Ski holidays coming up? Christmas gifts for hubby, mom, dad, sis, bro… Start getting your head around where to get that money from!
Only recently I moved to another country, where only my husband is working at the moment and I´m in charge of our baby. Finding a flat to live in, deposit, agency fees, new furniture…. I can assure you I have been through some number-crunching periods.
And this is what actually is getting me back on track:
1. Groceries
- Online shopping: Transport fee? Yes, but how much do you save from not going through the chocolate isle? Discovering this option has made me save around 40€ a month but I´m still trying to save more than that! I usually make a biweekly order. It may take some time extra the first time you do it, but once it´s done you can save your shopping list, so next time you can go “through the store” much quicker. This method helps you to only buy what’s on your shopping list, it’s more difficult to get lost in the supermarket and end up buying a lot of stuff that you won´t eat or use. Additionally, I would say it is healthier, because you can do a….
- 2-week meal plan!!! A meal plan is nothing set in stone, take it easy. Though it does give you a better idea of what you might need for that 2-week period and it´s easier when the question “What should I make for dinner?” pops into your mind. Just look at the meal plan on the fridge!
2. Clothing
- Decluttering is trending! Since I tumbled across the blog “Be more with less” I have saved a lot! I decided to get rid of everything in my closet that I had not worn the year before, everything that was not my size and everything that was falling apart. I was left with everything I really needed! And I have only been buying clothes to substitute something that broke, or that was starting to be worn off. I looked up some capsule wardrobes to give me ideas of what is basic and necessary. I stopped hitting the shops compulsively and it helped me save for better quality clothes.
3. Renting
- This is a very difficult point as not everyone is able to move out from where they are, just one thing to say: Your rent/mortgage should not be more than 30% of the total income of the house.
4. Heating
- Invest in a good thermostat. You get the ones where you can set the exact hour ranges for each day or that you can set up with an app on the phone. No more forgetting to turn of the heating!
5. Cell phone contract or pre-paid
- When I had a contract with a cell phone company, I never knew exactly what I was paying for. Nowadays you have many companies competing to get you onto their side. Pre-paying for minutes that you are going to be talking or data you are going to use. This gives you a good idea (after around 2 months) about how much you really use on a monthly basis.
Source for pic: https://pixabay.com/es/monedas-calculadora-presupuesto-1015125/