Booboo.
Tell me why you still have the nerve to complain about not being able to save money when all of it is going to Starbucks EVERYDAY?
Put the coffee down. Step back and make your coffee at home.
In the midst of the technology overhaul and pressures to keep up with the latest food trends and habits, I think people are forgetting that cooking at home is 1) still possible even with the little time you have 2) still cool and 3) will keep that body of yours looking RIGHTTTT.
Yes, I said it. Cooking at home is cool, and can save you a whole of lot of... wait for it....it's coming....MONEY. Don't play around and act like you don't want to save that $5 on that sugar ridden pumpkin spiced latte for Sara J. Put that $5 elsewhere and get closer to your goals and dreams TODAY!
There are five simple steps to take in order to start saving your money more easily and enjoyably (definitely didn’t even know that was a word until five seconds ago). Try them out for yourself!:
GIVE YOURSELF AN ALLOWANCE. We're bringing back the good old days. I'm talking giving yourself a budget to work with each week instead of using your credit and debit cards. Yeah, you might think it's cute to rack up all of those credit card points on things like groceries and gas, but if you don't have the money for it now, that interest will bite you in the a** later on. Take a withdrawal from your checking account every week and give yourself an allowance for food/groceries. Put that money towards something like meal prepping, so you'll never feel the urge to do any impulse shopping at local coffee shops or restaurants.
COOK YOUR OWN FOOD. I cannot stress this enough. I'm sure you have plenty of people in your life who frivolously spend money on going out to lunch or dinner with friends or during your work break. I'll say this once: DO NOT CAVE IN. Whatever you do, avoid buying food during your work week and bring your own meals instead. Not only do you save yourself $60-70 each week, but you can feel proud of yourself when you show off those FIRE meals with friends (I'm giving you a high five in advance and reminding you not to share.) A great tool to use to spend up meal prep time is my favorite kitchen gadget, though I have very few: my Ninja Kitchen Intelli-Sense System. It literally does everything!
SAY HELL TO THE NO. Okay, maybe you don't need to be that forceful, but say no more often! I know it's tempting to stop at that smoothie truck after you left the gym, but say no and whip up breakfast at home. I know you're feeling like you're going to crash in the middle of your work day, but say no to that iced coffee and get some more water in you! The times in which we feel the weakest and need to cave in, are the times where we have to take a step back and ask ourselves if we really need that thing we want.
MAKEAFRICKENLIST. Please please please stop going to the grocery store or ordering groceries without making a list first. I write just about everything down on paper in my Moleskine (I have an old soul) to keep my list as short as can be. I will spare you my explanation when you can look out for my next post on easy list making.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS. A PSA is not necessary here, but give your friends a heads up as to why you can't brunch it with them every weekend. If your friends know that you're trying to save some money, they'll be less likely to think something weird is up when you avoid going to the movies or shopping with them. Honesty is the best policy here, so let your goals be known.
As soon as you apply these five simple steps to your current lifestyle, you WILL see incredible results: more money in your pocket and less stress! When you're not so worried about your finances, you can live a little happier and feel a little bit more free!
In what other areas are you having trouble saving money? Leave your comment below!