slope. The matter of How to save money It usually seems tedious and full of sacrifices, but here is the basis that supports all the rules that I will explain below: It is not about not spending, but about doing it consciously; propose a low-buy year instead of a no-buy year (something that can lead to large doses of frustration and that we all know that, sooner or later, we will end up failing to comply, with the attendant guilt and an eventual rebound effect after the restrictions). And yes, we recognize that we love rules – habits if you prefer – whether they are to have more spirit and energy every day or to keep our teeth whitening spotless. Below we share the most effective ones regarding the million-dollar question: how to save money without giving up our well-being and quality of life.
#1. Check your bank account charges daily
We encourage you to consult the bank application with the same naturalness with which you access your social networks. Doing it so regularly will help you understand how ‘your money goes’ and manage it more appropriately. In addition, there is a type of scam that lasts over time that consists of making small sporadic charges to your account; Keeping the identification of each amount up to date will help you avoid it. Finally, among the advice from savings experts, it is worth using apps such as: “Tandem, which links to your bank account and analyzes your expenses.”
#2. Walk and run outdoors
The first part constitutes one of the 20 beauty tricks that I have copied from my French friends: If there is a destination you can reach on foot, go for a walk; Not only is it good for your economy to do without taxis and public transport, but your health will also thank you. The same reasons underlie the running part. If you are only signed up to the gym to do running on the tape, cancel that subscription: your city is a better scenario. There is always a park or clear area near home where you can exercise outdoors, and as the saying goes coach Bienestar Amagoya Eizaguirre, “we must aspire to have a more active life and connect with nature; It reunites us with who we are, it provides us with creativity and well-being.”
#3. Check all your subscriptions and cancel without mercy
Seriously, how many of the media platforms you subscribe to do you even visit? once a month? If you are still a subscriber just because you are waiting for your favorite series to premiere a new season, cancel: you will have time to reactivate your subscription when that happens. Think about how your fixed expenses have increased due to these types of services in recent years… it will only be worth continuing to pay for those that you really enjoy regularly.
#4. Organize your closets
The one for clothes, the one for cleaning products, the one for sheets, the one for makeup products (according to these guidelines) and even the pantry. Not only will you free yourself from a huge mental load and will decrease the visual noise, but you will be able to keep a fairly accurate inventory of everything you have and everything you are missing. This way, you will avoid duplicate purchases and get the most out of what you already have, which is the best way to save.
#5. Buy and sell clothes on second-hand platforms
As for purchases, they say that cheap is expensive, but this maxim does not usually apply in the shopping market. second hand. Thanks to the Second Hand September movement, it is possible to leave the fast fashion forever, managing to dress better than ever and invest in clothes in a much smarter way; test it! Additionally, on Vinted and Wallapop you can find second hand luxury pieces or rarely used, high-quality clothing that will last you many years at affordable prices; It will compensate you in the short and long term.
On the other hand and following the previous rule, we recommend that when organizing the dressing room you put for sale everything that you have not used for more than a year, is not your size and/or you are sure that you will not use again. Offer it on resale platforms even at a symbolic price, and if you’re lazy, send photos to your friends and family through WhatsApp groups; Only then can you ensure that they go into the hands of someone who really wants them and is going to use them. Of course, if the pieces in question are luxury, it will be worth spending the time necessary to sell them on Vestiaire Collective. And with the money obtained, buy only what you need, one of the 4 keys to avoid consumerism.
#6. Stick to the budget
Do not spend more than necessary in the present counting on the fact that you will earn more money in the future; Living beyond our means is never positive. The ideal is that you pay attention a realistic budget that you can fulfill without great difficulties, from which superfluous expenses are exempt. Going back to rule number 1, establish a limit figure of which your bank balance does not decrease at the end of the month and strive daily to adjust to it.
#7. Ask for a raise
Perhaps the time has come to increase your salary – it may have come years ago – and your superiors have not even considered it. Go on the 9 keys of one coach of managers to succeed in a difficult conversation and try it; As they say, you already have the ‘no’.
#8. Don’t neglect what stays at home
Bring elegant underwear, pajamas, and robes; use high-quality towels and bathrobes; use the best service you have on a daily basis to eat or drink coffee; Maintain order and cleanliness at home… All those aspects that are not visible are essential for your well-being, especially with the number of hours we spend at home. It is not about investing financially in them, but about taking care of them to increase your quality of life: feel better about yourself and avoid filling a void by buying things you don’t need.