Being Money Smart - My Tips for Creating and Saving Money
A started 2017, without any credit card debt and it's been life changing. For the last five years I had the good old credit card debt rolling over month by month a cycle I couldn't seem to break the cycle. Now that the "dumb debt" is gone I have had a full attitude change! I now watch what I spend and how much I make and can I say it has perhaps made me money hungry. With travel plans made and several holidays coming up, I am in full money making and saving money. I wanted to share with you some of the things I have been doing to save money. It's not about living life less, its simply about being smarter.
- Do a bank account overhaul - I made this easy, I changed banks. I very quickly became aware of what I was spending and what things I was forgetting. With subscription services like Netflix and Spotify being the regular we often don't think to check these payments. It turns out the guy I am dating, who also did this exercise had been double charged each week for his gym membership! That was over $800 he was out of pocket. I was paying for a magazine subscription I never received. I managed to save $6 a month. Not alot but it all adds up.
- Clean out your wallet - In my wallet, I had a $25 Event Cinema Card, a free pita pit salad and a $20 voucher to Little Bird. I also had various movie tickets in my top draw. These things can easily get forgotten and go to waste. I have now popped them on my fridge and scheduled in time to use some of them - I kid you not! On Friday...I am having a Pita Pit salad for lunch. That is $10 saved on what would be takeaways on the go!
- Closet and room cleanout - This is a fun way to create some cash and feel less cluttered. I have been selling items on Trade Me and Designer Wardrobe and each week as the cash comes in I get more and more excited. In the last 30 days, I have sold over $2k in items. That is 2k towards my trip to the states and that is pretty amazing.
- Sign up to a talent agency for extra work- I am with a talent agency and I love it. Last week I played a nurse in an American commercial. Sure it was my Sunday afternoon but I made $750 from that job! Sunday well spent right. The best part about it is I pick and choose.
- Track your Spending - After one week of tracking my shopping, my diet coke habit became apparent. What was worse was I was spending about $4 a day buying one of the 600ml bottles. What I realized was that I could save money by buying my cans at the supermarket and taking them into the office. I mean I could give up my habit but hey - life is for enjoying right!
- Create a balance - Dating can be hard on the bank account, so can hanging with friends. With this in mind I have been mixing up my weekends to ensure I get a little of everything, a meal out, a walk, a movie and or other event. Planning ahead means I can create a balanced weekend rather then book meals out all weekend and then have the following three weekends of the pay month be as boring as hell.
What tips do you have around spending money better?
