Eurgh! If you just think about life, a lot of it revolves around money and the cost of living.
If you ever hear your grandparents talking about how life used to be back in the day, you can’t help but get a little bit jealous. They had the simple life, and it didn’t matter so much if you didn’t have a lot of money, because no one did!
But, we can’t all just dwell on the past, we have to think about the future at some point. And the now as well as the future just seems to be getting more and more expensive as the years go by.
But why?
Why does life have to be so expensive, and why do we carry on living lives that are so expensive?
We make the decisions in life to keep on spending on the expensive things, without thinking at all of ways that we could make a difference to our finances.
Well guys, sensible Sally is here, and she is here to try and change your ways in life.
Because just as much as the world likes to bite our finances on the bum, we really don’t do it any favors either.
So, if you’re ready to live a cheaper life, read on!
The Most Expensive Items
We’re going to start with the most expensive items first and foremost, because we thought it would be nice to get the things out the way with that seem to cause you more hassle than they’re worth. Item number one on the list – your home.
Now this one is a bit tricky, because yes, moving out is a little expensive.
But it is only expensive because you were probably used to paying so little towards your board, and then all of the sudden you’re hit in the face that bills that just don’t seem to quit, and a household that needs maintaining.
So, what do you do when you feel like your finances are out of control because of the money your home is bleeding from them?
You find solutions.
So, are you someone who goes in to your local fancy supermarket, takes all of the fancy brands, over the store brand and then is in shock at the total bill?
Then you get home, forget about half of the things you’ve bought, and before you know it, the item is out of date?
Ringing any bells to some of you? I do it too – you are not alone.
Well, your shopping bill could be cut to pretty much nothing if you were to take some time to make things cheaper. Online shopping will show you the discounts better, but just for one shop, we urge you to try buying non branded stuff. All you have to do is compare one receipt against the other, and you will see how much money you’ll be able to save!
The second most expensive item on the list is a car. A car just knows how to wind us up, that’s what we think it’s doing. You love to drive so much, but the expenses that come with it always seem to be rising. Take item number one, your insurance. Do you remember how expensive it was when you first passed? And do you remember how everyone said it would go down, but it doesn’t seem to be doing it all so quickly? Well, we’re not surprised. So many insurance companies now are raising the prices of their policies, whether you have a good track record of being a good driver or not.
The simple fact is, people are having more accidents, and insurance companies can’t bear the brunt of it. So, they’re putting up their prices to ensure that they’re covered with the extra money if anything ever does go wrong. If you want to find a way of getting a bargain, you’re going to have to check out links like this for cheap insurance. There are still some companies out there who are offering great deals for those who they know are driving safe. As for the other expense our car demands most from us, our fuel, make sure you’re keeping journey’s to a minimum.
Dare we say it, you should definitely walk a few places rather than driving. If it saves you some money on fuel each month, it gives you some to spend somewhere else!
The Choices We Make
Oh don’t we seem to like to make some bad choices. Not necessarily all of the time, but sometimes we’re just hit with those impulse decisions, and all of the sudden we’re filled with regret once that big ball of happiness wears off. So, the first thing we want to talk about here is impulse buying, because it usually happens around the time that Black Friday starts. Black Friday is a shopper’s heaven. All of the sudden stores slash their prices dramatically for one day, and usually one day only. Although we have noticed a lot of companies advertise deals a couple of weeks before, and seem to carry it on a week or two after. The whole event is just a ploy to get people to spend more money, especially the impulse buyers of you.
So, to stop all of this madness, you need to lock your money away… literally. If your card is staring you in the face, then it’s going to be so much easier for you to just whack it out, and tap away. If you were to do a simple hide of the card, and a transfer of the money, the temptation would be taken away from you. So, do a strict money plan at the start of every month.
Try and account for everything, even emergencies. Withdraw some money out that gives you an allowance to just spend what you want each week, including food shopping and fuel money. Then, give your card to someone you trust. Transfer all of your money that you don’t need on your card to a locked bank account, and see what happens. When you literally have your budget in your hands, it’s so much easier to keep control of what you’re spending!
The Things That Bite Us On The Bum
When you get to a point where you feel as though everything is going peachy, you have to be prepared for everything to just switch. It always seems that things happen when we least expect them, and we just go in to a blind panic and assume that all we have left to do is moan about the situation we’re in, and possibly even get ourselves into debt for it.
One of the most common things that seems to bite us on the bum, is special occasions. We bet you weren’t expecting us to say that. And how convenient that a special occasion is actually just around the corner! When one thing ends, another seems to start. At least that’s the way we see it anyway!
One of the biggest threats to your money saving strategy is of course Christmas, but there are ways that you can make sure that the last thing it does is bite you on the bum. Tip number one, think of the thoughtful things rather than the most expensive. We love to treat people at Christmas, and this always seems to lead to you having spent hundreds of dollars, when you could easily get away with spending much less. You could home make gifts, or you could just buy small little things that have sentimental value!
Why Aren’t We Saving?
Ok, so this is a question that seriously needs to be asked by you. Why aren’t we saving as much money as we should be. Some of you reading this aren’t even saving a dime! It’s so important to have a little something to fall back on in life, and as you carry on through it, you will soon come to realize that. The comfort you will get just from having a little bit of money in another bank account will be great.
So, even if you save a little bit of your wages, it will all count towards something eventually. They say that you should save 10% of your wage slip, which we think is something good to go by. Because even if you only get paid a 1000 a month, that’s still 1200 to fall back on every year! You could save more than 10% as well if you feel as though that is too low for you.
Why Aren’t We Treating Ourselves?
We want to finish on a bit of a high note, because the whole of this article has been talking about how we should not be doing this, or not be doing that with money. Well, sometimes you just really have to treat yourself. Once you get in the frame of mind for not spending, you get into the habit of not wanting to treat yourself because you’re afraid you won’t be able to afford it.
So, we want to make sure that once a month you’re giving yourself a little treat. It will ensure that you’re always kept happy, and it’s like a little reward for all of your hard work not spending it!
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