Brush all the excuses for saving money aside so you can shop like a boss. Let’s lay out some of the best tips for saving money while shopping.
1 : Record your spending.
Track your daily spending, you can either have a notebook or have an app for listing down your purchases.
Any tool can be used. What’s is important is you will know how much you spend every day and from there you would know what to do and where to go from there to save up money. Don’t leave any purchase unnoticed. Even the smallest spending is very important.
2 : Think of your goals first before making the buy.
Remind yourself that you have to save up money for an upcoming long term goal. For example your long term goal is to move to a new city. Then think of the costs of moving out and check if what you are going to buy is really worth it or the money is much better for the big move. Talk yourself out of it if it is not a thing you truly need.
Goals can also be in a form of recurring bills. You have to keep in mind that you have monthly bills to pay for. Think of your internet bill, electricity, water, etc. A meal from an expensive restaurant can be equivalent to a month worth of internet bill.
3 : Treat every purchase as an Investment.
When you are a CEO of a company, before spending some money on a project you study the project first. It’s the same with your everyday spending. When buying a certain item ask yourself first if it is going to be worth it, is it going to last and if it is better compared to buying another item.
- Save as much as you can.
Things in your everyday life will always have a cheaper version of it. Opt for the cheaper version as much as possible. You have a regular coffee than buying an expensive coffee. They will have the same caffeine boost anyway. Buying a coat that is on sale is much cheaper than buying a full priced coat. They’ll both serve the same purpose at the end of the day. Always look out for cheaper deals.
You don’t have to remove the things you do every day to save up money just keep in mind that they all have cheaper versions of themselves that way you will save up in every purchase. List down all you unnecessary purchases and slowly kick them off of your system.
4 : Be smart in going out with friends.
Saving up money doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a great Friday night out with friends. Check for places where you can enjoy without spending that much. It’s better to give yourself a budget for every plans you have. If you can bring cash that is enough that is better, at least you would know how much you have spent so far and how much you have left for the night.
5 : Make money
How can you save up money if you’re not making money at the first place? Get a job or if you already have a job, think of ways to earn extra money. Earning extra money is also a way of saving money if you have a hard time cutting out your purchases. So every time you earn extra you’ll know that you can also spend extra without ruining your daily budget.
When I was college I only reward myself to an expensive coffee when I get a paycheck from part tome jobs. That way I won’t feel guilty of spending too much outside my daily budget.
There are tons of ways to save money, just make sure that you plan for it and that you save up in a healthy way. Don’t deprive yourself of basic necessities but cut off the things that you will live without anyway. It’s better to spend less on makeup or expensive drinks than spend less on food.