Recently I've had a lot of friends contact me about financial advice. For the most part each situation was different but there was usually one theme that always came up. "Man...I need to find a way to make some more money." When people decide they need to make some more money they usually think of two solutions. Either working more hours or (if they're salary) picking up a part-time job. However they always miss THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY. The easiest way to make extra money is to...wait for it... wait for it... SPEND LESS MONEY. If you were looking for a secret quick way to make money then apologize for wasting your time, but since you've already started reading you might as well hear me out. Obviously everyone has a different financial situation but there are usually a few common areas that we all share and that we can all slash spending on.
One of the major areas is food. Think about how much you spend on food and is there a way that you can cut that bill down? Recently I've been going to websites such as coupons.com and printing out coupons every week. Yeah it's not much, save a dollar here and a buy on get one there, but over time along with my shoppers card (I shop at Giant so I have a Giant card, but all grocery stores should have them) I have been able to maximize my savings. It is also important to look for the deals. Look for 2 for 1's and look for discounts when buying in bulk especially if you know that you consume that product on a regular basis. It may cost you a little bit more now, but you won't have to pick it up on the next 2 maybe 3 shopping trips. Also, for certain items, don't be afraid to purchase the generic brand. I do my shopping biweekly so in a year I go 26 times. If my original budget was to spend $100 a trip then that means I'm spending $2,600 a year on groceries. Think about this, even if you can chop $20 off of your shopping bill each time then that saves you $520 a year. Yeah I know that doesn't sound like a lot but to some that can equal anything from an extra student loan payment to a mortgage payment at the end of the year. 40 extra dollar a month, that's also a chance to order out every week, or go on a date, gas money, whatever you want it to be. The key is that once you free up that extra sum of money per month you can either save it or use it for something else. Either way a positive snowball effect begins. Just some food for thought (no pun intended).
Lastly I'm not going to preach on money management because that would take entirely too long. But if you want to be disciplined with your money I recommend calculating exactly how much you need each month and taking that amount out in cash. For example, every 2 weeks I know that I will need money for groceries, a haircut, gas laundry and various other things. So at the beginning of each 2 week cycle I go to the bank and take the amount need out in cash. I then divide it among the various categories. Not only does this allow me to control my spending, but it controls the use of my credit cards as well. And what's best is, since you only have a set amount to spend in each category it makes you think much more carefully about how much you can spend. If you go to much over then you'll have nothing left. But if your able to spend less then you have extra money available to either roll over for next time, put back in the bank, or (as I do) rewards yourself for following your budget and treat yourself to something nice. After all this was money that you already calculated as being spent , So why not treat yourself.
If you would like any financial advice please leave a comment under this post. and I would have no problem loaning you my opinion on your situation.
One of the major areas is food. Think about how much you spend on food and is there a way that you can cut that bill down? Recently I've been going to websites such as coupons.com and printing out coupons every week. Yeah it's not much, save a dollar here and a buy on get one there, but over time along with my shoppers card (I shop at Giant so I have a Giant card, but all grocery stores should have them) I have been able to maximize my savings. It is also important to look for the deals. Look for 2 for 1's and look for discounts when buying in bulk especially if you know that you consume that product on a regular basis. It may cost you a little bit more now, but you won't have to pick it up on the next 2 maybe 3 shopping trips. Also, for certain items, don't be afraid to purchase the generic brand. I do my shopping biweekly so in a year I go 26 times. If my original budget was to spend $100 a trip then that means I'm spending $2,600 a year on groceries. Think about this, even if you can chop $20 off of your shopping bill each time then that saves you $520 a year. Yeah I know that doesn't sound like a lot but to some that can equal anything from an extra student loan payment to a mortgage payment at the end of the year. 40 extra dollar a month, that's also a chance to order out every week, or go on a date, gas money, whatever you want it to be. The key is that once you free up that extra sum of money per month you can either save it or use it for something else. Either way a positive snowball effect begins. Just some food for thought (no pun intended).
Lastly I'm not going to preach on money management because that would take entirely too long. But if you want to be disciplined with your money I recommend calculating exactly how much you need each month and taking that amount out in cash. For example, every 2 weeks I know that I will need money for groceries, a haircut, gas laundry and various other things. So at the beginning of each 2 week cycle I go to the bank and take the amount need out in cash. I then divide it among the various categories. Not only does this allow me to control my spending, but it controls the use of my credit cards as well. And what's best is, since you only have a set amount to spend in each category it makes you think much more carefully about how much you can spend. If you go to much over then you'll have nothing left. But if your able to spend less then you have extra money available to either roll over for next time, put back in the bank, or (as I do) rewards yourself for following your budget and treat yourself to something nice. After all this was money that you already calculated as being spent , So why not treat yourself.
If you would like any financial advice please leave a comment under this post. and I would have no problem loaning you my opinion on your situation.
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