7 Tips for Saving

When it comes to saving, I suck completely! On pay day I'm like Michael Jordan in 1994, it is time to ball! After pay day, I look in my bank account with a Jordan crying meme, like where'd all my money go! I know exactly what I could've lived without, but I did it anyway. I decided to make better decisions about my funds and share them with you because it's no fun being broke! I'm learning to separate needs for wants. Trying to take less trips to the mall is hard, but I think I'm getting better. With most things in life, it's a process & it takes time.

1. Stick to the paper.

Everyone has that moment when you’re going to the store with a list of things you need and you end up with forty thousand other things you also thought you needed, but you didn’t. It’s a trap! Lol. Stick to the list! If you honestly feel like you need it then go ahead, but if it isn’t a necessity leave it on the shelves.

2. Don’t love it, don’t buy it.

Personally, I belong in Shopaholic Anonymous! My mommie & I both do. She told me if I don’t love it then don’t buy it! It looks cute, but do you love it? Would you get a lot of wear out of it? You think you could use it but is something you’re really going to use or wear. We don’t want it be that piece of clothing left in the back of the closet or that product we put away and barely use anymore. So next time you’re shopping think about it, But do I love it though?

3. Do it Yourself.

I know all things can’t be done on your own, but I’m always down for doing it myself. DIY projects are everything and I think it’s a chance for you to be creative and learn new skills. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials in the world. You would be surprised at what you could find, so try it. Do your own nails, do your own hair, make your own headboards, and so on and so on…  Ask a friend to help if you need it. It will save you a little coin!

4. Eat at home.

As a recent college graduate, I’ve spent so much money on food. Most of the time I have food at home and I just don’t want to cook it. My Mommie tells me all my money goes to food, which is crazy. Eating at home is cheaper and probably a lot healthier than the grab-n-go we’re use. A tip is to start planning out what you want to eat the night of or weekly. You could even meal prep. t’s plenty of cookbooks, recipes, so not knowing how to cook isn’t an excuse. Start cooking easy stuff if you’re a beginner & remember Google is your friend. Basically, do what works for you. Next time you have the urge to splurge on food, think about your bank account!

5. Stay at home, sometimes.

In college, well at least at my university, it’s always a place to go or an event to attend probably every day of the week. There may be a party, or a new movie comes out, or your friends may ask you to go grab a bite to eat & have drinks. Some things require money. It all sounds good until you’ve spend $100 in one day on nothing and sitting there looking at your bank account, contemplating life, like where’d you go wrong. It’s okay to say no sometimes. It’s an opportunity to save a little money & you can probably get started on that assignment, idea, or even sleep you’ve been missing out on. Start looking at as did I do enough work to go out? Let the fun monetary things be like a reward!

6. Save a little every time.

Just because you have the money doesn’t mean you should spend it. Save a little! When you get paid or money happens to come into your life, set an amount to spend, an amount to pay for what you need, and an amount to save. You will be happy to see money in your account, instead of money being withdrawn constantly.

7. Don’t have it, don’t buy it.

Credit is something we all have need, but it can go wrong fast. It’s a privilege, don’t abuse it. Use it wisely. The thing is with credit; you have to pay it back! Maybe not the next day, but eventually within months or years to come. Credit is like a ladder; you keep going it gets higher, so the bill gets higher. Paying money back is not what you need in your life of saving! A tip to building your credit is use the credit, then go home and pay the bill before it’s due. Basically, if you don’t have the legit money to pay for the item or items in your wallet, pocket, purse, etc. then you don’t have the money to buy it. Doing this will still get you the credit benefits that you need, it may even get you a little discount or whatever with the company, but it’s less money troubles you’ll have to worry about in the future!

I hope my tips are beneficial to you as they are to me. I know it may take some time getting use to, but it'll all be worth it in the end! In the words of Diamond from Player's Club "Make that Money, don’t let it make you!"