Living can be expensive. Fortunately, there are more than a few ideas that you can take advantage of to make living more affordable. Here are four financial tips that can help reduce your expenses.
1. Track Your Spending Habits
Tracking your spending habits can give you a better idea of where you’re putting your money. Many people will be surprised to know that they are spending more money than necessary on certain things. It may sound cliche, but writing down a list of everything you need and everything you want can help you see what you should really be spending money on. It’s not a bad thing to treat yourself to some luxuries, but some expenses may need to be reevaluated.
Eat at Home More. Eating at home instead of eating out is easier said than done, but it can be a lot easier when you have a plan. People tend to eat out or order in when there’s no solid plan for the next meal. Planning ahead for meals and meal prepping can help out a lot. It’s also a good idea to find different dishes and fun recipes so you won’t get bored eating the same thing every day.
Shop With a List. In addition to eating more at home, going grocery shopping with a list can help you to know exactly what to buy for all of the meals you’ve already planned. Shopping with a list can stop you from buying unnecessary items. Luckily, these days you can do your food shopping on grocery apps, allowing you to see your total before you pay. This way, you can easily remove anything you need without holding up a checkout line.
Reevaluate Subscription Services. Speaking of grocery shopping apps, some require a subscription for free delivery or other perks. This can be necessary for some people, but just another expense for others. There are several other subscription services that you may not necessarily need, such as TV streaming services, publications, products, etc. When looking at your subscriptions, ask yourself how much you use them and if you really need them.
2. Create a Budget
Once you figure out where your money is going, you can come up with a plan to make sure that it’s going to necessary things. Creating and sticking to a budget can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Usually, budgets are hard to stick to because they’re way too complicated. To simplify, make a list of your needs (these are usually bills, including gas for your car and groceries to eat), which are the priority; your longer-term goals (things you’re working towards or saving for); and then your “wants” (things that aren’t absolutely necessary, but things you can treat yourself to every once in a while). Ultimately, this is going to be how you can put an end to your financial worries.
How to Create a Budget
- Step 1: Determine your income
- Step 2: Separate your fixed expenses (bills) from your variable expenses (food, credit cards, etc.).
- Step 3: Other needs (gas, medical expenses, insurance, etc.).
3. Pay Down Any Debts
After tracking your spending habits and creating a budget, it becomes easier to pay down any debts you may have. One of the biggest controllable debts that most people have is their credit cards, and credit cards tend to have some of the highest interest rates. If you have more than one credit card, definitely try to pay down as many of them as you can, and don’t apply for any more— especially department store credit cards.
4. Review Insurance Premiums
The commercials say it all the time, but it’s actually true: many people are overpaying for both car and home insurance. Look into getting a quote comparison to see if you can have your payments reduced, or even have your car and home insurance bundled together instead of paying two separate fees.
When it comes to car insurance, it’s also important to drive safely, because this can affect your car insurance rates as well. Different types of traffic tickets can negatively affect your insurance rates, so make sure you’re following all driving laws — which you should be doing anyway.
Reducing your cost of living can take time, and it may be even harder to stick with if you try to do it all at once. Slowly cutting your expenses down one at a time can make it easier.
Photo Credit: stock photo
Good basic financial information. A budget is super helpful. People hate the word budget like they hate the word chores. I tell people develop a spending plan. They like spending, and they react in a more positive way. It’s the exact same thing but appeals to their weakness.
Interesting concept, Bill. You may be on to something there!