When you’re working on a tight budget, things can get out of hand pretty easily. That’s why it helps if you have a little bit of cash tucked away for a rainy day. Ever since I began living by myself, I’ve made it a point to save some money every week so that by the end of the month, I’m not looking for loose change. Here are a few lifestyle changes I made in the way I spend my money, and you can, too.
1. I Save All The Change
After all my grocery trips and coffee runs, I save the change I get and put it aside. Even if it is as little as Rs 20-30, I put it in the piggy bank for a rainy day. And trust me, it works like a charm. Especially when you plan an unexpected road trip and could use the extra cash.
2. Stopped The Weekly Salon Visits
One of my smartest investments yet, an epilator. The amount of money I’d spent on salon appointments, especially on waxing, before making this change, was definitely large. But once I got used to putting in a little more effort and epilating instead, I save Rs 2,000 – 3,000 easily, every month.
3. I Started Packing Snacks & Water
As a person who is constantly munching, I buy way too many packets of chips and water bottles when I step out. Lately, I have started packing my own snacks and carrying a reusable water bottle. Something like a small box of cookies or almonds, which is not just healthy but also quite cost-effective, is my replacement to chips and fast food.
4. Invested In Good Coffee, No More Starbucks
Instead of getting a Starbucks every time I want a fancy cup of coffee, I just invested in good coffee powder. Priced around Rs 500 for a large jar of coffee powder, it lasts at least two months and only requires a little effort to make a hot cuppa.
5. Public Transport & Share Cabs
I take a shared cab for my daily routes to office and home. A share pass on Ola and Uber starts at just Rs 49 and has a bunch of great discounts for daily travellers.
6. Grocery Lists So I Don’t Buy Junk
This was a difficult thing to do because I love buying junk food and packets of biscuits I don’t actually need. So when I started writing down a grocery list, it helped me understand how much money I could save by just double-checking my expenses.
7. Switched My Data Plan
I invested in a slightly expensive monthly plan, priced around Rs 300, and got a great combo of data and talktime. The weekly habit of recharging when you run out of data are way more expensive and I learned that the hard way. Also, online portals like PayTm have some great cashback offers that you can use for both prepaid and postpaid.
Hope you got some usable tips from this. Let us know how you save a bit of cash every week.
Images – Giphy, Shutterstock
AWESOME NEWS! POPxo SHOP is now Open! Get 25% off on all the super fun mugs, phone covers, cushions, laptop sleeves, and more! Use coupon code POPXOFIRST.
