Most of us don’t realize how much money we throw out the window on a daily basis. If we could just change a few of our daily habits and combine that with some effort, then we could watch our savings increase significantly. Too many people don’t realize that you can turn your financial situation around by simply making the decision to do so. If you’re in a pinch, then here are five money saving ideas that will help you to start saving money today:
1. Give up your vices.
Habits are very expensive to keep. Whether it’s alcohol, cigarettes, sweets, or fast food, it’s time to kick the habit. Giving up your vices provides instant savings and could even improve your health both mentally and physically.
2. Carpool.
There’s a carpool lane for this reason. If someone you work with lives close to you, then why not ride work together and alternate who drives? This can also be an asset when taking your kids to school. If your neighborhood’s kids go to the same school as yours, then why not get together with your neighborhood and switch out who takes both kids to school? You’re not only saving yourself money and time, but you’re also helping someone else to save.
3. Invest in a bike.
It’s fun, gets you in shape, and saves you some serious money on gas and upkeep. Riding your bike instead of driving your car everywhere will save you enough money by the end of the year to start a nice nest egg. You could even cancel your monthly gym membership for double the savings.
4. Make everything you possibly can.
You can make anything from soaps and scrubs to candles and cookies at home. Homemade items are deemed as being from the heart so this makes them great gifts. If you don’t already know how to crochet and sew, then there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube that will teach you how. Whenever a piece of clothing rips or a button pops off repair it rather than just throwing it away. Additionally, make all your gifts and decorations. Wreaths and ornaments are cheap and easy to make. Buy yarn for $5 to crochet a toboggan with a scarf instead of buying it in a store for $20.
5. Never purchase an item at full value.
There are lots of ways to get what you need for cheap and sometimes even free. If you need new furniture, then just take a drive around the neighborhood. Often people will set brand new items on the curb as trash which allows you to get nice furniture for free. The next place you need to look is on eBay and on craigslist. Craigslist even has a section where people post up free stuff and tell you to come pick it up. There’s a plethora of high quality items that you can buy on craigslist for a very affordable price. Second hand stores are also gold mines. On a good day, you can purchase several items for the price of one in a regular store.
You are so right, about the management part of the money we earn. It doesn’t matter if you are earning six digits a year, if you are spending twice more than this, you definitely got money handling problem. Most people go through a cycle, engaging in loans, confident of the paycheck at month’s end, never finding surplus income to set aside, never enough, always lacking. This, plainly, is inability to handle or manage income.