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Learning How To Spend Less and Save More
You may well wonder why anyone would need to learn how to spend less or save money, but sadly, there are a lot of ordinary, everyday folk who just don't know how to get started with spending less and/or saving more.
Learning How To Spend Less
This is a step that many people have to confront in order to become a more frugal person and happily and successfully live the Cheapskates way. You have to learn how to spend less without compromising your lifestyle. This is tough for most people since they haven’t had to do anything about this. Learning to spend less is difficult unless you put your pencil to the paper and are determined to make this a goal. Without determination and a goal to strive for, this won’t work.
To begin to spend less, sit down and take a look at where your money has been going. Write down everything you have spent your money on, from fast food restaurants to clothes shopping to grocery shopping. This also includes all the cups of coffee from the coffee shop on the way to work.
Some people find it handy to get a small notebook that they can carry in their purse or pocket and write down every transaction they make, others can make do with notes on their phone. Make sure you write the date at the beginning of each new day and it is helpful to write which day of the week it is to be able to figure out why you are doing what you are doing. Be sure to write down the bills you pay and whether or not you paid the bill online or if you paid for it in person.
The reason for writing it all down is to find out where the money is going, nothing else. Once you find out how many times a week you are actually eating lunch out and how many cups of coffee you are consuming each day, you’ll quickly figure out where you can cut expenses. We’ll deal with some money saving tips in a moment so don’t begin to panic that you won’t be able to get a large cappuccino ever again.
Once you’ve written all these details down, take a look at what you’re buying. Write down how many times you ate out, how many magazines you bought, how many movies you saw, how many stops to the local coffee shop and whatever else you might have done.
Total up how much you spent each time you did all these activities. It will become surprising exactly how much money is spent on non-essential things as these.
This isn’t a tactic to destroy your spirits, but mainly an eye-opener to begin a plan of action to figure out ways to spend less.
Learning How To Save More
Once you’ve done this and taken some time to absorb it all, it is time to learn about valuable money saving tips to help you learn to spend less.
Don’t be afraid, no Cheapskaters will be harmed while following these tips; these are basically a set of guidelines created to gently guide you through the process of spending less money.
Take the list of all the places you have spent money at for the time period you kept a record. Are there any transactions that you can cut? Maybe decide that instead of stopping at the coffee shop each morning, get yourself a coffee maker and make yourself a pot of coffee each morning. Put the coffee into a thermos and take it to work with you (and in the interest of spending less, look for a quality thermos at the op shop or ask friends, family and colleagues if they have one they don't want).
If you don’t want to do that, make two cups of coffee in the morning, enough to put into a cool looking travel cup with a lid to carry to work. You’ll still get your coffee, but won’t be spending five dollars a day to have it. You can also purchase flavoured coffee sachets from the supermarket or MOO your favourite mix.
Are you able to take your lunch to work? Instead of spending $7 to $10 a day on lunch out, grab lunch options at the supermarket (on special of course!). The same can be done for dinnertime. Look at the price of buying a frozen pizza at the store and buying one from the local pizza delivery store, then compare the cost to MOO pizza.
The difference is at least $5 to $10 each. If you do have to eat out, whether it’s for work or pleasure, don’t be afraid to use coupons for a buy one, get one free, percentage off or a certain dollar amount off the final price. You'll find discounts on the back of your supermarket dockets, in local papers and online. It is best to save a few dollars than to worry what people will think of you and the coupon you just used. They might even be jealous!
Look back at your list and look at how you paid your bills. Did you mail them or drive to where they needed to be paid? Many companies give you the option of paying your bills through the direct debit. Not only will you be saving the money on stamps, but petrol and time as well. Some companies offer discounts on your monthly bill for paying them online if you utilise their bill paying service.
Take a glance at the amount spent on fuel for your vehicle. Petrol prices fluctuate, often without warning, which can cause your expenses to rise and lower at a moment's notice. Think amount your travels for a moment. Is it possible to take public transport to work or the shops? Is carpooling an option? The goal is to cut down on how much fuel you use and easy ways include public transport, carpooling and walking, which is good for other reasons.
One final example is looking at how much you are spending on things like magazines, CD’s and DVD’s. Consider swapping with friends. If five or six of your friends get together and borrow each other’s magazines, music or movies, you get to see several new choices free.
Instead of going to the movies each month, check out one of the services where you can rent movies online for a flat fee each month, but make sure what you're paying each month is less than your usual movie ticket purchases each month. This is helpful if you like to watch a lot of movies all the time. Netflix cost $14.95 a month and you can have multiple watchers, perfect for a family where each member likes a different genre. Stan and
The same could be used for CD’s. Feel free to swap with friends or look into the different online services where you can download a CD at a cheaper price than purchasing one brand new. Another resource for CD’s and DVD’s is your local library. Most now offer the ability to check out the latest movies and CD’s for you to enjoy. Membership to the library is always free.
Hopefully these few ideas have given you an opportunity to evaluate where you need to cut back in order to save money and to become an even bigger Cheapskate, without hurting yourself financially in the long run.
Learning How To Spend Less
This is a step that many people have to confront in order to become a more frugal person and happily and successfully live the Cheapskates way. You have to learn how to spend less without compromising your lifestyle. This is tough for most people since they haven’t had to do anything about this. Learning to spend less is difficult unless you put your pencil to the paper and are determined to make this a goal. Without determination and a goal to strive for, this won’t work.
To begin to spend less, sit down and take a look at where your money has been going. Write down everything you have spent your money on, from fast food restaurants to clothes shopping to grocery shopping. This also includes all the cups of coffee from the coffee shop on the way to work.
Some people find it handy to get a small notebook that they can carry in their purse or pocket and write down every transaction they make, others can make do with notes on their phone. Make sure you write the date at the beginning of each new day and it is helpful to write which day of the week it is to be able to figure out why you are doing what you are doing. Be sure to write down the bills you pay and whether or not you paid the bill online or if you paid for it in person.
The reason for writing it all down is to find out where the money is going, nothing else. Once you find out how many times a week you are actually eating lunch out and how many cups of coffee you are consuming each day, you’ll quickly figure out where you can cut expenses. We’ll deal with some money saving tips in a moment so don’t begin to panic that you won’t be able to get a large cappuccino ever again.
Once you’ve written all these details down, take a look at what you’re buying. Write down how many times you ate out, how many magazines you bought, how many movies you saw, how many stops to the local coffee shop and whatever else you might have done.
Total up how much you spent each time you did all these activities. It will become surprising exactly how much money is spent on non-essential things as these.
This isn’t a tactic to destroy your spirits, but mainly an eye-opener to begin a plan of action to figure out ways to spend less.
Learning How To Save More
Once you’ve done this and taken some time to absorb it all, it is time to learn about valuable money saving tips to help you learn to spend less.
Don’t be afraid, no Cheapskaters will be harmed while following these tips; these are basically a set of guidelines created to gently guide you through the process of spending less money.
Take the list of all the places you have spent money at for the time period you kept a record. Are there any transactions that you can cut? Maybe decide that instead of stopping at the coffee shop each morning, get yourself a coffee maker and make yourself a pot of coffee each morning. Put the coffee into a thermos and take it to work with you (and in the interest of spending less, look for a quality thermos at the op shop or ask friends, family and colleagues if they have one they don't want).
If you don’t want to do that, make two cups of coffee in the morning, enough to put into a cool looking travel cup with a lid to carry to work. You’ll still get your coffee, but won’t be spending five dollars a day to have it. You can also purchase flavoured coffee sachets from the supermarket or MOO your favourite mix.
Are you able to take your lunch to work? Instead of spending $7 to $10 a day on lunch out, grab lunch options at the supermarket (on special of course!). The same can be done for dinnertime. Look at the price of buying a frozen pizza at the store and buying one from the local pizza delivery store, then compare the cost to MOO pizza.
The difference is at least $5 to $10 each. If you do have to eat out, whether it’s for work or pleasure, don’t be afraid to use coupons for a buy one, get one free, percentage off or a certain dollar amount off the final price. You'll find discounts on the back of your supermarket dockets, in local papers and online. It is best to save a few dollars than to worry what people will think of you and the coupon you just used. They might even be jealous!
Look back at your list and look at how you paid your bills. Did you mail them or drive to where they needed to be paid? Many companies give you the option of paying your bills through the direct debit. Not only will you be saving the money on stamps, but petrol and time as well. Some companies offer discounts on your monthly bill for paying them online if you utilise their bill paying service.
Take a glance at the amount spent on fuel for your vehicle. Petrol prices fluctuate, often without warning, which can cause your expenses to rise and lower at a moment's notice. Think amount your travels for a moment. Is it possible to take public transport to work or the shops? Is carpooling an option? The goal is to cut down on how much fuel you use and easy ways include public transport, carpooling and walking, which is good for other reasons.
One final example is looking at how much you are spending on things like magazines, CD’s and DVD’s. Consider swapping with friends. If five or six of your friends get together and borrow each other’s magazines, music or movies, you get to see several new choices free.
Instead of going to the movies each month, check out one of the services where you can rent movies online for a flat fee each month, but make sure what you're paying each month is less than your usual movie ticket purchases each month. This is helpful if you like to watch a lot of movies all the time. Netflix cost $14.95 a month and you can have multiple watchers, perfect for a family where each member likes a different genre. Stan and
The same could be used for CD’s. Feel free to swap with friends or look into the different online services where you can download a CD at a cheaper price than purchasing one brand new. Another resource for CD’s and DVD’s is your local library. Most now offer the ability to check out the latest movies and CD’s for you to enjoy. Membership to the library is always free.
Hopefully these few ideas have given you an opportunity to evaluate where you need to cut back in order to save money and to become an even bigger Cheapskate, without hurting yourself financially in the long run.
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