Rationalize your expenses at any salary.
Don’t overpay for the brand
Buying less-promoted brands instead of well-known brands can save a lot of money. Take the time to study the composition of an expensive yogurt or body milk and compare it to an unadvertised counterpart. For example, supermarket private label products, though often used to refer to inferior products, are not always bad.
But in this matter it is important to strike a balance between economy and quality. Let’s say there are t-shirts for a few dollars and a few dozen. The choice seems obvious. But often the cheap stuff quickly gets covered with lint or sits in length after a couple of washes, so you have to buy a new one. So you may end up spending more.
Spend your money in a way that suits you
Many people are used to paying for purchases with cards because it’s more hygienic, secure, and they don’t have to carry a wallet. But numerous studies show that the constant use of bank plastic is fraught with loss of control over their spending. It is much easier to part with invisible figures than with real papers. If you’ve noticed this about yourself, switch to cash. Giving away rustling bills at the cash register and watching the wad of money get thinner will be difficult. It will help you be more circumspect about your purchases.
On the other hand, studies give average results. And for some people, the system works the other way around, and they pay more cautiously with the card. After all, the account balance is easy to track thanks to apps and notifications.
So understand how you spend your money and choose for yourself an option that pushes you to behave rationally.
Be more attentive to small, unnecessary expenditures
There are things we sometimes take lightly. For example, we transfer money with a fee even though we could find a way without it. We don’t refuse to subscribe to a service we don’t use. Overpay for delivery to the apartment, although the pickup point is around the corner. As a result, insignificant sums turn into a tidy sum. It’s worth paying a little more attention to such expenses, and the piggy bank will increase significantly.
Use the stock the right way
It’s not uncommon for customers to buy a product just because there was a promotion on it. It seems that if you don’t do it now, you will regret it later. But to buy at a low price an unnecessary thing is still less profitable than to buy the right thing for the full price. In the second case, there will be no feeling of wasted money.
At the same time, waiting for promotions to buy something you want is the right strategy. So is looking for coupons and promo codes. If you have an opportunity to bring down the price, do it.
Compare prices
If you see something interesting in a store with no discounts, do not rush to buy it. Often companies are officially represented on marketplaces, and the price there may be lower than in the mall or even on the brand’s own site.
If you visited a retail outlet that resells different products, the chances of finding the same products cheaper online become even higher.
Try co-buying
Many stores offer a 1 + 1 = 3 scheme: if you buy two things, you get the third for free. But don’t buy a second pair of pants to get a discount. Chances are, there’s a similar shopper walking around looking for someone to match up with and get a bargain.
If you don’t feel comfortable approaching strangers about a joint purchase, go to social networks: there you are sure to find like-minded people. This also applies to online shopping. Collective buying from such sites can help you save a lot of money.
Make a shopping plan
On the one hand, a shopping list is a good way to buy everything you need without forgetting anything. On the other hand, it disciplines you and helps you not to put too much stuff in the basket.
Talk to the vendors at the marketplace
As a rule, vendors at food markets become much more accommodating by evening. This can and should be used. Pay attention to the almost empty counters. What could be better for a person than to go home after selling out all the goods?
That’s what the market is for, to haggle. The sociability here is generally a bonus. Some shoppers have been buying from the same places for years, getting discounts and the freshest merchandise for it. And for that, it’s usually enough to be friendly and willing to keep the conversation light.
Calculate whether you really need the car
Much depends on the locality and the way of life. In some cities, it is practically impossible to get from point A to point B without personal transportation. And making seven transfers by public transport is not always convenient. Often, however, a person continues to use a car, despite the fact that it takes longer to travel by car than by subway. And more expensive, because you have to pay for gas, insurance, service, and so on. In this case, maybe you shouldn’t hold on to your car so much.
Do the vehicle diagnostics on time
Some breakdowns are better prevented in the bud, because repairing them later will cost a lot of money. For this purpose, it is necessary to change oil in time, inflate the tires and in general to carry out diagnostics.
Carry a bottle of water with you
Thirst often turns out to be a costly affair. People often confuse it with hunger and buy food. Or they take not plain water, but carbonated drinks, juices, and other sugary liquids. There’s not a lot of benefit to both health and the wallet. A bottle of water in your bag will help you resist temptation.
Eat before you go to the store
You shouldn’t go to the supermarket even when you’re half-starved. There is a great risk of sending everything in the basket, because the sounds of a rumbling stomach will drown out the voice of reason. A fed person finds it much easier to hold back and leave the store with what he really needs.
Don’t buy perishable foods
Many people are tempted to buy more of those pears that are on sale for half the price. Of course, the fruit should be eaten, but it is not necessary to take more than you are actually ready to consume. Tomorrow, the perishable product can take on an unsightly appearance and become disgusting to the taste.
Especially since the discounting of berries, vegetables and fruits, as well as other perishable products, often hints at the imminent expiration of their shelf life.
Reduce the number of in-game purchases
Avid gamers severely undermine their budget by spending large sums on in-game purchases. But you can look back and remember that a five-dollar heroic sword from an old game that everyone has already forgotten was not worth the money. And how many of those things, boosters and bonuses have accumulated over the years of the hobby? It’s scary to count.
Watch your health
It is much cheaper to be examined periodically than to be treated. This is especially true for teeth. It costs many times less to visit the dentist for a checkup and hygienic cleaning than to put in an implant. But this also applies to other doctors.
And, of course, it is important to engage in disease prevention: watch your diet, exercise, give up bad habits. Speaking of the latter, you can put them in a separate item.
Give up bad habits
Cigarettes and alcohol cost a lot. If you cut back on these purchases, you will have more money left in your wallet.
Think about your closet
If there is no order in the closet, shopping often becomes chaotic as well. A person simply chooses what he likes and takes it home. Then it turns out that the thing doesn’t match anything, and something else needs to be added for it. In the worst case, the purchase just hangs in the closet for years without use.
To prevent this from happening, it is worth taking apart your clothes, make up sets of existing items and from now on take what will fit into your closet. This will save you from unnecessary spending, and allow you to always look stylish.
Make billets
Semifinished products have a bad reputation, and it is undeserved. Especially if you made the preparations yourself. And when you are too tired to stand at the stove, you do not have to buy ready-made food at the store or order it with delivery. You already have everything at home.
Check cell phone rates
Mobile operators are constantly coming up with tariffs to attract customers. So sometimes it makes sense to periodically switch from old to new to save money. You should take your own needs into account. No matter how much an operator praises a tariff with unlimited Internet, a homebody who is constantly near a router simply does not need it. A large number of minutes is not useful to those who communicate only in messages. So it is better to pay only for what you really use.
Don’t buy a year’s subscription to the gym
Or, more precisely, buy it if you really go there regularly. If, however, you want to go once a year, attend a month of training, and then give it all up, the money is obviously going to waste. For those who believe that this time everything will work out for sure, you can start by paying per class or per month.
