College students don’t have the reputation of being frugal. From the parties to the extra curricular activities it can be tough to save, but we have some news for you. These quick tricks will be the secret to great money management.
#1 BOOKS
Every new subject has a list of books required to pass it. Sell your old books and look into used books instead of purchasing new ones.
#2 EAT IN
Never go shopping for food when hungry and most importantly cut back on eating out to a defined number weekly.
#3 HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Reduce your carbon footprint and get healthier by walking everywhere.
#4 SHARE
Living by yourself can be great regarding privacy, but sharing not only saves you money, but is much more fun and you will have a support system near you a lot of the time.
#5 OVERSPENDING
Cutting out unnecessary items is imperative when it comes to saving. Use your tablet or laptop instead of buying multiple notebooks for multiple subjects.
#6 VIP
Use your VIP student status and exploit discounts where you can.
#7 COFFEE RUNS
Caffeine is hugely popular especially when cramming for exams. Go wholesale and make your own. It will save you hundreds monthly.
The biggest day of your life is soon coming upon you and understandably you want to be a rock star at this event. I mean, it is your wedding after all, right? The best news of the day is that there are ways to save big time and still have the wedding of the year.
#1 THE DRESS
There is no way that you are getting this wrong. The funny thing about wedding dresses is that they’re so expensive and a lot of the time you cannot find exactly what you want. Have a look on websites such as Gumtree and find amazing pre-owned dresses that will do you right. Try on models at bridal stores and then have a look at your options. You can save up to double the amount you would normally spend on a new dress.
#2 DETERMINE WHAT IS IMPORTANT
Obviously you have musts that are not debatable when it comes to your wedding as does your other half. Write down three of the most important things you will not skimp out such as food, live bands or cake. Other things can be moved out of the equation or downgraded and in turn you will save some cash.
#3 PLAN WELL AHEAD
Planning ahead will get you far. From early bookings on your preferred date at your favourite venue to savings on shoes and jewellery, this small, but immensely important step will go a long way to helping you save.
#4 FLOWERS
Now we all love orchids, but how desperately do you really need them to be the focal point at your wedding? Chat with your local florist about cheaper options for flowers and have a bouquet and table arrangements that will look unique. Shop at a wholesaler for flowers or have a great night before with your bridesmaids and have them arrange their own bouquets.
#5 PICTURE PERFECT
Speaking from experience, photographers are SO EXPENSIVE. Additionally they often give you an album full of generic wedding photos that you have seen in your friend’s albums and online. Try thinking outside of the box by awarding the task to college students hungry for work and wanting to expand their portfolios. Not only will you save massively, you will also be able to get fresh ideas and creative candids like nobody else to date.
#6 LEAVE IT FOR ANOTHER DAY
Saturday is the traditional day chosen for people to tie the knot. You can save yourself a couple of thousand dollars easily just by changing the big day to a Wednesday. Winner!
The most important day of your life doesn’t have to experience setbacks in order for you to save money. Look into these tips and you will have spare change for your honeymoon and a great day for all.
The holidays are a great time to bond with your favourite people, but can also be one of the toughest times during the year in terms of budgeting and not spending copious amounts of money. Rightly dubbed the time of giving, it often results with many of us weeping at the state of our bank accounts after the New Year rolls around. Today we have some handy tips that will surely save you from bankruptcy this silly season.
#1 SECRET SANTA
Secret Santa is the best way to save on all the unnecessary gifting of ridiculous gifts that nobody actually wants. Avoid ugly Christmas jumpers and the 77th pair of thermal socks that you get from family members. Now you have a much higher chance of not getting those. Instead you can go down the Secret Santa route. Set a budget that everyone can handle so people get the same bang for their buck. It adds a little mystery to this whole magical time. Why stop with your family? Take this idea to your friends and more importantly to the office. This way you will only have to buy three presents instead of thirty three and it lowers your holiday anxiety levels.
#2 SET A BUDGET
One of the most financially rewarding things to do during Christmas is setting a budget on expenditures. Make sure to give yourself a little wiggle room and take things other than presents into consideration. Think about things like parties, donations, travel costs, food expenses and others. Putting everything down on paper also helps you rethink how much you really need to spend this year. Is it really necessary to get a new tree each year or can you DIY something to spice things up and also help the environment at the same time.
#3 DO IT YOURSELF THIS CHRISTMAS
There are countless ways to save money during this time by doing things on your own instead of purchasing Christmas products in stores. You can make this highly entertaining for your children and will help getting them into the holiday spirit. Make your own tree, decorate differently around the home, bake cookies for your family and loved ones and make your own presents.
#4 FREE FESTIVITIES
So many things to do during Christmas and so little time. Why not focus on the free activities you can do with friends and family. Take a walk around your neighbourhood and check out the lights, make some hot chocolate and have a Home Alone movie marathon, go carolling and say hello to Santa at your local mall. All of these things leave cherished memories, especially for children who bask in the attention and love.
#5 GET A HEAD START
We know it’s a little early in the game, but if you can save enough pennies for just a few presents, there are so many money saving presents you can snap up during the sales. Black Friday has the potential to offer ridiculous discounts of up to 70% off, so shop locally or take advantage of internet shopping during this time.
You have our five best tips for this holiday season, so the question that remains is where in the world are you going to spend all your extra cash?
