Money

Everyone wants to save as much as possible. Since our incomes are finite, we have to come up with creative ways to save money without drastically affecting the quality of life and other areas. Taking control of your money means tracking your expenses and identifying areas where there are wastages and working on strategies to eliminate the wastage and convert it into a saving. Once we get our monthly wages, there are the items that are negotiable and those that are not. Here are a few of the tried and tested methods used for saving money.

Setting goals

Although it might sound cliché, setting goals is a critical part in developing a full proof money saving scheme that will continue to work without fail. Here, you need to make sure that the set goals are S.M.A.R.T; Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time specific. Once you have done that, measuring the effectiveness of your method is much simpler because the results are quantifiable. For example, you can set a monthly or weekly limit for what you will spend on a certain activity such as entertainment or even travel. Upon successfully reaching and maintain your goals, you should celebrate.

Budgeting

Many people don’t like to budget. They think it’s a way of constraining yourself to certain needs in life. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth; budgeting gives you more power to control saving and spending. In Phoenix, by having a budget in place, you avoid unsanctioned spending which can save you thousands of dollars every month. In the case of getting a cheap and reliable internet service provider, Digital exits can help you find the right one according to your monthly internet budget.

Negotiate prices

Many people have not honed the skill of negotiation. For this reason, they are unable to make attractive bargains on products they like. Because of that, people end up paying a lot for items which could have been negotiated for a less price. By being a good negotiator, you can make a lot of savings on buying a home, a car and even while buying for items in stores.

Tracking expenses

Throughout the month, we are buying stuff. In some cases, our purchases are warranted while in some instances, they are entirely impulsive and add no value to life. Since we tend to buy a lot through the month, remembering what you bought right off the top of your mind is very difficult. So, apps to track expenditure come in very handy. Since they are mobile apps, you can update your spending immediately so that you don’t forget. From this report, you will see where you spend the most on and come up with strategies to curb the spending.

Low-interest credit cards

Credit cards come in very handy when you do not have the cash in hand to make a purchase. However, the trick here is using low-interest credit cards to pay for things. You want to give yourself enough time to pay the debt so that you are not hit with higher interests and treated as a financial risk.

Switch the car

Most cities in the US are driving cities. Meaning it’s tough to move around without the car. According to Edmunds.com, the average person in America spends about $479 per month paying for a vehicle. If your car payment exceeds 15% of your total monthly income, it’s time to consider getting a less expensive car.

Pay with cash

Using cash to pay for goods is a tried and tested way of saving. By using cash to pay for goods, you force yourself to think twice or thrice about your purchase. This way, you can avoid unplanned and unnecessary purchases.