Day 20 of the 30 Day Writing Challenge
Money. How would our lives be different if we didn’t have to earn any? Not in, if your daddy was a billionaire, but just if money wasn’t a thing. For me, and for many, money is a trigger for anxiety. My parents were big on saving, and sometimes deprived themselves a lot in order to be financially stable in the way they wanted to be. It was good because now they own their own home, are completely debt free and can live off their pensions. But, I often wonder how many small–and larger–pleasures they missed out on because they were so frugal.
Possibly I am overly anxious about money because my parents raised me with certain expectations in fiscal responsibility. The funny is, I’m a big spender. I’ve always bought when I wanted and while I’m not one to buy designer bags and shoes, I am also not that girl who spends hours going through racks at Winners to get a deal or to wait for a sale. I don’t shop around either. I see, I like, I buy.
But now that I’m planning for a wedding, I’ve started worrying a lot more about money. As if it wasn’t bad enough before. So I’ve started to look for little ways to save some dough. Here are some practical ways to save some cash.
brown bag it
This is one I’ve always done. Bring your own lunch to work. If you make extra for dinner with the intentions of having leftovers, you never have to think of what to make for lunch. I also like to keep some cans of tuna at home for those days when I might not have enough leftovers so I can throw together a tuna salad. Toss some salad in a container and grab some dressing, and you’re ready to go. Likely, you’re saving fifty or more dollars a week on eating lunch out. While you’re at it, make your own coffee at home and bring it to work too. There’s another ten bucks saved easily.
save your change
No one wants to carry around a ton of change. So don’t. Instead, throw into a change jar at home. You’ll be amazed how fast those loonies and toonies add up. My finace easily has fifty bucks in change on his nightstand at the moment. You’ve no idea how jealous I am!
open a savings account
This is the best way to save money in my opinion. Open up an account you are not going to touch. Decide a set amount of money you want to save each week. Have your bank automatically deposit that amount into this account. It’ll be an effortless way to build up a nest egg.
lower your credit card limit
This is one I am going to do. I feel as if having a lower amount of credit is likely a good idea as I’ll think twice about purchases. It doesn’t exactly make sense to have thousands of dollars available to spend if you don’t have the income to pay the bill at the end of the month.
pay off your credit card each month
Friends, this one is major. Pay off the entire balance of your credit card each month. The interest is so high that you can be easily charged upwards of fifty dollars of interest per month if you do not pay the entire balance. And that is a sheer waste of month.
stock up when there are sales
Do you have staples in your pantry? Stock up when there are sales. My brother is a big pasta eater. And when a store has a sale, he buys a ton. He saves money, and has his favourite food readily available. It’s a smart idea.
rent and/or sell
Have unwanted items? You can rent or sell them on Facebook Marketplace. Especially things your little ones have outgrown, or decor you are no longer using. You might not make a ton, but that cash can go into savings.
I hope this is helpful! I am going to begin using some of these ideas myself to save some cash. Good luck to you 🙂