Collaborative Post
You’ve been looking at your bank statements lately and you’re not happy with what you see. Something’s not right, it’s unsustainable. If you carry on the way you’re going you will be needing some kind of extra financing. You may be tempted by this because you think you can keep it short-term. However, debt is a slippery road and there’s no knowing how far you will fall.
There is a difference between good debt and bad debt however it’s far better to bite the bullet now, so you can live a better tomorrow. The biggest thing that holds people back from taking the budget plunge, is the fear of losing their lifestyle. If you’re unable to go out with friends, go see a movie and have a nice day out with the family at a theme park, then budgeting becomes second place while financing becomes a priority. But wait, you don’t have to change your lifestyle if you’re trying to save money.
If your colleagues go out for coffee during lunch it’s difficult to be the only one to be sat at their desk. For the sake of work-life and relationships, you follow them and get some time away from the office. However, coffee shops are not a cheap purchasing habit, the cost can rack up after a few weeks. When you’re in the coffee shop, you won’t just get coffee you’ll end up getting a sandwich, panini or salad of some kind. You could walk out of the shop minus $10. If this happens twice or more every week, you can be looking at $100 leaving your bank account every single month. That’s over a thousand dollars a year just on coffee and snacks.
Firstly, you shouldn’t feel peer pressure to buy anything. However, invest in a modern coffee flask so you never have to buy coffee during lunchtime. A small portable flask mug will keep your coffee hot for at least 3-4 hours. This means that you can make a boiling hot cup of coffee during breakfast at home, then drink it fresh at noon. You can still go to coffee shops to chat and socialize with the rest of your colleagues, but you don’t need to buy a cup of coffee if you have a flask.
Everybody impulse buys once in a while. But you shouldn’t allow this to become a regular occurrence in your lifestyle. Just remember that impulse buying is a choice, it’s not some kind of Jedi mind trick that brands put on you. You must sit down and take stock of your spending habits. Where do you impulse buy the most? It could be at the grocery store, when you go clothes shopping or when you’re tired after work so you go to a fast-food drive-through. Force yourself to change and think differently. Do you really need the things that you’re buying? How will you use them? Are you buying them for pleasure or for utility? If they are no more than one singular use to your lifestyle, then they are not part of it.
Rather than buy chocolates and candy at the grocery store, take that same amount of money and spend it on real food that will add to your meal portions or numbers. If you’re satisfied already, don’t buy them. Buying for pleasure is the number one temptation of impulse buyers. If you haven’t planned for it, don’t include it in your shop, no matter how good a sale or discount is!
You might have thought the days of the shopping list are over but you couldn’t be more wrong. When going grocery shopping, those that go without a list are more likely to spend over their budget suggestion. It’s highly likely that without having a plan before entering the grocery store, you will follow the plan of the store itself. Whatever special offers they have, you will fall for them. You will buy replacements when the item you want isn’t there. You’ll end up getting frustrated with the whole experience, and saying to yourself that you’ll be much better next time. In these tips for Painless Ways To Cut Your Spending in 2020, the article explains how you should shop strategically. Go shopping on a Sunday afternoon when the store is restocking shelves for Monday morning and trying to get rid of all their inventory for the week.
New ideas for leisure
So you’re not going to be able to afford to go on holiday this year. No big deal, at all. There are countless forms of leisure and seeing a holiday as a normal thing to do, is perhaps what’s added to your budgeting crisis. Take a domestic vacation such as a road trip in your neighboring state. Go for a picnic outing with some great homemade food instead of to a waterpark. Try camping and living comfortably outdoors or in a log cabin, rather than in a hotel or bed and breakfast. Rather than buy brand new tennis equipment for our child, take them to a tennis club or charity that sells used rackets. Only go to home games of your sports team and don’t travel to other cities to watch them play.
Go to free events such as food festivals and cultural events like Brazilian carnivals. There are lots of different events that have no admission fee and give their guests plenty of free samples of things they’re selling. Make things fun for your children by going to a community swimming pool where kids under a certain age can swim for free. Go to cooking classes for parents that are provided by local authorities or community-run projects. There are lots of different activities you can do on the cheap and have great fulfilled days out with the family.
Parts of your lifestyle may need to change or simply be cut out. Impulse buying should never be tolerated. Take a list of items you need and stick to it. Don’t fall for discounts for items that are not on your list. Shop strategically, by going to stores on a Sunday afternoon.