Swimming In The Cash Flow: How to Keep a Little More of That Hard Earn Money
It’s payday!! We get excited at just the thought until we realize there are a blue million things that we have to get done and at least half of them are going to cost us a piece of that check. Money is not easy to come by for the majority of the population.
We all have the same kind of financial responsibility for the most part, but we don’t all make the same amount. So, if there is a way to save some, we tend to be all ears. You’re in luck. Below are three ways you can help guarantee that paycheck stretches a little farther.
Denial is Not a River in Egypt
Let’s be honest with ourselves. There are several things in our lives that we pay for that we simply just don’t need. Doing without some of those things might even improve our quality of life. Let’s begin with the obvious. Bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, and doing drugs are quite literally an eventual death sentence.
They’re just plain bad for you and are well known for making a paycheck disappear faster than Yoda can feel a disturbance in the Force. A smoker who smokes one pack a day can spend over $2,000 a year on the habit. Like to have a few beers after a hard day of work? It will cost you, on average, about $1,000 a year if you keep it down to two six packs a week. We won’t even attempt the drug calculations.
They are not only expensive but illegal. Just don’t do it. Then, there are the impulse buys. You don’t have to have that new pair of jeans or a new rack for your four-wheeler. Practice a little self-denial and you might find yourself surprised at how much you can save.
Compromise is Great
Have you ever found yourself in an argument with a two year old child about a toy he/she simply doesn’t need? It’s frustrating. However, consider this. After that argument, you turn around and stop by your local coffee shop and order your favorite latte.
An odd comparison, but still not fair. To a two year old, that toy is just as important, if not more, as your need for caffeine. Compromise. Why not get both? Just scale back on how much you decide to spend on each. Here’s another scenario. Your teenager wants to borrow the car for a date with his girl. You just simply don’t have the money for the gas.
Compromise. Your young person needs to learn to shoulder the responsibility of handling his own affairs anyway. Allow him to use the car as long as he supplies the gas. Compromise is not always a good idea, but when it comes to saving money, it can be your best friend.
Communicate
When you are the major breadwinner in the home, it’s hard to share the privilege of spending money you busted your butt for. Be that as it may, if you don’t take the time to sit down with everyone involved in the home and discuss the budget, you could run into easily avoidable financial problems.
Make sure that everyone is aware of the priorities. If everyone knows what the bills are and where the money has to be allocated, most will think twice before asking for frivolous expenditures. Communication could save you hundreds and help keep bill payments up to date.
Understandably, most of the options we have listed are not popular, but if you can discipline (another dirty word) yourself to follow these tips, you find a lot more of that paycheck left over at the end of the week.
