Hello lovelies,
This post is my own compilation of things you can do to spend less money - without feeling on a financial diet ;-) And a special thanks to my friends who shared their ideas with me!
-
Eating / Drinking (out):
o
Eat out less often
o
If you work in an office, prepare lunch and take
it with you instead of buying something. For instance you could cook enough for
a few meals, take one for lunch the next day and freeze the rest (might need a
microwave at the office though…)
o
When eating out, only take a main course and a
coffee instead of a full menu
o
Reduce the frequency of that Starbucks coffee,
you will only enjoy it more when you get it
o
Take your coffee from home in the morning in a
special cup
-
Clothes / Shoes:
o
How about setting yourself a challenge of not
buying any clothes and shoes for a whole month?
o
Try a 2nd hand shop
o
Have a look at apps like Vinted for 2nd
hand quality stuff
o
Organize an afternoon with friends, to exchange
clothes you don't wear anymore (preferably friends with the same size ;-))
o
Invite a friend to come and look at your
dressing room, and ask her to make new outfits for you, so you might rediscover
jewels you already have and had forgotten about!
-
Hobbies:
o
Reading: instead of buying printed books all the
time (like I do), how about borrowing them at the library, or at least buying
the kindle version that's generally cheaper
o
Crafting: I for one tend to gather lots of
supplies for my crafting, I have skeins of yarns everywhere in my house but I
don't think I will ever use them all… So a idea could be to do an exchange of
supplies with other friends!
-
Kids' stuff:
o
Clothes etc: give them a budget and stick to it,
or better give them the cash and let them manage it
o
Wait before buying something for them. If they
come back to you every few days with the same request, then they might really
want it, otherwise they will forget. And if they really want it, check first
that it's justified…
-
Household:
o
Energy bills: Have you already checked if some
providers were cheaper than yours? Are there some appliances that are always on
and that you could switch off instead? Are all your bulbs low energy
consumption ones?
o
Telephone/Internet/TV: Again, have you compared providers? Are you really using the cable TV or could you stop that? We have found ourselves only watching Netflix those days...
o
Groceries: Make a list and stick to it! If you
don't need meat everyday, vegetables are much cheaper… Also, it's generally
cheaper to cook than to buy ready-made meals (and it's much healthier!)
o
Decoration: I like changing regularly the place
of the furniture and sometimes furniture itself… But instead of always buying
new I also look for 2nd hand stuff, sometimes they are real
treasures, and you won't see the same anywhere else!
-
Health:
o
Have you checked how your health insurance
compared with other companies? It's ok if it's more expensive, as long as you
get more out of it…
o
Eat healthy, so that you stay in shape and don't
need to go to the doctor!
-
Sports:
o
It's part of staying healthy, but don't you have
some memberships you don't use – or not enough – that you could stop?
o
If you do sport regularly, have you made sure
that what you pay is the best deal you can get (membership versus paying per
lesson)? Or if you are not a regular, shouldn't you pay per lesson instead?
-
Holidays:
o
An idea is to rent out your house while you are
going for holidays
o
Another is to do a house exchange, there are
plenty of websites proposing that
o
Always compare prices when looking for flights
and rentals, and put alerts where possible so that you can jump on the lowest
price when you see it
-
Going out:
o
It doesn't always have to cost money! A walk in
the forest or on the beach, bicycling with the family.
o
If you want to book an attraction, be on the
look out for cheap(er) tickets, sometimes it pays off to book long in advance,
or very last minute!
o
There are days when museums are free, and some
places where museums are always free
-
Transportation:
o
In some places a car is necessary, but maybe one
is enough, and you can rent a second one when and only when 2 are needed at the
same time (or you might be able to borrow a friend's car?). When living in a
city / in a country like The Netherlands where public transportation is well organized,
you might be better off to not own a car and use public transportation. When
you need to plan a trip to Ikea, borrow one or lend one for the day instead.
o
Taxis are quickly expensive; so only use them
when it's the only option!
o How about pumping up the tyres of your bicycle and using it to go to town? Plus, there are plenty of new means of transportation those days (which might be dangerous but up to you): an electrical step, a skateboard, a hover-board...)
-
Banks:
o Do you use credit cards or only debit cards? I am pretty happy that I stopped using credit
cards a while ago and there is no way I am going back to them!
o Have you compared the fees between banks? Generally online banks have lower fees
and are as efficient…
o How about putting money aside to a savings account and pretend it's not there?
Do you
have more? Can you share them in the comments? I would love to know them!
Thanks!!!
With
love,
Madeleine
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