According to Gallup, we spend on average $101 every day in a mixture of necessary costs such as housing, food, transportation, but also unnecessary fun expenses. At the end of the working week, that’s over $500. But how much of it was throwing money out the window? Indeed, you’d be surprised to know that even the most frugal spenders are guilty of wasting money. You don’t need to experience financial troubles to think of the way you manage your money. Indeed, making some room in your finances for future investments or as an emergency backup plan is never a bad idea. The truth is that you never know what could happen. However, you can take preventive measures to ensure that you are financially stable and ready to cope with unexpected situations.
More importantly, what’s wrong about boosting your budget without depriving yourself – and that’s the most crucial part of smart everyday saving tips. Indeed, the prospect of curbing your spending tends to be linked with having to cope without this or that. In reality, it’s not a matter of removing your every luxury and pleasure. It’s about understanding how they affect your budget and how you could find a money-saving alternative. Here are 9 tips to improve your $101 weekly expenses.
#1. Cut down unnecessary health expenses
No, we’re not suggesting you should stop seeing your doctor! Instead, we recommend exploring ways of boosting your health effectively. For instance, if you’re in the process of booking your next vacation, how about looking for healthy options, such as an active holiday that not only boost your immune system by promoting weight loss but also gets rid of stress? After all, the best way to keep your body and mind strong is to allow yourself to recharge your batteries during your vacation. You can also introduce Ayurvedic practices to your everyday habits to look after your life forces. From changing your cleaning routine to improving your sleeping habits, it doesn’t take much to feel like a new and healthier you.
#2. Spend less on your car
Car owners know how expensive driving and maintaining a vehicle can be. But some costs still come as a surprise for drivers, such as the insurance cost. Ultimately, you can’t save money by stripping your car of essential protection. However, you can work with an expert such as my Insurance Doctor to find the insurance cover that suits both your needs and your wallet. Another common and costly mistake occurs when drivers lack understanding of basic maintenance and management routines. Indeed, keeping your eyes on small issues can give you the opportunity to fix problems before they become insurmountable. Additionally, you should get familiar with your vehicle. Simple tasks such as changing a wheel or topping the engine oil are accessible to all drivers. But too many prefer to skip them!
#3. Curb food waste once and for all
Did you know that nearly one-third of all food produced in the world is wasted? When you consider the average American household, each individual generates around 219 pounds of food waste in a year. If you’re unsure of what it means in real life, it’s the equivalent of tossing that huge and muscular body-builder from the gym down the bin, year after year. Not only are you putting the planet at risk, but you’re also affecting your finances. Why buy stuff that you end up throwing away? Typically, there are three main reasons for food waste. First, you bought more than you needed. Second, you don’t know how to conserve food longer. Third, you’re a perfectionist, and you can’t stand ugly produce even if it is still safe to eat.
#4. Seriously, you don’t need a new outfit
Ah, autumn colors are already in your favorite shops, and you’ve made a list of the gear you want to start the new season. That’s great, but how about saving your credit card some serious activities and considering not buying anything? How you stop buying clothes is not an easy process. Our outfits define us, so it’s fair to say that you’d need to reconnect to your true self to realize that no new dress is going to make you happy. You might not only end up saving a ton of money but, more importantly, create some room to experiment with your style – and you’d be surprised how stylish you can become when you stop following all the trends.
#5. Cook more
Cooking from scratch at home is the most logical step when it comes to saving money on food. Everybody knows that takeaway meals will always be more expensive than the dinner you can make in your kitchen. However, it takes time to develop cooking know-how. If you’re not used to cooking, you might be tempted to stick to your favorite recipe books. While it’s a great way of learning new techniques, it can be handicapping if you can’t work your way around missing ingredients. A smart cook can improvise to combine ingredients and flavors, even if they don’t have exactly what the recipe asks for. Saving money is all about knowing your tastes!
#6. Downsize your home
Ah, the American Dream! For most people, the American Dream starts with becoming a homeowner. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to work their way through the property ladder toward large houses. The bigger, the better, right? But in reality, your home doesn’t need to be several thousand square feet. In fact, downsizing can not only save you a lot of money, but it can also make it a lot easier to manage your budget and household. Cleaning, heating, and even furnishing become a piece of cake. So you might want to ask yourself whether your ideal home needs to be the size of a small castle.
#7. Shorten your shower
Sounds crazy right? Yet, as the weather is getting colder, the idea of stepping in a hot shower and letting it wash your worries away sounds appealing. However, it might have dramatic effects on your budget. Indeed, the average length of a shower in the US is about 8 minutes – which is twice as long as the recommended duration by environmental bodies. But, if you’re honest with yourself, you probably don’t take an 8-min-long shower. When you crave comfort and warmth, you stay in the shower for longer, spending 15 or even 20 minutes. At 12 cents per kilowatt-hour and $1.50 per 1k gallons, it’s easy to see how your bathroom routine could become expensive!
#8. Grow your veggies
Buying seasonal fruits and vegetables is the healthiest and greenest grocery shopping choice you can make. However, you could also try buying less produce and growing your own at home. Indeed, growing zucchinis, tomatoes or even cabbage heads doesn’t require special skills, but can completely transform your relationship to food. Additionally, you can easily create an indoor vegetable garden in your apartment if you don’t have a yard. But, more importantly, you end up creating more recipes around homegrown produce, which helps to curb your consumption of meat and fish.
#9. Not everything that’s broken should be replaced
Last but not least, you can’t afford to throw away everything that breaks. Our ancestors were crafty people who could mend their clothes, build their own homes, and make all the tools and utensils they needed. You don’t need to become 100% self-sufficient, but developing your DIY skills can save you a lot of unnecessary costs and trim you budget.
We live in a society that doesn’t think twice about spending money. Spending is encouraged to the point where most people don’t even understand how to curb their expenses and stick to a budget. However, it’s time to take back control of your budget and reduce your costs to the essentials. Why waste your money on things you don’t need when you could save it for later?
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