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The following is a guest from Trudy Swann, a regular money saving blogger making the most of life’s frugal ways. Enjoy!
There are a number of reasons you may choose to live a more frugal lifestyle – you could be putting aside a few pennies for a special occasion, the holiday of a lifetime or alternatively, a new home. Others are forced to be more frugal due to a shortage of loans for people with no credit, something that has become harder to find in recent years.
Regardless of whether you wish to save up for a certain object or event, the first step is to cut back on a few unwarranted expenditures. Listed below are several common ones that might be relevant to you!
1. Swap the coffee shop for your own coffee/espresso maker
Many consumers will buy items they quite simply don’t need; this is often down to sheer convenience. Take your morning latte for example – I find making my own at home and transferring it to a thermos flask saves me a nice chunk of money each day. If you wish to buy a fancy coffee machine (just like the ones they have in many branded coffee shops), taking out an unsecured loan will can potentially help you with the purchase. The money saved on regular coffee trips can be used to pay off this loan.
2. Make your own lunch
Other ways to save include making your own lunch and taking it to work. I once spent a minimum of £5 per day on lunches; this quickly mounted up over the week. Your office should come equipped with a kitchen area, which will allow you to store any pre-prepared meals in a cool environment. By preparing my own meals, I can make a saving of £20 per week, which totals to £900 over the year. (52 weeks – 5 weeks holiday & 2 weeks bank etc = 45 x £20).
3. Swap the gym for the great outdoors
The majority of individuals that own gym passes and don’t use it is phenomenal.
Many purchase a yearly sports pass with all the right intentions in mind, however both work and home commitments make getting there more effort than it’s worth. Unfortunately, gyms are not cheap, and my monthly membership fee was proving to cause a huge dent in my salary. Working out shouldn’t solely be about the gym and there are plenty of other non-gym based activities available, most of which will easily fit into your current schedule. A lot of them are free too.
You could also try pay-on-the-day
Zumba classes and home Yoga videos, both boast to offer fun workouts without the lengthy contract. Activities such as walking the dog and walking the children to school are also great ways to burn calories for free.
4. Grow your own vegetables
If like me, you are lucky enough to have a garden, use it wisely. Growing your own vegetables is not only a fun pastime; it’s also a great way to eat healthily while saving. Many supermarket-bought produce will be slavered in pesticides, which cannot be good for us to eat everyday. By growing my own however, I know exactly where they have come from.
5. Swap the bus for the bike
As the summer months draw in, I tend to opt for the bike instead of the bus, which saves me pounds; it also allows me to lose a few pounds in the meantime. Cycling to work is a great way to clear the head – just in time for any hectic morning meetings you have planned!
How about you all? What are your favorite ways to save money each month? Do you use any of the things mentioned above?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
Jacob’s Thoughts – Listed below are my random thoughts as I was reading this article.
- With the exception of # 4 above (growing your own garden), I utilize all of the tips above quite effectively each month.
- I bike to work instead of driving a car and/or paying for a parking pass.
- I do not pay for a gym membership since it is included in my student activity fees as a graduate student.
- I bring and/or eat lunch at home almost every day of the work-week. The only time I don’t is once every couple of weeks when I go out to eat with a group of friends.
- Lastly, I make my own coffee at home so that I don’t have to buy it at the coffee shops on campus.
***Photo courtesy of http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1394/4605158343_a2c4873f90_o.jpg
