One of my 2018 goals was to save money, especially in the first 3 months of this year since I’m going on a trip to Melbourne! There are a few ways that I’ve figured out recently that really help me cut down on unnecessary spending. I find myself spending money unnecessarily. So from now until March, I’m going to challenge myself to spend as little as possible.
So, how am I doing it?
- Absolutely no treats at coffee shops! I always end up buying a cookie with my coffee; I eat half and throw it away. It’s also just wasteful in general and I want to reduce all sorts of waste. Find out what that one thing you always cave and buy is, figure out that little thing that you justify by saying “it’s only $5”. Then just tell yourself no, it isn’t only $5 because it really adds up and you will save money resisting these purchases.
- No beauty whatsoever. No matter how much I want a new release or if I have any sort of coupon I just need to not use it. I do not need any more beauty products, I could probably go for like 3 years and never run out. So much of what I have goes to waste when I just keep buying new things. You can help yourself accomplish this by doing a little shop my stash and switching up your daily makeup and rediscovering old favorites!
- Cancel magazine subscriptions! I hardly ever read them because I usually end up reading blogs anyway! It’s also a waste of paper when there are online versions of basically any magazine out there. Resist the urge to buy a magazine that you probably won’t read and cancel any money-sucking subscriptions you end up not using (beauty boxes you’re never wowed by, magazines left in the plastic cover for a month, app subscriptions). Have a clear out! Also, this is like taking back $10 a month or whatever you were spending on that thing you never used!
- Ask myself if it’s really necessary, don’t buy it unless I really, truly need to. I think this is the one that will save me the most money. Just taking a few seconds to rethink a purchase will hopefully get me to say no.
- Read something inspiring about minimalism and how good it feels to spend less. I’ve been wanting to pick up the Year Of Less by Cait Flanders about her year-long spending ban. You can buy it on Amazon here, and read more about it here! This will keep you inspired to resist the urge, and remind you of how much good it’s doing! And if you don’t want to spend the money on the book, there are tons of minimalist blogs that keep me motivated to life more mindfully!
I already have way more than I need so I definitely don’t need to buy anything for the next few months. For me, these are all huge money-sucks! I’ll give an update around the middle of March, hopefully I will have saved some serious cash by then!
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