Constant debts, unaffordable credit, low income and endlessly rising prices - this is a “classic” set of problems for most modern people. The first thing that is most often advised in such cases is to find a part-time job or even change your job to a more worthy and highly paid one.
In most cases, you can do without working too hard and making radical changes in your professional life. It’s enough just to learn how to manage your finances - draw up a personal (family) budget and scrupulously record all your expenses. If this is a burden for you, and the rule of not buying anything on the day you receive your salary cannot become a habit, then we recommend starting small - with reasonable daily savings.
How it works
No matter how much you earn, it is almost always not enough to satisfy all your needs, because, as a rule, “appetites” grow along with your income. That is, the more you receive, the more noticeable your craving for a variety of material goods becomes. In this case, it makes sense to think about how to save on your current expenses, and not about where to find an additional source of income. Moreover, in this case, we are not talking about tightening our belts and starting to strictly limit ourselves in everything, but about overcoming the passion for wastefulness and excess.
If you feel that you have a tendency to buy things that you don't use later or that you can do without, try to make it a rule not to indulge your immediate desires. Impulse purchases are budget killers. When you get excited about the idea of purchasing something, give yourself a few days to “sleep” with this thought, weigh the pros and cons and make an intelligent decision. Quite often, although not always, of course, this decision will be to refuse a new thing.
In addition, sometimes even without making obviously thoughtless and senseless purchases, it seems that money flows away like water into sand. The good news is that you can cope with this, and without driving yourself into depression.
The secret is that we often “squander” hard-earned money completely unnoticed, for example, leaving the light on in an empty room, not taking out the uselessly dangling charger from the socket, or not turning off the tap with water flowing away without a trace while we brush our teeth.
That is, most often the stone on your neck is not an extra piece of sausage or a new toy for your child, but seemingly insignificant little things that actually drain your budget.
To prevent your salary from leaking away, and to start using your earnings wisely, you should take note of a number of simple and practical tips on how to save on simple things.
Household tricks
- Make sure that the lights are turned on only in the room where you are directly located at the moment.
- Use energy-saving light bulbs. They are more expensive than ordinary ones, but are guaranteed to provide you with savings in the long term, because they last on average 8 times longer and consume 6-10 times less energy;
- Remove plugs from electrical sockets from appliances that are not currently in use (washing machines, microwaves, ovens, tuners, routers, chargers, etc.).
- When purchasing household appliances, pay attention to their energy efficiency class. Energy-saving devices are often more expensive, but they help save about 20% of electricity and will also “make a difference” in your personal budget in the long term.
- Make sure the toilet tank and faucets are working properly and are not leaking.
- Turn off the water tap when you wash your hair, brush your teeth, or shave. This saves on average about 40 liters of water per day.
- Do not wash dishes under running water, but rather use two containers - for dirty dishes and for rinsing.
Purchases
- Get rid of the habit of buying all your products in one supermarket. On the one hand, this is convenient, on the other hand, by going to several stores, you can compare prices and buy what you need at the lowest price.
- Before going to the store for groceries, make a list of what you need so that you don’t inadvertently grab “extra.”
- Try not to shop on an empty stomach, because then you will want everything at once. Jokes aside, research actually shows that hungry people tend to buy more willingly and more.
- Try to adjust your purchases of expensive items and equipment to the season of discounts and promotional offers, or even better, order everything you need from online stores or use resources like olx and uslando. By the way, on the latter you can not only acquire equipment, but also replenish your wardrobe or buy toys for your child. Here you can find quality items in good condition and at an affordable price.
- Use the above-mentioned online bulletin boards not only for shopping, but also to sell unnecessary and unused items that are lying “dead weight” in closets. By making your wallet happy, you will also save your home from clutter.
Entertainment and travel
- Plan your vacation in advance. So, you can purchase tourist vouchers in advance, and this will certainly affect their cost. If you travel on your own, then you will have the opportunity to choose the cheapest transport tickets.
- If you go on vacation by plane, try to buy tickets on low-cost flights. Here you will not have the opportunity to take a huge suitcase with you for free, but you will save a lot on the cost of tickets, and the cost of luggage contents will be significantly reduced.
- If you are traveling by car, and hitchhiking (hiking) seems too extreme and adventurous way of transportation for you, then do not miss the opportunity to practice covoitourage (sharing a trip in one car with sharing the cost). Fortunately, now there are a lot of resources for finding travel companions. In addition to reducing travel costs, you will also be able to make new acquaintances and pass the time on the road with a pleasant conversation.
- Please note that when staying in another city or another country, it is not at all necessary to check into an expensive hotel or look for a decent hostel. It is enough to use the currently widespread guest service “CouchSurfing”. Members of this network provide free accommodation for each other and, when possible, introduce travelers to the city and new culture.
None of these basic practices will make you a millionaire on their own, but they will definitely impact your budget in a positive way. Moreover, no extra effort is required from you. Some of the suggested tips will not take even a few minutes, others will require more time, but the game is worth the candle. By following at least some of these simple tips, you will definitely be able to painlessly free up some “extra” money. That is, you won’t have to lose sleep and break your back in pursuit of additional income, you will simply learn to manage what you already have more wisely.
However, here it is worth once again demonstrating your financial literacy, because in the joy of the fact that you managed to get out of the debt hole or gradually pay off the loan, you can start throwing money away again, and this is not at all what we are striving for.
Simply saving money without a specific goal is a rather difficult task. There is a high probability that you will spend it at the first opportunity, so it is best to determine a specific purpose for the money - then its successful accumulation or, at least, rational use is guaranteed to you.
People often asked me how much Nastya and I earn, that we can afford to travel the seas, spend the winter warm and not go hungry. I think the question is not entirely correct. It is important not how much we receive, but how much we spend. In the end, we simply save all excess for higher purposes. In this article, I'll share how we manage to live and travel on a modest budget of about $1,000 for our family of three.
I was also prompted to write this article by a recent story for a central television broadcast on NTV. It specifically raised the issue of reasonable savings, which helps not only to survive in our difficult times, but also to travel freely or simply relax. I simply could not pass by these shootings and became one of the heroes of the plot. After all affordable travel and a life of pleasure - this is the basis of our blog. It’s a pity that very little airtime was allocated, otherwise I would have turned around. I will try to tell you everything that is not included in the plot in this article. So, how on an absolutely average budget of 60,000 rubles per month we manage to travel and live in pleasure.
I am sure that Nastya and I no longer need an introduction to our regular readers. For everyone else, I’ll say - we are the same people who manage to vacation in Russia and abroad on a very modest budget. Once upon a time we quit our jobs and changed our lives. It hasn’t gotten better or worse, we just started living differently, the way we like it. It’s difficult for a Travel Blogger to talk about permanent income - it simply doesn’t exist. There are not very stable advertisements that depend on the season. In winter, when the main flow flies to Asia, we get quite decent amounts. In summer, income is average, but in spring it plummets. To live in such conditions, we had to change our lifestyle a little.
To begin with, we assume that we are absolutely ordinary employees of an average enterprise near Moscow. We have a certain stable monthly amount. In our case, let it be 60,000 rubles - just the average salary of two people in our region. We put aside everything above, and we compensate for everything below from the set aside funds. Go.
As promised, I’m posting a story where I (I’m still a star now!) managed to get probably a whole minute of top airtime on TV. However, we have to start somewhere - it’s time to come out of the darkness.
The importance of maintaining a family budget for reasonable savings
The most important decision in planning a new life was maintaining a budget. I started it long before I quit my job. One of my friends put this idea in my head when he asked where I was spending all my salary increase. Which baffled me. I really couldn’t answer why, having received a significant promotion, I still sit without money. And then I decided to write down all my expenses and income. After all, it was necessary to understand how much and what we spend on in order to eliminate everything unnecessary. The first years of blogging were going to be difficult and we had to prepare for them. Literally a few months were enough to understand how much money was going to waste.
In one of the following articles I will dwell in detail on maintaining a family budget. However, you can download an application for your smartphone and use it without going into all the details. Everything is simple and clear there. There are three important points:
- It is necessary to record absolutely all income and expenses so that the balance is reduced at the end. To do this you will have to be absolutely honest with yourself and your family.
- It's best to break expenses down into several categories. This usually happens in applications. If you maintain your own file or database, you will have to do this yourself. Then, when analyzing your own spending, it will be easier for you to understand that “cheap” fast food steals up to 10,000 rubles, and alcohol and snacks another couple of thousand. Cigarettes, sweets, processed foods and other harmful excesses can ultimately become a significant budget item. By getting rid of them, you will not only free up money, but also improve the quality of your own life.
- The budget must be planned in advance, trying to take into account even unforeseen expenses. Only with proper planning can you free up 20-30% of your funds. These are the ones you can use on vacation 1-2 times a year.
So, let's start maintaining our own budget for at least several months. We regularly analyze the results. We identify unnecessary expenses.
What I learned when I started budgeting
Let me remind you that I started budgeting about 6 years ago, and since then I have been able to distribute costs quite successfully. This, in turn, allowed us to live peacefully even in difficult crisis years. After all, I knew in advance how much I had to spend and on what, and therefore how much money I needed to earn. I will put off analyzing my own family budget for later, especially since the budget should change slightly. Important takeaways:
- Alcohol and cigarettes take a lot of money. At the same time, it is often not the richest people who smoke and drink. Imagine: a pack of cigarettes a day for 100 rubles, a can of beer for 50 rubles, and weekend get-togethers with friends for 500 rubles. Total, approximately 6,000 rubles. And if you add light snacks (snacks, dried fish, nuts, seeds), the amount will be even higher
- The modern world forces us to give each other gifts - this is a whole industry that steals a decent amount per year. When was the last time you gave a book as a gift? But... Now, at least a bottle of expensive alcohol, or just money. And this is 2-3 tr. to a friend or relative.
- Maintaining a car with the rising price of gasoline, compulsory motor insurance, and taxes per year is also not cheap. Many people travel 20-40 km to work and to the country on weekends. Most of my friends admit that they fill up once a week for about 2-2.5 thousand rubles. And this is 8-10 thousand per month. , if you add to the operating price such costs as: repairs, replacement of consumables, purchase of a car, traffic police fines.
- The worst item in the budget, as a rule, is “unforeseen expenses.” At first it’s a decent amount until you learn how to plan competently.
So it turns out that approximately a quarter, and for some even a third, of the family budget goes to waste. As a result, instead of a vacation in Thailand, you once again go to the countryside - because there is no money for anything else.
You will laugh, but if you calculate how much money is spent on the dacha (purchase of seedlings, weekly visits, barbecues, light, fertilizers, purchase of equipment and garden tools), then it will be much cheaper and more profitable to simply go to the forest to relax and buy fruits and vegetables On the market. Having your own vegetable garden is beneficial only when you permanently live next to it, like, for example, villagers.
How you can save significantly and benefit your health
In fact, I won't reinvent the wheel. All this advice has long been given on TV, in magazines, on websites. There are modern professions of life coaches. In my opinion, it’s enough just to turn on logic and learn to analyze. Go.
Food
I heard a couple of tips over the loudspeaker in Auchan, but I took most of them after the success:
- Semi-finished products (dumplings, cutlets, pizzas, etc.) are either expensive or very harmful to health. Chronic diseases that arise from frequent consumption of low-quality semi-finished products become an additional budget item
- Sweets, candies, sausages, canned food are harmful and quite expensive. It is better to get carbohydrates from cereals. Fats and vegetable oils, nuts, fish, meat, dairy products. An apple is cheaper and healthier than candy or sweet rolls
- Fruits, vegetables and berries should only be purchased in season and preferably from local farms. Mangoes are best eaten in Asia, and apples in Russia. Tomatoes in summer and tangerines in winter
- Doshiraki only seem cheap, for example, the cheapest package for 10 rubles is not enough for me personally; either a couple of packs or something more expensive will provide the normal calorie content. But having bought a chicken carcass for 110 rubles and a pack of plain noodles for 30 rubles, I alone can eat quite healthy chicken soup for a week
- Homemade banana pie will definitely be healthier than even the most expensive bought cake
- Fast food just sounds fast. In practice, a Big Mac with Coke will cost 250 rubles and will weigh heavily on a stomach tormented by trans fats.
- Organic products are just a premium for a fancy word and a clever marketing ploy. In fact, all products are organic.
- Branded products are not always healthier, more affordable analogues from local producers
As a result, a reasonable healthy lifestyle, when you prepare simple food from simple products yourself, is, if not cheaper, then about the same, but allows you to save on the treatment of chronic diseases.
Cloth
Miser pays twice.
I'm not rich enough to buy cheap shoes.
Surely you have heard such phrases. To understand the essence of such savings, here are a few examples:
- my winter boots will soon be 10 years old. Yes, I know, in recent years they have been staying at home more often than going out for walks. But over the same 10 years, I changed about 5 pairs of summer shoes.
- “Such expensive sneakers for $100” do not injure the foot and are worn for 3-4 years, while cheap consumer goods for $30 fall apart within a season, simultaneously developing flat feet and foot sprains
- Levi's jeans have served me faithfully for many years now, but cheap, no-name jeans lose their appearance and tear on me in a couple of months
- In a warm winter jacket I never caught a cold, which means I didn’t spend money on medicine and didn’t take sick leave
I think you understand, high-quality clothes and shoes, although more expensive, last longer and help maintain health.
Sport
Sports are necessary. Especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle. The whole question is what sport and how to do it:
- It’s stupid to buy an expensive home exercise machine; most often it will gather dust, taking up an already small amount of square meters in the apartment
- Likewise, there's little point in buying a membership to a cool gym if you've never tried working out. Pay for a month first - many cannot withstand the load and quit classes much earlier
- Professional shoes, a bicycle, skis or other equipment are a waste of money while you are new to the sport. Before you find yourself, you will try many different sports
- A simple daily walk is healthy, safe, and does not require any special investment, but it improves health and increases vitality.
Sports, of course, are necessary, but you shouldn’t invest all your savings in it from the very first days.
Health
Health is something you can't buy. But it can be saved, preserved and increased. Just by understanding the basics of a healthy lifestyle. Remember, any fanaticism and passion will not bring you any good. Don't rush to extremes right away. In addition, it is worth remembering:
- Prevention is always cheaper than treatment. This applies to both visits to the dentist and any other specialist.
- Expensive medicines and especially expensive vitamins can simply be a payment for a brand, and sometimes even advice from an unscrupulous doctor
- Temper yourself if you want to be healthy
- If an illness has taken you down, then you shouldn’t be a hero, trying to get through the flu on your feet and trying not to take sick leave. Often the consequences of such decisions result in much longer treatment and serious illness
Health must be protected by visiting doctors on time and leading a correct lifestyle.
Technique
Here everyone acts as he pleases. But, in my opinion, you need to adhere to simple rules:
- A work tool (computer, phone, car, or whatever helps you earn money) must be reliable and of high quality. That's why professional photographers buy expensive cameras, DJs always have a MacBook, and a professional taxi driver always has a reliable car.
- Chasing new products always means overpaying by one and a half, or even two times - electronics become outdated very quickly
- By buying completely unknown Chinese counterfeits, you risk simply throwing away money
Finally, about reasonable savings
It turned out a lot and chaotic. However, I hope you read to the end. Perhaps some advice will seem worthy of attention to you. At least Nastya and I are coping successfully. With proper planning of our expenses, we not only survive in difficult times, but rather successfully travel on the salary of an ordinary family near Moscow. Even a little remains.
And finally, a short video reflection for those who don’t like to read a lot.
How to save money? Reasonable! Reasonable saving is one of the life hacks that every housewife should strive to master, and then the question “how to save money” will once and for all become a thing of the past.
How to save money
The truth about spending
Having set out to answer the question “how to save money,” at first you will be stunned by the truth revealed to you about the world of money and your role in it. You may unexpectedly discover that you, who considered yourself frugal by nature, are unnoticed by squandering money left and right. You may be surprised to discover that the family car you took out on credit could easily have been taken out in installments, i.e. on an interest-free loan and not give the bank twenty percent of its value for the joy of standing in traffic jams in the interior of a new car. Smokers will find that if, instead of buying a pack of cigarettes, they put money into a piggy bank, then within a year they can buy themselves a diamond ring. And heavy smokers, those who buy more than one pack of cigarettes a day, will also be able to afford earrings... The main thing is not to fall into despair when it turns out that spending on spontaneous snacks - buns, chocolate bars, waffles, burgers and ice cream, that's all what causes ears to grow on your waist, in a year, results in an amount equal to the cost of a subscription to a sports club, where you have long wanted to go to get rid of ears, but cannot find the money to buy a club card.. In general, the world is beautiful and amazing.
Reasonable savings, it is reasonable because all expenses occur with the participation of the head. This rules out buying a third yellow blouse for your wardrobe at 50 percent off, because
A. She’s already the third, and you don’t wear yellow.
B. The space for blouses in the closet will end here.
V. You just don’t need it.
Smart savings means saving all the resources in your life, monetary, time, space, energy, emotional and others.
Be careful, many, having embarked on the path of reasonable savings, go to great lengths and, with sporting passion, begin to ardently save where they can and where they cannot. It would be good to insure yourself against this in advance and determine for yourself where there is reasonable saving, where there is saving for the sake of saving, and where it is just stupidity.
Family budget
Your first steps on the path to reasonable saving will inevitably lead you to realize the need to plan and control the family budget, because, indeed, it is very difficult to save if you do not know the starting and final amounts. This is a painstaking task and requires patience, but the result will amaze you.
Everyone chooses a pleasant and convenient way for them to plan a family budget and plan money: an account book, an Excel file, special programs, envelopes, the choice is yours. To begin, divide your expenses into
Necessary, i.e. vital: rent, food, medicine (not aesthetic), loan payment (if any)
Desirable: sports, clothing, travel, beauty, fuel for the car (maybe in the “necessary” category), etc.
Pleasant excesses: to each their own
For one month, we take into account spending on all these categories. Compare income and expenses. If expenses are greater than income, then we plan for the next month as follows: first, we distribute funds in the “Necessary expenses” category, then we audit “Desirable expenses” and, if the overspending was too large, we are left without pleasant excesses, at least for the coming month, comprehending the principles of reasonable savings. During this month, we review the budget several times and take into account how else we can save money. If expenses are less than income, we rejoice and comprehend the principles of reasonable saving with even greater diligence, because the chances of making life more pleasant and interesting increase.
Principles of reasonable savings
Let's start with what you shouldn't save on - health. This means that reasonable expenses for food (no more than 20 percent of the budget) and medical expenses should be reduced last, and sports and healthy recreation - second to last. It would be more correct if food expenses are not limited to a certain amount, but a certain percentage of your income is allocated to them. 20 percent is the most optimal amount. If you spend less, then either you are familiar with the art of smart saving, or you are a Rockefeller.
Principles of reasonable savings for articles:
Communal payments. We install meters, energy-saving lamps or light sensors for motion.
Food. We plan, we learn not to throw away food, i.e. either buy only the quantity needed or use excess product. We give up small snacks and eating out in favor of home-cooked food that we take to work.
Personal car. When you are planning to get behind the wheel, evaluate how profitable this trip is for you; perhaps it is easier to go underground or use ground transport?
Clothes and shoes. It is on these categories of goods that unreasonably large sums are often spent. Increase self-control, avoid spontaneous purchases when going to the store, take a limited amount of money, do not buy just because you are uncomfortable in front of the salesman who was rushing from the hall to the fitting room. Evaluate discounts carefully. Buy only when you know what the item was priced before the discount. Participate in. Don't be fooled by the hype and popularity of the brand. Get rid of such expensive entertainment as shopping for no reason.
Vacation, rest. It is ideal to plan your vacation in advance during the low tourist season. Buy tickets and book hotels several months before your intended trip. Set up mailing lists from airline companies and buy tickets on sales or use special search engines for cheap tickets. Master it, especially if you are with a child.
Child. If you think that a child and saving are incompatible, then you are mistaken, and if you calculate how much you spend on the child’s spontaneous whims, you will be horrified. You definitely need to know about the principle of reasonable savings on whims!
I have no doubt that once you have mastered the principles of smart money saving, you will not stop there and will continue to improve your time and space saving skills. You can read about time management for young mothers here and here.
Once introduced into your life, the principles of reasonable savings will make it better and more interesting. Please share your methods of saving and maintaining a family budget in the comments!
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Hello friends!
Yaroslav Andriyanov is in touch. Maybe you saw it on my blog? If you look at the date of publication, you will understand that I have been interested in the principles of wise use of material resources for a long time. And over the past 3 years I have accumulated a lot of them.
At one time he even went to extremes: he ripped out unused pockets on his pants and threw out everything from the house that had been lying around for more than a year. Then I realized that such an extreme use of decluttering deprives me of something very important - the memory of people dear to me with whom certain things were associated. Therefore, I stopped and began to take a new approach to reasonable savings of time, money and even emotions.
The largest part of the funds, of course, goes to purchases in stores. And if with food it’s somehow more difficult for me, then with things everything is simple.
To be honest, I'm incredibly tired of low-quality rubbish. You want to throw it away quickly, and things of indistinct quality themselves quickly become unusable. Therefore, I try to take a minimum of things of the highest possible quality at the most reasonable price-quality combination. Oh how I twisted it!
A good thing makes me happy throughout its entire service life, and even when it loses its external luster a little, its internal content becomes even more valuable. History appears, and with it some vintageness. Plus - Mother Earth remains cleaner: because if you throw out 2-3 low-quality things, only 1 is thrown away. Why not practical ecology?
For shopping, I have long chosen discount centers and started using online stores.
Savings: up to 50% of money and an incalculable amount of nerves and time (choosing clothes for myself tires me out)
For additional discounts I use method 2.
Method 2. Cashback
I’ll tell you a little about the essence. Cashback (from the English cash back - cash back) is a return to your card of part of the money spent on a purchase. Usually varies from 2 to 10% and is achieved by purchasing special “cashback” cards or using the so-called. cashback services.
Since cards with such a trick are usually credit cards (and I try not to even touch credit), I use the services.
Their name is legion, but I only use two:
- letishops— a super-aggregator with a bunch of stores and services (Aliexpress, Lamoda, wildberries, booking, agoda, etc.). I most often book hotels in Asia through it or use it for Ali Express.
- epn.bz- exclusively for Aliexpress for the sake of a 7% cashback.
Both of these apps have browser extensions, which are very convenient. Do you go to some online store and immediately see whether it has cash back or not?
If you want to save more and are not afraid of credit cards, you can apply for credit card for Ali Express from Tinkoff.
I also use cashbacks for .
Method 3. Payment by card
I have been using the Yandex map for a long time and am very pleased with it. However, when cashing out, Yasha charges me another 3% + 45 rubles, in addition to the conversion. Feeding the bank just makes me feel like a nasty toad, so I try to pay by card.
And in such wonderful places as Aliexpress, in general, it is possible to pay directly with Yandex.money. As a result, you spend exactly as much as you see in the “price” column.
True, in beloved India, most stores like to charge an additional 3% for banking services. However, even in this case, using the card is more profitable.
There is one thing here: using cards is very chilling. It seems that you have an infinite amount of money, because you don’t physically feel its presence or absence as much as you feel a wad of banknotes. I have repeatedly encountered the fact that I spend with a card much easier than when paying with cash. I'm studying, damn it.
Method 4. Payment online
I buy tickets for trains, planes and buses exclusively online. It saves not only money (you don’t pay useless agents), but also a lot of time.
Even in a controversial country like India, online shopping has started to become widespread. Trains, hotels, buses and even bed linen - everything can be bought in online services or stores.
Method 5. Earn money - save 10%
I noticed this habit among people considered successful. 10% is a small amount to feel like it’s missing, so every time you come, it’s very easy to put it aside for a deposit.
Allows you to save money for a pleasant trip or unexpected expenses.
In general, I developed the habit of saving since childhood, when desired purchases suddenly became available after some time. This is probably one of the most important skills of my mustacheless adolescence, which I still use today.
Method 6. Planning
For irrational people like me, it can be hard to start keeping lists, but they are very helpful in preventing impulsive actions. Therefore, additional funds are set aside for the future for some planned upgrades.
The same applies to going to the store. I always make a list in advance and don’t take anything beyond it. The latter is fraught not only with the wallet, but also with the stomach :)
The old rule: go to the grocery store well-fed.
Method 7. Aliexpress
Yes, yes, you can save a lot by delegating part of your purchases to this wonderful service. For example, the USB cords with which I charge my equipment often break down. Therefore, every now and then I go to AliExpress (having previously enabled the browser extension) and collect a parcel from the list.
Most often its contents are as follows:
- cords and chargers
- cases and glasses for smartphones
- power-bank from trusted Chinese brands, such as xiaomi
- Chinese teas (I'm a big fan of pu-erh and teguanin)
- all sorts of handbags, straps, organizers (indispensable when traveling)
- components for laptops and photographic equipment (batteries, mice, protective glasses).
I use it in conjunction with a cashback service epn.
Method 8. Repair instead of buying a new one
I love things with history, and I’m just cringing with indignation when I see that my favorite player suddenly cannot be repaired. Marketing scams put us in an extremely uncomfortable position, just like in the book “Brave New World” by O. Huxley, where everything that is even a little broken is necessarily thrown away.
And thank you very much to the craftsmen, whose hands grow out of their shoulders, for being able to repair a broken favorite gadget and saving me from the need to spend money and spend a long time studying reviews on the Internet.
We repair bicycles in Nepal
Here I almost screwed up and instead of fixing my favorite Pocketbook reader, whose screen somehow started to work strangely, I already started choosing a new one. The inner miser pulled me back and sent me to look for a service center.
The service was found in 10 minutes, expenses amounted to 5,000 tenge for repairs (about 900 rubles), versus 30,000 for the purchase of a new book with more modest functionality.
Method 9: Reuse
How we love to wrap any little thing in ten packages, and even plastic ones. And sell water in endless bottles, which are then thrown away and accumulate as non-recyclable garbage on the surface of our long-suffering land.
After staying for almost a year and looking at the garbage collapse, I learned to reuse bags, plastic bottles and all sorts of different tubs, jars, etc., because very often the main pricing factor is not the contents, but the packaging!
For the same reason, I do not accept thoughtless gift wrapping and always try to use a minimum of decorations for this.
Method 10. Buying used instead of new
I love it very much, and I know that people often sell their equipment in very good condition at very reasonable prices. Because new things are very expensive, and a quality item in mountain tourism is not a luxury, but an absolute necessity.
I often go to thrift stores to look for good travel items. So, in one of them I repeatedly came across excellent Italian trekking boots for $40. It’s a pity that they don’t sell backpacks there; you could probably find something of super-quality at super-discounts.
My arsenal of equipment before the training camp in Ala-Archa
The same applies to good technique. So, I bought my entire arsenal of photographic equipment exclusively second-hand, and remained satisfied with it throughout its entire lifespan.
Of course, you need to understand a little about the item you are buying so as not to buy yourself outright rubbish. Because they are openly actively trying to leak something like this.
How else can you cut costs?
In general, the concept of “saving correctly” has very specific criteria:
- the purchase must be of high quality
- the thing must be necessary (no “just in case”)
- the price should be low
Things (clothes, shoes)
I try to somehow predict my needs. Well, be sure to go to discount centers, because there, like nowhere else, you can buy good things at good prices.
At the same time, I don’t really care that this T-shirt is last season, but these pants only have 2 colors left. My gut feeling doesn’t deceive me, so I don’t remember the last time I felt disappointed with a purchase.
Gadgets
If I need to upgrade my phone, I don't choose between Samsung and Apple. God bless, in the Middle Kingdom Nowadays we have learned to make excellent smartphones that, having less sonorous names (such as Meizu, Huawei or Xiaomi), come out much cheaper than their more popular counterparts.
Food
I love homemade food, prepared with love and care. I visit public catering and restaurants only in moments of extreme aggravation of gastronomic cravings, because the last few times I was very disappointed in some establishments, from where I left not only with an empty wallet, but also with an empty stomach.
Our miracle dinner in Sri Lanka
In stores I try to buy only seasonal fruits and vegetables, and I’m not too lazy to go to the market to buy real cheese, which is not only better in quality, but also much cheaper in price. Of course, this is the case if I live at home. the situation is somewhat different.
Well, it’s a plus, although I don’t consider myself a vegetarian, I hardly eat meat, which allows me to eat not only cheaper, but also healthier. When I travel, however, I really miss our simple oatmeal in the morning, with milk and butter.
Esoteric approach to saving
Several years spent among people actively involved in various spiritualities, one way or another left an imprint on my pragmatic-materialistic consciousness.
I have repeatedly been convinced that opportunities to fulfill some desires come on their own. The principle is old - concentrate on the goal, not the means. The means come by themselves: a project appears, people and circumstances come, and with them opportunities.
Therefore, I try to approach saving money correctly from all sides available to me. And, of course, without the beggar idiocy, when for the sake of a hypothetical 10 dollars you spend a huge amount of time and nerves. In this case, I show lordly manners and, instead of saving money, I start saving time.
Perhaps you may have a stereotype associated with saving. Since we are saving, it means we are in financial difficulties. This can even lead to depression.
How do you like this position: “we save to live well”? I think this is great motivation, which will help many make their lives easier (yes, make it easier), increase loan payments (if any) or spend accumulated funds on generating positive emotions and impressions (through travel or engaging in a favorite hobby).
It’s easy to say “let’s save money together!” But we will discuss how to do this today. And since you always need to start small, I will describe some that seem simple and understandable to everyone, but very effective ways to save money.
Choose less expensive coffee. Coffee lovers can understand: the aroma of an invigorating drink enchants and attracts. How can you do without an extra cup of coffee? Think about it: in addition to the most expensive (and, undoubtedly, very good), there are also more affordable, but quite decent varieties. Just find the one that suits you.
By the way, the situation is the same with tea. Brewed tea also varies in price, but sometimes the cheaper one is not inferior to well-known brands, the leaves of which are hand-picked on the best plantations... (and so on according to the scenario).
Snacking at fast food restaurants is a good way to stave off hunger. But think about it Is it possible to replace a visit to fast food? making hot sandwiches at home ?
They are nutritious, higher quality (made with your own hands!), and will cost you little. The main thing is not to abuse such high-calorie foods - we try.
Television is the result of progress and a great way to relax and unwind after a working day. But you have to pay for cable television, and the TV also consumes a lot of electricity. I can offer you an alternative and much more intellectual holiday. Read!
If, instead of watching TV, you occupy yourself with reading modern and classic works, you will only benefit.
Firstly, you can choose light reading if you want to relax your brain.
And secondly, you will feel how much your vocabulary is increasing, what interesting questions you can raise in conversations with family and friends.
And in order to keep up with events in the country and the world, you can leave a basic set of channels - news and entertainment programs and show them on them.
This advice can be considered a derivative of the previous one. If you decide to keep yourself busy with reading, you shouldn’t buy a new book every month (or even more often, depending on your reading technique). Get it from the library or online, if you have a gadget for reading e-books (PDA, smartphone and even a mobile phone with a relatively large display are suitable).
We are used to working hard, and we consider it our duty to have a very productive rest on the weekend. Instead of organizing weekly outings to shops or restaurants, come up with something equally interesting, but more economical use of time.
Weekend shopping can be reduced to once a month. And if you have children, then you simply need to actively relax with them. This will bring you closer and allow you to completely disconnect from the noisy city life that you already breathe throughout the work week.
If you are a heavy computer user, consider free software.
For example, antivirus. Instead of buying keys to it almost every month or three, find sites on the Internet where you can get them for free, or subscribe to a magazine that offers a new key every month as a bonus, etc...
The same applies to other, more specialized programs. In addition, there are a lot of good absolutely free analogues (... and Varese 🙂).
Purchasing household chemicals, groceries, napkins, toilet paper in large quantities has the meaning.
Firstly, you will save a lot of money, because products in large packages are much cheaper per piece (kilogram, liter).
Secondly, you won’t have to go shopping often, which will save you from the temptation to buy something unnecessary.
If you use your car frequently, consider about planning your routes in advance. This way you can seriously save gas, and you won’t have to wander through city streets or country roads.
Do not forget that the body needs water. You need to drink at least a liter of liquid (or even more) a day.
In addition to the health benefits, you will also benefit your wallet - you will save on snacks and will last home to have a full meal there.
Put everything you buy on a list. This way you will not only control your spending, but also understand what purchases could have been avoided.
Next time you will be wondering whether it is worth buying this or that product. And while you're at it, use the ten second rule. During this time, you will be able to weigh the pros and cons of the purchase.
Energy Saving- also an important question today, when utilities are increasingly becoming more expensive. They will help you in this matter energy saving fluorescent light bulbs . By installing them throughout your entire apartment, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you receive your next electricity bill.
Oh, by the way, don't forget either about hot and cold water meters– they provide significant savings.
Well, if we take a completely global approach to the issue of saving on utility bills, then we can establish autonomous heating system– it will pay for itself very quickly.
When going to the grocery store, write a list of what you need to buy. This way you will avoid thoughtless, impulsive purchases, supermarket syndrome and, therefore, unnecessary spending.
When getting ready for work in the morning, be sure to have breakfast. Then you won’t be as hungry as a wolf by lunchtime and won’t spend a decent amount of money on it. Now calculate how much you can save per month this way.
Instead of going out with friends invite them to your home and have the same sweet conversation over a bottle of wine in the kitchen, watch a new movie with popcorn on your plasma panel, or cook mega-pizza all together. Try it once, and it will be difficult for you to give up this pastime.
First of all, you you will save a lot(compared to visiting a cinema, restaurant or cafe). If everyone brings their favorite dish or snack to the party, as well as, say, beer for themselves, the savings will be very significant.
And secondly, you can communicate in a more relaxed atmosphere, and comfort costs a lot.
Don't forget that Even in standby mode, our electrical appliances consume electricity. Therefore, by all means unplug your computer at night, and all other home appliances can also be disconnected from electrical outlets (or use pilots - press a button and everything connected to it will be completely de-energized).
I believe that if you follow these simple tips, you will understand how much you can save without limiting yourself in many ways and without tightening your belt too tight. The main thing is to wisely manage the available funds.
