Have you made your New Years resolutions yet? If you made any decisions on how you are going to pay off debt, spend less money, or save more money, then you are like most people who just finished the year with the holiday spending in mind. In 2018, take a fresh approach to your spending, and think differently about where you spend, and how you spend your money. Below are a few simple suggestions on where you can cut back and save more. Or, pay down debt with the dollars saved in these little areas.
- Instead of driving through for your morning cup of coffee, make a cup a home.
- 72% of coffee drinkers spend an average of $8.00 per week on drive thru coffee. This $8.00 equates to 4 gallons of gas and for someone who commutes this can be a real savings. (survey from statista.com)
- Instead of dining out during your lunch hour, take your lunch to work with you.
- Add 1 additional night during the week where you cook instead of dine out at a restaurant.
- If you were to simply prepare all meals at home, you’d move 4.2 meals from restaurants to your home. At an average cost of $12.75 per meal, you’d save yourself $8.75 for each of those meals. In other words, the average American would save $36.75 per person per week by moving all of their meals from restaurants to home-prepared meals. (simpledollar.com 10/18/2017)
- Look around your home for unused gift cards. If you need to buy something, use your gift cards first.
- If you have an unused gif card and would rather have the cash, check out selling your unwanted gift cards at: Monstergiftcard.com
- Think twice before you buy. If you didn’t buy that particular item, where would you put that money? Toward another much more needed item or future goal?
These are just a few ways to start cutting back and re-purpose those dollars. We have gotten to a point where we just spend, but before you spend, think twice about where those dollars are going. Maybe you would rather they be spent somewhere else.
