There are lots of common tips we all hear to try and help us save money, but even if giving up your morning coffee could save you an extra $50 a week − not to mention sacrificing your avocado on toast − you'll be less likely to stick to your savings scheme if you're cutting out things you really enjoy and that you'll miss.
These tips can help you save money without feeling like you're missing out on life's little pleasures.
Secure your spare change
One way to accumulate some sneaky savings is to stash away your spare change at the end of everyday. This works especially well if you're budgeting by putting a certain amount of cash in your wallet every week and limiting yourself to spending only that amount, rather than making the majority of your transactions electronically which can attract charges and make it harder to keep track of your spending.
Feeling a little crafty? Create a piggybank that you can't easily sneak extra cash out of! Many discount stores stock metal containers that you'd need to break into with a can-opener, but you can easily create your own by (carefully!) cutting a hole in the lid of a clear plastic container, and supergluing the lid on. That way you can see your savings building up and will need a strong pair of scissors and a good few minutes to get inside when the container is full!
Form a lunch club with co-workers
This tip not only benefits your hip pocket, but can also help your hips as well! You can easily spend upwards of $50 a week buying lunch every work day, and with all respect to the organized people who spend their Sunday meal prepping, it can be a big effort especially for those of us with busy lives!
Find a few like-minded co-workers and agree to make one big meal, once a week, and bring in enough for everyone's lunch the next day. You'll save money by cooking in bulk rather than lots of small meals, and not eating out, and the effort will be minimal. It will feel like you get a delivery service four days a week!
Paying off multiple loans? Consider debt consolidation
If you have multiple small debts − for instance, a bit on one credit card, some more on another, plus a car loan and a store card − the interest on all these little loans can add up, not to mention service fees you may have to pay to maintain the loan.
Debt consolidation allows you to roll all your debts into one, streamlining your repayments and making your debt easier to manage, and potentially cheaper to service! Speak to a Latitude Betterer today to find out more.