‘How to save more money?’ is a billion dollar question and if you could really answer it, who knows, you might end up saving yourself a billion dollar.
So, in reality, how to save more money?
You might think that you need to live a miserable life, counting every penny you save and spend, giving up your daily dose of your favorite coffee or say bubye to an outfit you desired to buy or cancel your trip to Hawaii.
But, there are many possible ways you can find to save more money.
How to really save more money in actuality?
Make a plan and Clear your debts
If you practically have no debts to be paid, then concentrate on saving your money wherever possible.
But if you have a sum to be paid off as a debt, then first clear that off, rather than saving extra money for a car you have planned to buy.
Set this your goal. Make a plan and mark yourself a deadline before which you could pay up the debt.
Say, make a deadline of 20 months to clear the debt by paying the interest plus a part of principal every month.
Plan your budget accordingly. Once you’re used to this and the debt is cleared, you can start to put aside the interest as a saving.
Shop and Spend Smart – Don’t run behind brands
This is where you can learn the art of saving money. Smart shopping. Buy all your monthly needs at once, rather than shopping for two or three times.
Practically, this is a human psychology.
When you buy all at once, you might wonder how much you spend and how much you can carry and then you will naturally concentrate on ‘what you need’, rather than buying ‘what you want’.
This will save a decent sum. Check whether your shopping suits your budget. If not, cut out what possibly can be done.
Spend Smart is a flair art. You need to do some analysis before you buy anything big.
Many accessories you buy cost much mainly because of their brand name, rather than its quality.
If you learn the art of spend smart, you’ll come to know of certain brands, though unpopular, that gives you quality product with saving you a lot more money and small shops that sell them.
Stop running behind just a name.
Let me tell you a blunder you’ll make when you spend to fit your budget.
Say, you need to buy coolers and a branded one costs you about $10.
You’re now money minded and don’t want to buy it. Now you see a different coolers of cost $3.
You might think that these coolers might save you money but not necessarily.
Cheap products will fail. Don’t go to extreme costlier and extreme cheaper. Stick to the middle.
Buy a decent quality product at a decent sum.
Pack your lunch, not your backpacks
Taking home prepared lunch will save your wallet, while eating at your office canteen might cost you more than double.
This is not just a money practice, but a health practice that will reduce your medical expenses as well.
If you are a person who goes out for dinner every weekend, make it every month.
The same spend smart lessons.
Rather than spending $15 every week at the same old restaurant, take your family to a different, bigger, better restaurant spending just $30, month.
Small things count. Make your own fresh tomato puree more willingly than buying a can processed tomato puree.
This will create an effective impact both on your pocket and on your body.
Explore the unseen places around your neighbourhood, postponing your world tour.
Yes, there’s no replacement for travelling. But postpone until you achieve your goal or make it once in a while, rather than often.
Save Energy, Save more money
Here comes the key point to answer how to save more money.
Check your fuel bills and your electricity bills. No wonder that they consume a big part of your budget.
Use bicycles to go to the nearer places. Give some rest to your car. Go by walk, if possible.
A great exercise to your body indeed, without allocating a special time to do workouts. Tada!
Save electricity whenever possible.
Try sleeping in lawn with fresh air in the cold night sooner than sleeping in an AC room. That’s plenty of nature to relax your mind.
Invest your money
All the above said steps will help you save money, but investment in a good scheme will grow your money.
Of course, it comes with risks. But you can learn to do it, with a little assistant of the merchant or a little advice of your financial geek friend.
Most important of all, even if you have serious money problems, relax. Breathe and meditate.
Think positively that you can overcome this. You need a peaceful mind to have a clarity over how you can save. Spend less but love more.