How to save your family budget: short tips for all occasions

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

There are many ways to cut costs when shopping, doing household chores, and on vacation. But it's definitely not worth sparing money for a while.

How to save in different situations

Shopping trip

1. In order not to make impulsive purchases (especially in hypermarkets, where everything contributes to this), go to the store with a list and adhere to it clearly. As soon as you run out of a certain product at home, immediately make a note on your phone or on a piece of paper attached to the refrigerator.
2. Never go to the store on an empty stomach, otherwise you risk buying more.
3. Take your shopping bag or grocery bag with you instead of buying a new one every time. Reasonable both from the point of view of finance and from the point of view of the environment.
4. Don't make big purchases on payday. Psychologists have found that, having received money, a person relaxes and is inclined to spend more than necessary.
5. Don't overpay for cutting and packing food (such as meat). Buy a large piece, cut it into portions, freeze it for future use. The same goes for vegetables and fruits. Make vegetable mixes in season yourself, freeze. That way they will cost you a lot less.
6. Buy meat, fresh food after 21:00. In many supermarkets, they start to get a decent discount.
7. Don't throw away supermarket brochures, grab coupons, stay tuned for specials and discounts.
8. Buy branded products from hypermarkets. Toilet paper, napkins, frozen vegetables, etc. produced under their brands are usually much cheaper.
9. Make a decision to buy a controversial item the next day. If the desire to buy it remains or even becomes stronger - buy it.
10. Explore wholesale markets and bases. Shop with your friends. For such a case, the special offers "Two goods for the price of one" are well suited.
11. Train yourself to shop as little as possible. Write down the menu for the week, determine what products are needed. Set aside a day and buy for future use.

Cooking

1. Learn to cook yourself. Boil jam, pickle vegetables, make sauces, sculpt and freeze cutlets for future use. Fast food and convenience foods from the store are more expensive and less useful.
2. Do not cook in large portions - for a couple of days maximum. Otherwise, the dish will get bored and you will want “something tasty”. And this is an extra expense in the store.
3. Replace your usual trip to the restaurant with a lamp evening for two at home or a soulful party with friends. Ask each of the guests to bring their favorite dish - this will create a delicious table.
4. Take advantage of the hygge advice from the Danes: let the one who comes to visit you bring some preparations (pickles, jam, and so on). All this will be put on the table during the next holiday.
5. Track specials, tastings, presentations in cafes and restaurants: often you can have a good dinner in exchange for a publication on the social network.

Buying things

1. Try to buy clothes not in boutiques, where you also pay for the rent of retail space, but on the Internet. There is a good selection of quality clothing on AliExpress. The main thing is to read the reviews, consult the seller about the sizes.
2. Join joint purchases (they are on social networks): this allows you to save a lot.
3. Buy clothes for children (shoes, jackets, hats, etc.) from your hands. The baby is growing rapidly, so used baby clothes are usually sold in good and very good condition.
4. There is a whole list of children's things that you can easily do without, which means it's good to save money.
5. Don't throw away old things right away, give them a second life. Here you can see a lot of interesting ideas for using old clothes, furniture, skateboards, bottles and more. There are also at least 30 ways to redo old denim clothes.
6. Don't buy evening dresses, rent them. As a rule, you can pick up the appropriate accessories for the along with the rental (which is also a saving). And you will not need to worry that you will come to the next party in the same outfit.

Recreation

1. Go to the cinema after the premiere. After a week or two, tickets, as a rule, become cheaper. Keep track of special screenings: in the morning or late at night, sessions are usually cheaper.
2. Plan your vacation ahead of time. This is a good opportunity to purchase a tour at a very attractive price, as well as buy train or plane tickets at a good discount. Also, you will have more choice than during the high season.
3. On vacation, if possible, cook yourself. Eating in resort cafes is expensive.

Personal care

1. Find through word of mouth the right hairdresser, manicurist, beautician for you. When a specialist works for himself, and not in a beauty salon, the service is cheaper.
2. Replace expensive creams with cheaper but more effective products. For example, a mixture of liquid vitamins, moisturizer and cosmetic oils (all sold at the pharmacy) will cost a little, and the effect is amazing.
3. Give up bad habits. Calculate how much money you spend on cigarettes and alcoholic parties on Fridays. Add to this amount the costs of treatment that are likely to await you in the future.
4. Walk more, breathe fresh air, sleep a lot. A healthy lifestyle will contribute to the fact that you will go to the beautician less often.
5. Buy annual or semi-annual sports club cards: these are usually cheaper. Track specials (usually they are timed to coincide with the holidays or early summer).

Everyday life

1. Use half the amount of powder, tablet, or gel specified in the instructions for your washing machine or dishwasher. This is often enough.
2. Do not forget to submit meter data monthly.
3. Insulate windows to avoid using heaters.
4. Put on energy saving light bulbs. Save water: turn it off when brushing your teeth; take a shower, not a bath.

How to motivate yourself to save

1. Save money every month, not just in case, but for a specific purpose. For example, traveling, buying a car or other expensive item.
2. Calculate how much an hour of your time is worth: divide your salary by the number of hours you work. Determine how long you have to work to pay for jeans that have never been “walked out,” or your 10th smartphone case.
3. Use dedicated apps to keep track of your expenses. They show you how much money you are wasting.
4. Analyze where a significant portion of your budget goes. Try to completely or at least partially abandon these expenses for a month. The result will most likely pleasantly surprise you.

What you shouldn't save on

1. On high quality and fresh products. Proper nutrition is one of the most important factors in maintaining health. Therefore, you save at least on treatment.
2. Good clothes and shoes. The principle "I am not rich enough to buy cheap things" applies here. A quality product lasts longer.
3. On travel and vacation. A change of scenery is a good way to fully relax and improve your performance. This means that you can earn more.
4. On their own development. Better to refuse to buy a loaf of sausage, but buy a book.