How to save money and live well

Every month we load useless expenses that we do not even consider. Here are some tips to save money without changing your standard of living.

Saving money is often seen in a negative way, like being stingy or even being a stingy. If it is true that being too attached to money is not a healthy attitude, it is also true that being wary is a wise behavior. In times of crisis then, it is essential to have a plan to save money and try to avoid wasting money to get to the end of the month.

If you are a spendthrift but you have finally decided to want to start saving money below we will suggest a series of simple initiatives that will take you over time to keep a nice nest egg, without having to give up a pleasant lifestyle. It is not about special tricks or secrets to save money, but effective advice that will help you put aside some money!

Techniques to save money: How much money and how much do i spend?

The first step in saving money is understanding how much money you earn and how much money you spend each month. Not all of us have a fixed salary or fixed outputs, so it is not as intuitive as it seems. If our income is variable and even our expenses, to start saving we will have to calculate on average how much revenue and how many exits we have.

The first starting point to save is not to overestimate the revenue and not to underestimate the outputs. In two words: be realistic! If on average you earn 1000 dollars a month, for example, better calculate 950. If you spend 800, better to include 100 dollars of extra expenses. In this way you will be sure that you have not miscalculated and even in case of unexpected expenses you will be able to save what you have set out to do. On the contrary, we will risk seeing our expectations frustrated!

Once this calculation is done, a plausible target must be set. Then decide the amount you want to save and put aside at the beginning of each month.

Well, now that you’ve put aside your first money for this month, let’s see where you can save them, so that this piggy bank is not affected and you do not have to change your habits!

How to save money by eliminating unnecessary expenses

We often do not notice it, but every month we load useless or excessive expenses that we do not even consider. A very important step to save is to eliminate them altogether or reduce them drastically. Let’s see what these expenses are and how, in a very short time, we can get rid of them and save this money.

Save money on your bank account and credit card

A substantial savings can be made by simply looking at our bank statement. If in our statement we see a “bank charges” or similar expense item every two or three months, then it is time to change the current account. Many banks in fact take even more than a hundred dollars a year simply to keep the account open. Of course, you cannot keep your savings under the tile, but if you never go to the counter and do not do operations for which you need to physically go to the bank, there are now many online accounts with zero costs.

Always talking about banks, the general council is to avoid borrowing and to reduce the use of the credit card!

The reasons are two: you will pay an interest in debt, so what you buy will pay more (even ten percent more!), the credit card instead does not give you the feeling that you are spending money. Smear the paper and go, it seems all right. Actually bring the cash, maybe only those that you really need for your purchases, gives your idea of what you’re spending and maybe avoid buying another pair of shoes when you do not need.

Save money by reducing unnecessary consumption

Another simple way to save money without changing your lifestyle is to eliminate unnecessary consumption. How many times have we enrolled in the gym and then only go there once a month? Be careful, if you are a gym enthusiast and you go there regularly I’m not advising you to eliminate the subscription, indeed: it is good and basically does not cost a lot. I’m just suggesting you eliminate and reduce the services you pay without using.

Another example would be your plan for your phone and internet at home and for your cell phone. Telephone companies are constantly pulling out offers and surely there will be one that suits you and that costs less than you have now. You lose ten minutes of your time by comparing offers and you can cut your monthly phone bill in half. Another trivial way, but that in the long run saves money, in fact avoiding throwing them, are domestic consumption. In addition to the internet and the phone, we often resort to heaters keeping them higher than expected, we do the washing machines even if they are not completely full and we leave lights on throughout the house, even if we are on the sofa dozing off. Here, all these expenses are useless and reducing them are saving money!

Finally, we must touch a delicate key: breakfast at the bar and the disco. Everyone likes a nice croissant with cappuccino in the morning and often gives us the right charge and consolation for the day. You must know, however, that this type of breakfast is not exactly the healthiest for your line and not even the cheapest. So we advise you to reduce it to once a week, maybe the day of rest, so as to give yourself the right reward for a week of work (and savings!). The disco, however, is another expensive pleasure, not so much and only for entry but also for what you consume. You know very well that a nightclub drink can cost as much as an entire bottle of alcohol in the supermarket. Well, if you are not the one driving, and I underline if you are not the one driving, maybe have a drink prepared at home by yourself before going dancing. You will have saved a lot of money.

Save money by spending well

In truth there is little to do: the money is spent, but not for this should be thrown away. One way to save money is to spend it well. Before going shopping, for example, a good technique to save money is to get the menu of the week and buy only the things for that menu. So you will avoid buying more than necessary and throwing food. Also keep a little ‘flexible on the list: if you have to buy the cured meats and for example is on offer take that instead of the raw!

Still on the subject of spending and food, learn not to throw away what you have cooked in excess. There are full of delicious recipes for “advances”. Even the pasta of the day before, can turn into a “pasta omelet” excellent for tomorrow’s lunch and perfect for a picnic. Also, consider leftovers as an opportunity to use the next day at work, so if you have food stamps, keep them for shopping and have double savings.

All these simple suggestions may seem trivial, but in truth the worst enemy of saving is waste: reducing the bad and expensive habits, even simple ones such as turning off the light or changing the current account, can bring significant savings that in the long run create a nice nest egg. So start now: first start saving, first your current account will begin to grow!