Money comes and goes. This is a universal truth, it’s accurate but painful sometimes. The effort you put into earning money (for most of us human beings) and the pace in which it disappears again. The truth? And although it can be difficult to cut in your costs, it is necessary if we want to have some money left at the end of the month.
Of course, we can always adjust it a little less if we have a good mattress or when our expenses are reduced. The idea appeals to you, right? Well then, don’t skip the little details in today’s article, since we are going to explain to you the best tricks to save money every day.
11 infallible tricks to save money in and around your house without even noticing
We will give you a lot of tricks, but don’t worry. it is not necessary to follow all of them to the dot, to be able to save a good amount of money.
Compare prices and make good use of promotions
It is not a waste of time, it is an investment. We could end up saving a lot of money (more than you can imagine) if we compare prices in different stores. On top of that, a lot of them, most of all the supermarkets, tend to have promotions and discounts on a regular basis. That’s why it is a good idea to take a closer look at their website before actually buying a product.
If you are not really enthusiastic about searching the web for deals, you could choose to use one of the online price comparers.
And it is also very important to know the market well, seeing which products satisfy the same need and choosing the one that has a much more affordable price. As for example, in the case of original perfumes vs. equivalence perfumes (if you don't know what they are, see here what similar perfumes are). You can save a lot of money by buying an item that is very, very similar to the original but at a much lower price.
Use a part of your income to put on your savings account on a regular base
If you have a stable income, the best way to save money is by opening a savings account in which, every time your wage arrives, you automatically transfer a percentage of the amount of money. That way you’ll be sure you won’t spend it. 10%, 20% or 30%, the more the better of course, but the most important thing is that you make the step.
We recommend that you don’t start transfering big amounts of money that you might up needing after all, this will work in a discouraging way. It is better to transfer little amounts and to base that on the amount of money you earn and spend.
Take a closer look at the conditions of your bank account
Not all banks have the same conditions, so we recommend that you inform yourself very, very well and that you compare different banks before opening your savings account, and that, if you already have one, you read the fine print again (eventhough it sounds really boring, we know). You may discover clauses with which you don’t agree and it is more beneficial for you to place your money elsewhere.
If you decide to open a savings account like the one we have discussed in the previous point, make sure you are not penalized if you need to withdraw the money for any unforeseen event. Even if you have to have more willpower not to resort to it for whatever reason, it will give you peace of mind. Everyone knows that expenses come at the worst and most unexpected moments.
Before spending, think twice about it
Thinking twice about things is not usually highly recommended, but there is always an exception that breaks the rule. And it is that in the field of home economics, there is nothing like thinking a couple of times before buying something. Think carefully if you really need something, if you are going to give it a good use, if it is a priority object or service or, on the contrary, you can survive without it. In short: before spending, think with a cool mind. Only then will you be able to really save money.
Eat before doing your weekly groceries
It may seem like a joke but it isn’t. When we go to the supermarket with an empty stomach, everything looks delicious and we are more likely more likely to end up buying stuff that we in the end won’t consume. A full stomach will be your faithful companion during the weekly groceries.
See it as a challenge
Did you know that one of the best tricks to save money is to create a challenge for yourself. Who doesn’t like to surprise himself? You could be more or less of a competitive type but the feeling of becoming better today than yesterday is a feeling everyone would want to have.
Put saving goals for yourself, but don’t forget to be realistic to not frustrate yourself. For instance, “from here on in six months I would like to have saved X euros” or “every month I would like to set X euros aside from my regular bank account”.
Careful with your credit card
The credit card is a sword with two sides. You can pay almost anything with it, even the smallest amounts, so we use less and less money in cash, since the card is much more handy. But everything that is comfortable is dangerous, we lose the control on the money we spend.
We do not tell you to stop using you card completely, but what you should do is take a look at the amount of money you spend with your card at the end of the day. In that way you will get extensive control of your spendings, avoiding being out of control and wasting money.
Think in the long term
If you are a bit of a shopaholic, you love spending and can't really stop, think about the future. Even if things are going well for you now (hopefully that is the case) you never know what might happen, since life is a raffle, for both good and bad.
And since you probably want to retire as soon as possible, the best thing you can do to achieve it, is to have a good mattress so that living with less income does not pose a problem. Save. Your "me" from the future will be eternally grateful to you.
Keep an eye on your light, water and gas costs
Controlling the variable costs of your home is one of the best ways to save money. Here is a list with things you could do to achieve it:
- Change normal lights for LED
- Turn off the lights when you leave a room
- Unplug appliances or electronic devices when you are not using them (when they are on stand-by or plugged in, they still consume a lot of energy).
- Take advantage of cooking more than one dish when you have to turn on the oven anyway, since it is one of the most expensive appliances. Also avoid opening the door so that the heat does not escape, unless it is strictly necessary.
- control of the thermostat. Make sure that in winter it does not rise above 20º and in summer it does not fall below 25º. And it is that each grade matters, because for each one of more, the invoice can increase up to 8%!
As you can see, we are talking about little changes in your habits, but they can make a great difference. On top of saving money, you are doing a good deed for the planet and you are using less energy and resources. Only positive things!
Become a registered customer at the stores where you buy most
Most of us will have a wallet with over a thousand and one customer cards, which will end up being lost or you end up having so many that in the end you no longer know where you are a member and where not from. But really, if you visit a store regularly, it will be very profitable for you to accumulate points for each purchase. You will see what joy you get when you see that you have earned enough points to be able to exchange them for free products.
Consider product prices as product units
We’ll explain ourselves. When you want to buy a pair of 30 euros pants, do not think that 30 euros are not going anywhere, but think for that same amount you can buy almost 30 packages of rice or pasta.
Making these comparisons will help you get a good feeling of the actual value of things and will help you control your spendings.
Write down each and everyone of your expenses
No matter how little the amount is, it all adds up. Write down all the expenses you have and divide them in categories to be able to identify where your money ends up at the end of the month. By doing so, you can determine in a simpler way what type of expenses you should cut.
If you follow these tricks to save money at home, you will see that, step by step, little by little and without realizing it, you manage to reduce your monthly expenses significantly. Little efforts that will definitely be worth it, since there is nothing like sleeping peacefully without worrying about your financial situation.
And if you are a perfume lover, don't worry; you already know that thanks to DIVAIN, having to save does not mean having to give it up