How I’m saving my money

Life has been expensive lately.

I've been feeling the crunch from the bare necessities such as my groceries, and get shocked whenever I check my bank account and see how quickly money is being drained from my account.

I have some expensive goals coming up, such as purchasing my investment property, as well as eventually moving out with my partner, so it's important for me to find ways to save.

In today's blog, I'll be sharing the six key ways I'm trying to increase my savings.

TIP 1

Making my own food

I budget to eat out a maximum of once a week, especially if I'm catching up with friends or celebrating a special event. However, if I don't have any plans, I've been making my own food to eat.

I challenge myself to make meals $5 or less which are healthy and tasty, and I've been able to do this by mostly purchasing frozen foods (e.g. vegetables), freezing perishables (e.g. proteins), as well as buying quick sales, where supermarkets mark down perishables for cheap before they close down!

Bibimbap: rice topped with vegetables and gochujan

Fried rice: leftover rice with egg and vegetables (I usually use frozen ones)

Roasted vegetables: oven roasted vegetables (usually what's in the fridge)

Healthy pizza: wholemeal lebanese bread with sauce, cheese, protein and veggies

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TIP 2

Track my spending

I've started tracking the amount of money leaving my account weekly using my spending dashboard.

I previously did this monthly, but I decided that doing it weekly will help me catch any surprises and unplanned splurges earlier. The dashboard helps me quickly spot any "wants" that I don't need to spend money on, which helps me get on track when I derail and purchase things that I don't need.

Get on top of your spending

TIP 3

Negotiate the bills

Being a homeowner is expensive, and there's a lot of costs that I can't remove from my budget and I have no control over.

What I can control however, is taking the initiative (and courage) to contact them and kindly ask if they can reduce the costs. I usually do my research beforehand and quote other competitor costs to see if they can match or provide a better deal.

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I get a lot of marketing emails and texts that always encourages me to spend my money on things I don't need. Discounts and sales are tempting, but if I don't need them, I'll still be wasting my money. To resist the temptation, I unsubscribe altogether. Ignorance is bliss, and my inbox is cleaner!

TIP 4

Unsubscribe

TIP 5

Fun and free

It's important to still have fun on a budget, but there's a big misconception that you need to spend a lot in a process. There's heaps of free and low cost activities that can be done without breaking the bank, such as having a picnic, going bushwalking or playing games with friends at home.

TIP 6

Increase income

At the end of the day, there's realistically only so much you can trim and cut down from the budget. That's why instead reducing expenses, I'm also seeking ways to increase my income. The greater the difference is between my income and expenses, the more I can save up for my goals!

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