Saving expands our capabilities, increases our independence, and allows us to more confidently achieve our goals. This is why many of us wonder how to learn to save and save money. In theory, everything is simple; dozens of articles and books have been written on this topic.
However, in practice, saving money is often an overwhelming task. It is especially difficult for those who lack self-control. Often such people begin to have difficulty saving and saving money, but then they break down and spend the entire amount on some unnecessary purchase. At the same time, they feel guilty for their lack of willpower.
So are there effective, but not too complicated, ways to save and save money? Yes, I have.
Below are 13 simple rules that have helped tens of thousands of people save and save money effectively.
Rule #1: Saving means spending “consciously”
To begin with, it is important to look at the concept of “saving” from a different angle.
Some people think that saving is humiliating: if a person is forced to save money, then he is a loser.
If you look at saving not as a painful refusal to do everything, but as a competent distribution of funds, then saving will be much easier.
Saving means “spending consciously.” Conscious spending of funds usually leads to cost reduction. But thoughtless saving leads to the triggering of the rule “the stingy pays twice!”
Also remember that money NOT spent is money earned.
Rule #2: Identify the goals for which you are saving
If you start saving without a goal, you will get bored very quickly.
In order to accumulate the required amount as quickly as possible, you need to determine a goal for yourself, indicate its cost and time frame for achieving it.
For example, you want to go on a trip, the cost of which is 200,000 rubles. Initially, this amount may seem too much to you, and you may not even start saving for the trip.
However, if you set a deadline of a year and divide this amount by 12 months, it turns out that every month you need to save 16,600 rubles. Saving this amount every month is easier than thinking about where to get 200,000 rubles.
It is important that the goal lights you up.
There will be times when you will be tempted to spend everything you have saved up. At this moment the target must prevail.
It will be easier for you to save and save money if you have a big goal. For example, if a low-income person decides to save for a car, he may not notice, but the goal will wear him down on a subconscious level. Why? Because in his heart he will understand that having bought a car, he will need to give decent amounts of money for car maintenance, repairs, etc. But, for example, if a person’s goal is to open a business in order to realize his big goals (including buying a car), there will be a completely different motivation. Such a goal can mobilize human potential.
Household chemicals
| 8 | Look not at the brand of the product, but at its composition. Well-known brands most often make markups solely on the name to cover advertising costs. |
| 11 | Sometimes it is better to wash dishes not with a special detergent, but with regular soda. It is many times more effective against soot and scale, and is also completely safe for the body. |
| 4 | Ammonia gets rid of many difficult stains no worse than an expensive stain remover. But you shouldn’t experiment with thin and delicate fabrics. |
| 16 | A large package of detergent or washing powder is cheaper than a small bottle. Chemicals do not deteriorate, so such an economical purchase for future use will definitely pay off. |
| 11 | An anti-scale agent for a washing machine and even a kettle can replace ordinary citric acid. |
| 4 | Dust and dirt can be removed from most surfaces with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. It is not necessary to use detergent. |
| 5 | You should not buy separate cleaning products for the kitchen, bathroom and floor. Their composition is approximately the same, so a regular chlorine disinfectant is best for dealing with dirt. |
| 7 | A clogged sink can be cleared with baking soda and vinegar, saving you on an expensive anti-clog cleaner with a tricky chemical composition. |
| 4 | Instead of air flavorings, you can use regular citrus peels or jars of essential oils. |
| 8 | If you have accumulated soap, put them in a glass jar and pour boiling water over it. In this simple way you can make homemade liquid soap. |
| 6 | Do not buy toothbrushes, toothpastes, shower gels and other products in pharmacies - the markups there are much higher than in chain stores and hypermarkets. |
| 1 | Grease stains on furniture, carpets, surfaces and clothing are easily removed by ordinary gasoline. By the way, don’t miss the most necessary tips on saving gasoline. |
Rule #3: Find support in your environment
To prevent you from being tempted to stop in the middle of your journey, you can enlist the support of loved ones who will know about your goal and remind you of it during a difficult period. Therefore, you can tell your loved ones about your goals or share them on social media. networks - in this case you will have no escape route. You will try to finish what you started at any cost.
Either way, before you change your spending habits, you might want to tell those close to you about your goals and why achieving them is important to you.
Appetizer of carrots and beets
• 1 kg of carrots or beets, or halved carrots and beets. For the marinade: • 4-5 tbsp. spoons of vinegar • 3 tbsp. spoons of granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon of salt • 0.5 cups of sunflower oil • 1 large head of garlic • 10 walnuts • 2 teaspoons of cilantro or caraway seeds • 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper • red hot pepper on the tip of a knife. I grate raw peeled carrots or beets on a coarse grater. I prepare the marinade: pound nuts and cilantro in a mortar or chop it in any other available way. Then I mix vinegar, sugar, salt, nuts, cilantro and pepper. I crush the head of garlic in a garlic press and throw it into the prepared mixture, and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. I pour half a glass of vegetable oil into the resulting mixture and mix everything thoroughly again. Now pour the prepared marinade over the carrots, mix and compact a little, pressing down on top with a spoon. Then I put the dish in a cold place for a day, and after a day I take it out and treat all my loved ones to a wonderful spicy snack.
Rule #4: Start saving gradually
Surely you know cases when people, having started saving, set themselves almost unrealistic goals. Often they begin to limit themselves in almost everything, their standard of living drops sharply.
Austerity measures rarely work.
After a month or two, these people break down, stop saving and don’t want to hear anything more about saving.
The ability to save and control your money is a skill (the same as, for example, the ability to drive a car). At first you feel insecure behind the wheel, sometimes you get lost, but gradually your driving becomes more and more confident. Therefore, to learn how to save and save money, you will need some time.
The best rules for saving are gradualism and regularity.
When you see what opportunities arise for you thanks to the accumulated capital, you will be inspired, and by this time, rational handling of money will already become a habit for you.
Rule #5: Always remember the “value” of money
Before you decide to start saving, it is important to calculate the cost of your hour. To do this, you need to take your salary and divide it by the number of hours you work per month.
Often people spend in a few hours the amount they earn over several days (for example, in the case of expensive entertainment). Or they take out a modern gadget on credit, the cost of which is equal to several salaries.
So before you buy something, think: how much do you need to work to earn this money?
Remember that time is the most valuable resource!
Budget planning and saving money from unnecessary spending
The economy must be economical! The financial rule of the Soviet era can, to some extent, be adjusted to the current accumulation process. A person who knows how to save his finances will achieve success in saving. The more a subject saves, the more free funds he has for saving. So, what can you save on?
- Entertainment. Man by nature loves entertainment. Today you can have fun not only on the street, but also in the virtual space. Today's youth spend a lot of money buying all kinds of trinkets on the Internet. They need to be abandoned first.
- Cost optimization. It is impossible to completely give up spending, but anyone can create their own unique spending model, which would allow them to rationally spend money on purchases. Optimized spending often refers to spending associated with purchasing items that could be replaced with cheaper alternatives. A striking example is clothing. It is not necessary to buy clothes in a company store. For a motivated person, there is no shame in going to a second-hand store and finding the clothes you need for next to nothing. But the savings are significant.
- All kinds of services. The service market is literally saturated with different offers, which are very difficult for a couple to refuse. But such whims as home delivery of pizza or home delivery of clean water must be abandoned during the accumulation period.
- Actively use cashback. There is a list of services that are closely related to the life of a modern person. The cashback system is available in most popular services. For example, if a person does not have his own transport or often flies by plane, be sure to contact the service employees and clarify the cashback conditions. The more the subject uses the services, the more points accumulate. These points can later be exchanged for payment for cellular communications or for a discount in the store.
Recently, people have been spending a lot of money on household appliances, and often the expenses are not justified by anything. What approach should a thrifty person have in this regard?
Firstly, you should not immediately buy a new washing machine or water heater at the slightest failure of the old device. A new washing machine costs on average 15-20 thousand rubles. You can keep this money if you are not lazy and take the machine to a service center for repairing household appliances. Yes, you will have to pay for transportation, pay for the services of a master, but if you compare the final cost of repairs (together with transportation costs) it will come out to no more than 3-4 thousand rubles.
Secondly, it is not necessary to buy branded models. You must always remember that a brand is just a promoted brand, the quality of which is practically no different from its competitors.
Rule #6: Remove temptations!
It is important to understand that as you save, you will likely encounter internal resistance as you step out of your comfort zone. Therefore, it is advisable for you to create conditions under which you will not have unnecessary temptations. For example, you can open a deposit without the ability to withdraw money and replenish it on payday without any excuses (more on this will be written below). You can also put away credit cards and shop less.
How can you save your family budget?
Before you cross out unnecessary expense items, write down all your purchases and their prices for a month. And also indicate the reason for the purchase next to it. This will help to find out the true needs for purchasing a product: whether it was really a necessity, spontaneity, or a profitable purchase on sale in order to save money. You can keep records wherever it’s convenient: phone, app, notepad. It would also be appropriate to save receipts for purchase analytics.
Here are a couple of budget items you can save on:
- transport – if possible, use public transport instead of a taxi, even if you are late, this will also teach you to respect your own and other people’s time. And the savings per month will be up to 10,000 rubles, at least. This is generally 120,000 rubles a year;
- coffee, cigarettes, chocolates - it would seem that a glass of coffee costs 100 rubles, but in a month it adds up from 2000 to 3000 rubles. Add to this a pack of cigarettes every 2 days - also about 3000. And chocolates - as needed, but for some reason I also want it every day, it comes out to about 1800 per month. The total is 7,800 per month and 93,000 per year - a trip to another country for 10 days of vacation. Of course, you shouldn’t completely give up coffee and chocolates, but you can reduce their purchase. But giving up cigarettes will prolong your life;
- telephone communications, Internet, television - for sure, the tariff connection took place a long time ago, and since then the provider could change not only the payment amount, but also the components of the tariff, supplement or create new, profitable ones. Try to find out and find a more economical option for yourself. For example, 3 in 1 – Internet, television, cellular communications;
- utility bills - it’s no secret that by submitting data on meters for water, electricity and gas, costs are noticeably reduced;
how to save family budget table- food means buying only quality products, going shopping with a list and not deviating from it. Forget about impulsive “I want” purchases. You go to the store on a full stomach; you buy everything when you are hungry. Don’t be fooled by the promotions in the store, even if they look cheap, you can easily do without these products. Try to buy dry products from wholesale stores. Buy a whole chicken, not just the breast. Semi-finished products are obviously more expensive. Inspect all the shelves from bottom to top, marketers lay out products so that expensive ones or those with a suitable expiration date are at eye level, and this is not profitable in order to save money;
- wardrobe items - you don’t have to buy yourself new jeans or dresses every month, it’s enough to buy quality items, even if a little more expensive, but they will last longer. Why change something every season? And it’s even better to buy things on sales, it really turns out to be more profitable - summer things are sold at a big discount in the fall, autumn ones - in the winter;
- gifts - definitely, giving gifts is always nice. But you should understand that you can’t get enough expensive gifts for all your relatives. Review this budget item and choose gifts that are a little cheaper. In general, the best gift is a gift made with your own hands :))
To learn to live on the salary you receive, you need to keep a record of your expenses every day, without missing a single purchase. After analyzing your expenses for the previous month, you can revise your budget and reduce even priority expenses. Pay special attention to impulsive “I want” purchases, have they brought you any benefit, have they lasted long? Before you buy at will, think about how you will benefit from the purchase and what good will come of it.
family budget
How to make money - get inspired and do it!
Rule #7: Keep records of income and expenses
It is important to record all your income and expenses.
This task is greatly simplified by various services for recording income and expenses, for example, CoinKeeper, Zen Money, Easy Finance.
Some people find it more convenient to immediately record their expenses in a mobile application. Some people find it more convenient to make calculations every day in the evening based on the results of the day. In any case, it is important to form the habit of monitoring your finances.
When you see all your expenses, you will understand where you spent more than expected and where you were able to save.
After receiving your salary, distribute the money, starting with mandatory payments.
For some people, envelopes help for these purposes (for example, “for utilities”, “for travel”, “for food”). Thanks to this method, extra money is unlikely to be spent.
Rule #8: Plan your budget in advance
Consciously planning your budget for the month and year ahead will help you better understand your financial situation.
If you see that you don’t have enough money for much of what you planned, you can adjust the budget or think about how to increase your income so that you have enough for everything.
Rule #9: Pay attention to detail!
Now that you have a clear picture of your costs, you can plan them consciously and understand which items you could cut. And since the whole picture of your expenses consists of small daily expenses, these are the ones you need to pay attention to.
Often, when people start saving, the first thing they do is cut down on food costs and buy cheap products of questionable quality. This approach will not lead to anything good.
First of all, we advise you to reconsider your diet. If you pay attention to your menu, you will probably notice a lot of tasty but unhealthy foods. Usually this is ice cream, fast food, chips, etc. Often these products are where most of the budget goes. Eating right can help you take care of your health and save money.
There is no need to skimp on the quality of products, but it is also not necessary to choose popular brands. Often expensive products have high-quality analogues.
Also, many housewives know that creating a menu for a week in advance saves quite large sums of money, because in this case, food that is not prepared on time is not thrown away. Therefore, it makes sense to make a large purchase at the store once a week (buying products that have a fairly long shelf life), and during the week buy only those products that are important to eat fresh (for example, some fruits and vegetables, bread, milk).
Here are some more saving tips:
Make a shopping list in advance
Thanks to this technique, you can save a lot. Before you go to the store, make a list of what you need to buy. This way you can avoid impulse purchases.
Calculate in advance the approximate purchase amount
Before going to the store, calculate how much money you need to take. If you come in to buy something unplanned, you won't have the money for it.
It is advisable to pay in cash
When we pay for goods using cards, we don’t feel the money, so we often buy completely unnecessary things. It’s harder to say goodbye to real banknotes than to virtual money, so it’s better to pay for purchases in cash.
But there is one point: when making cashless payments in many stores, bonuses are awarded in cash equivalent. By paying with a card constantly, you can accumulate a decent amount of money in the form of bonuses. Therefore, you can pay with a card if you are confident in the strength of your will.
Don't go shopping on payday
When you have a lot of money with you, a sea of temptations usually arises. At these moments, it is difficult to realistically assess your financial situation, so on payday you often spend much more than usual. Therefore, it is better to go shopping the next day. Once you have allocated your money, you will most likely lose the desire to spend it uselessly.
Go shopping when you're full
In a hungry state, a person buys much more than he planned. At these moments, control is lost. Also, stores often use special techniques that awaken our appetite (for example, spreading the smell of fresh baked goods or something tasty throughout the sales area).
Don't be fooled by marketers
Often in stores, more expensive goods are located on the shelves in the center, while on the lower shelves you can see high-quality, but less expensive goods. Therefore, you can view the entire range of products and compare prices.
Be careful with promotional items
For such products, it is imperative to check the expiration date. If the expiration date is approaching, it is better to refuse such purchases in order to avoid health problems in the future.
Don't buy processed foods
Such products, as a rule, no longer contain useful and nutritious substances. Therefore, it is better to buy fresh products, since temporary savings on your health can lead to big problems in the future.
Freeze seasonal fruits and vegetables
If you want to eat healthy, you need to include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet all year round. In summer, vegetables and fruits are inexpensive, unlike in winter. Frozen foods are sold at huge premiums in stores, so you can freeze a lot of plant-based foods in the summer.
Use discount cards
Most stores have bonus cards and loyalty programs. Using discount cards, you can save significant amounts of money.
Buy online
In some cases, it makes sense to search for products on the Internet. Often in online stores you can find goods 10–30% cheaper than in offline stores.
Buy quality cosmetics
As with food, you should not skimp on cosmetics and other personal care products. Low quality cosmetics can lead to health problems.
Saving on clothes
Look through your wardrobe and think about what items you'll need next season. You can find out the cost of these things in advance and spread this price over several months. It is also profitable to buy expensive items during the off-season with huge discounts.
Take lunches with you to work
Most of the money is spent on lunches in canteens or cafes. If you take lunches with you, you will save money and take care of your health (since the quality of food in public catering is often low).
Save on utility bills
Don't waste electrical appliances
Remember to unplug electrical appliances when you are not using them. Even charging a phone when it is plugged in takes a certain amount of electricity.
Be careful about lighting
When you leave the room, don't forget to turn off the lights.
It is also useful to use spotlights to save money; for example, when reading before bed, you can turn on a lamp instead of a chandelier.
Energy-saving light bulbs also allow you to save money.
Buy energy-saving appliances
Household appliances are divided into classes depending on energy consumption. When you choose a washing machine, refrigerator and other large household appliances, it is better to give preference to models with energy saving class “A”.
Use household appliances and electrical appliances rationally
For example, when you turn on the stove, most of the electricity is spent heating it. Therefore, you can cook all the dishes at once once a day.
After you turn off the stove, it retains heat for some time. Therefore, when you are preparing dumplings, noodles or dumplings, you can turn off the stove after boiling, and the dish will “come” on its own.
When boiling water for tea or coffee, you can boil the right amount of water. For example, not a liter, but 200 - 300 ml.
It is better to load as much laundry into the washing machine as indicated in the instructions. If the machine is overloaded, 15–20% more electricity is consumed.
To ensure that the refrigerator does not consume a lot of electricity, you need to place it away from the stove, radiators and windows.
Install counters
Every year the cost of utilities increases. In order not to pay inflated average standards, you need to install meters. This investment will quickly pay off.
Insulate your home
Many apartments or houses are cold in winter and heaters are turned on, which consume huge amounts of electricity. Therefore, it often makes sense to change windows, the front door, and also insulate the foundation (if we are talking about a private house).
Save on transportation costs
If you often use public transport, you can buy monthly passes. You can also walk more often.
If you have your own car, sometimes it is more profitable to use public transport to save money.
Save on communication services and the Internet
A huge number of people spontaneously choose Internet operators and order services that they do not need. Therefore, you can compare the prices of providers and choose the most optimal option.
The same can be said about the cellular operator. Perhaps you have an expensive tariff that you don’t need, or you have paid services connected that you don’t use.
Save on entertainment
Those people who decide to save and save money should at least partially refuse to visit expensive restaurants, clubs, and cafes. You can relax in nature. Home gatherings are also often a pretty good way to entertain.
However, you don’t need to completely give up entertainment to avoid slipping into depression.
Do not make spontaneous large purchases!
Because you can save on little things and waste everything on buying a large item at an inadequate price.
How to save and save money - table
It is said above that reasonable savings are convenient with a table. You need to collect the following items:
- Income (if 2 or more people work, you can make 2 cells).
- Products (can be broken down: meat, cereals, vegetables, dairy products).
- Activity.
- Cloth.
- Technique.
- Public utilities.
- Unforeseen expenses (neighbors flooded, a faucet burst, you need to pay a fine).
- Balance (ratio of earned and spent).
- Saved.
- Goals for the future (buy a car, washing machine, refrigerator).
Rule #10: Get rid of things that suck money
Get rid of debt
Debt drains your energy. After they are repaid, you will have more energy that can be spent on accelerating the accumulation of money.
If you have a lot of debts and it is not yet possible to start paying them off, try refinancing with another organization with more favorable conditions.
Often, after refinancing, you save a significant amount every month due to reduced interest. However, even with loans, you can still save money.
Try to allocate 10% of your income every month, no matter what. Of these, you can save half of the amount, and leave the second part of the amount for early repayment of debts. With this method, despite having debts, you will be able to set goals.
Eliminate dependencies!
If you have bad habits, before buying alcohol or tobacco, calculate how much money you spend on them per year. Often, after calculating this amount, many are very surprised, since we are talking about tens of thousands of rubles.
The optimal solution for preserving your health and a decent amount of money is the decision to give up bad habits.
Learn to say "No"
Surely you have encountered a situation where your debts are not repaid. To avoid this, learn to say “no” to beggars (of course, we are not talking about close relatives and friends). We are talking about that category of people who like to live “for free”. When such a person asks you for money, consider whether you want to give him your savings.
How to save money correctly
How to save money correctly? Everything can be boiled down to 4 rules:
- Constantly analyze your expenses. There is no need to spend the entire previous salary in addition to the received salary! Leave at least 10-15 percent. It is better to keep expense/income statistics in a table.
- Set goals. How to spend money wisely? You always need a plan. Need a car? Plan how long it will take to save up the amount and how much you need to save per month. Save when you receive your salary. No need to wait until the end of the month to save some money!
- Cut off unnecessary expenses!
Rule #12: Increase your income
After you start saving, you may find that you have a certain amount of time freed up (this is the time that you spent on going to shopping centers, on entertainment, and everything else that took up time and money).
When you have more time, you can devote it to increasing your income to accumulate money faster:
- You can find a part-time job.
- You can gain new knowledge and improve your skills, thereby increasing your income.
- You can master a new area of activity that will bring you additional income. People who create multiple sources of income typically do not have time for a lavish lifestyle.
