Does saving money always have to mean doing without? Nope. There are plenty of ways to save money without having to live like a hermit and forgo all the good things in life. Read our tips here...
At some point in our lives, almost all of us find ourselves having to save. This is something that varies widely from person to person. Some people might be short of cash, others might be saving up for something special, while others want to cut down on their spending as a matter of principle. Saving money doesn’t feel the same for everyone and isn’t easy in any life situation. After all, you have to be able to afford to put money aside in the first place.
However, many people manage to save money regularly without restricting themselves to dry bread and water. Sometimes it’s all about finding smart alternatives.
A different approach to saving money
So what’s the best way to start? First of all by being mindful about what you do with your money. In other words, finding out what you spend it on every month and why. You can find out the best way to break this down here.
If you know how to tighten up your finances, small changes are often all you need to save a lot of money. What do we mean by that? Take a look here:
Choosing smart alternatives rather than doing without
Let’s start with the obvious stuff: do I really need new clothes every month or can I swap with friends or just buy them second-hand? Is it possible to get cheaper green electricity or a better mobile phone deal? Can I cancel my gym membership because I prefer working out at home or in the open air anyway? Do I really need a car? Do I really need to buy bottled water or can I just drink tap water instead? Do I really have to buy a brand-new chair, or should I see if there’s something suitable in the classified ads?
Once these points have been ticked off, it’s time to delve deeper. Do you have a big freezer? If so, then keep an eye out for special offers on seasonal vegetables or your favourite products – buy plenty of them, chop them up and freeze them in individual portions. And where is your library card? Remember that you don’t have to actually visit the library to borrow books and magazines, you can also do so online. Do I have to have a streaming service all to myself or could I share the costs with friends? And do I really need to buy this piece of equipment because I use it regularly or can I borrow it from the neighbours whenever I need to?
There really are lots of different ways to make changes without sucking all of the fun out of life. It’s just that we tend to forget this in everyday life. But that can change.
A few hundred euros extra a year without making any major sacrifices
This might sound banal, but it can make quite a difference. Here you can find a sample calculation showing how you can save several hundred euros a year with relative ease. And, we assure you, without depriving yourself of everything that you enjoy.
Needless to say, it’s up to you to decide which options are a good fit for you, which ones you can adapt for your purposes and which ones you wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. The simple fact of the matter is that this can often be achieved by creative solutions rather than by depriving yourself of everything. The icing on the cake here is that many decisions that result in spending less money on non-essentials are more sustainable by nature as well. And might even let you get to know a few new faces in your neighbourhood. Which doesn’t actually sound too bad, does it?
As a rule, there is no right and no wrong way to achieve your goal – some paths just take a bit longer than others.
If you’re looking for more tips on saving money, step right this way…