Thrifty Tips
I was inspired by the author of 'The No Spend Year" Michelle McGagh to write this blogpost. Last year, I took a break from work and therefore, experienced a year without income. It was a year full of self-discovery, including re-assessing my spending habits.
Now, I don't think I'm a spendthrift going by most definitions. In fact, I am quite thrifty and I consciously try not to buy new things unless I really need it or the original one is spoilt, beyond repair. However, knowing that I would not have an income coming in for the next few months really made me think even longer and harder about all the things I buy and pay for, including food and electricity bills. So I've broken it down into different categories below and let's start with the issue that we have to face everyday first, food.
Food (or dining etc..)
For most of us, we love to go out once or twice a week to a nice restaurant and have a good meal. Or visit the cafe for that $5-$6 cup of coffee / tea and cake. It is possible and not very hard to find cheaper alternatives but still tasty food. Coffee and tea and cake don't have to be expensive to taste good. If you find a $2 tea that tastes good, that's good enough. Sometimes it is just a matter of branding and things like ambience and music just keep adding things to the price tag. So doing away with what we don't really need really helps to cut down on unnecessary expense.
Also, things like cake... Have you ever had this experience... A $100 cake that tastes 10% better than a $50 cake. If you ask me, paying double for just 'a little better' is ridiculous. I could really make do with the cheaper food that tastes ok, compared to something that tastes slightly more ok but SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE.
Supermarket shopping
Of course, when we cut down on dining out, then we have to look at groceries. It is no coincidence that "Eat well for less" is one of my guilty favourite TV shows. It shows you how you can eat well, get all the nutrients and have tasty food, and most importantly, spend less. Looking past branding and instead looking at nutritional value and personal preference and taste, it is possible to spend less.
Another good tip I especially love is to check the items that we already have at home, so we don't end up buying and stocking like the end of the world is going to arrive.. Then, the food expires and we just start throwing stuff away wastefully.
Cosmetics and personal care products
Which brings me to the next point.. I reached a certain stage in life where I always use the same products over and over again. I used to be quite a beauty junkie myself and would try out different brands if they sounded interesting enough. But I am so glad I found the products that work for me and I can keep going back to them. And since I know I will keep using these products, I tend to stock up when there is a sale or a promotion, so that I almost never buy these products at full price. But not to overdo it, I only get one or 2 extra bottles each time, in addition to the one I am using. Then wait for the next promotion.
Cosmetics... Oh don't get me started... magazines, social media are so good at telling us that we can't leave the house without a full face of makeup, from primer, concealer, foundation, powder, eyeshadow, mascara, eyebrow pencil / powder, eyeliner, blusher, lip liner, lipstick / gloss, bronzer... ok how many items is that? like 12... help... I actually used to go through ALL these steps, can you believe it? Sure took me a long time to do my makeup too... and in addition, do you know items like mascara, under eye concealer should be tossed once every 6 months? And other makeup like every 1-2 years? Multiply the cost of the makeup and also branded makeup... and the amount we're spending could be a lot... super scary... So if you can, do without makeup.. let your skin breathe.. and guess what, your skin will thank you for that and be really nice and clear. Of course I still do own makeup, but the bare minimum of eyeshadow (just one palette that I know the colours I will use EVERY TIME), blusher (just the one), under eye concealer (got a good drugstore one, ok to toss every 6 months) and brow mascara. And time to do it? under 5 mins.
Clothes
Of course! Blogshops launching new clothes every month! For me it's simple, if I have like enough clothes to wear for 2-3 weeks at work, I'm not getting new clothes. If I am not tossing any clothes, I'm not getting new clothes. If the new dress looks remotely familiar to something I have, I'm not buying it. I'm already past the growing age, so I definitely stay the same size and that means, if I don't wear out my clothes, No new clothes! I'm a pretty functional person so comfort over fashion, every time. That being said, my wardrobe is pretty small, so if I have something I will definitely know it.
So a good tip to achieve this, if you haven't worn something in the past year, donate it, sell it, you don't need it.
Transport
Ok quite no brainer if you ask me... don't take cab, take the train, take the bus... walk if it's within 3 bus stops.
And Yup.. I guess these are my tips! And living by these rules I lived well and comfortably, a year without income. I still have savings and I'm back to work now. How do you save money?
Now, I don't think I'm a spendthrift going by most definitions. In fact, I am quite thrifty and I consciously try not to buy new things unless I really need it or the original one is spoilt, beyond repair. However, knowing that I would not have an income coming in for the next few months really made me think even longer and harder about all the things I buy and pay for, including food and electricity bills. So I've broken it down into different categories below and let's start with the issue that we have to face everyday first, food.
Food (or dining etc..)
For most of us, we love to go out once or twice a week to a nice restaurant and have a good meal. Or visit the cafe for that $5-$6 cup of coffee / tea and cake. It is possible and not very hard to find cheaper alternatives but still tasty food. Coffee and tea and cake don't have to be expensive to taste good. If you find a $2 tea that tastes good, that's good enough. Sometimes it is just a matter of branding and things like ambience and music just keep adding things to the price tag. So doing away with what we don't really need really helps to cut down on unnecessary expense.
Also, things like cake... Have you ever had this experience... A $100 cake that tastes 10% better than a $50 cake. If you ask me, paying double for just 'a little better' is ridiculous. I could really make do with the cheaper food that tastes ok, compared to something that tastes slightly more ok but SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE.
Supermarket shopping
Of course, when we cut down on dining out, then we have to look at groceries. It is no coincidence that "Eat well for less" is one of my guilty favourite TV shows. It shows you how you can eat well, get all the nutrients and have tasty food, and most importantly, spend less. Looking past branding and instead looking at nutritional value and personal preference and taste, it is possible to spend less.
Another good tip I especially love is to check the items that we already have at home, so we don't end up buying and stocking like the end of the world is going to arrive.. Then, the food expires and we just start throwing stuff away wastefully.
Cosmetics and personal care products
Which brings me to the next point.. I reached a certain stage in life where I always use the same products over and over again. I used to be quite a beauty junkie myself and would try out different brands if they sounded interesting enough. But I am so glad I found the products that work for me and I can keep going back to them. And since I know I will keep using these products, I tend to stock up when there is a sale or a promotion, so that I almost never buy these products at full price. But not to overdo it, I only get one or 2 extra bottles each time, in addition to the one I am using. Then wait for the next promotion.
Cosmetics... Oh don't get me started... magazines, social media are so good at telling us that we can't leave the house without a full face of makeup, from primer, concealer, foundation, powder, eyeshadow, mascara, eyebrow pencil / powder, eyeliner, blusher, lip liner, lipstick / gloss, bronzer... ok how many items is that? like 12... help... I actually used to go through ALL these steps, can you believe it? Sure took me a long time to do my makeup too... and in addition, do you know items like mascara, under eye concealer should be tossed once every 6 months? And other makeup like every 1-2 years? Multiply the cost of the makeup and also branded makeup... and the amount we're spending could be a lot... super scary... So if you can, do without makeup.. let your skin breathe.. and guess what, your skin will thank you for that and be really nice and clear. Of course I still do own makeup, but the bare minimum of eyeshadow (just one palette that I know the colours I will use EVERY TIME), blusher (just the one), under eye concealer (got a good drugstore one, ok to toss every 6 months) and brow mascara. And time to do it? under 5 mins.
Clothes
Of course! Blogshops launching new clothes every month! For me it's simple, if I have like enough clothes to wear for 2-3 weeks at work, I'm not getting new clothes. If I am not tossing any clothes, I'm not getting new clothes. If the new dress looks remotely familiar to something I have, I'm not buying it. I'm already past the growing age, so I definitely stay the same size and that means, if I don't wear out my clothes, No new clothes! I'm a pretty functional person so comfort over fashion, every time. That being said, my wardrobe is pretty small, so if I have something I will definitely know it.
So a good tip to achieve this, if you haven't worn something in the past year, donate it, sell it, you don't need it.
Transport
Ok quite no brainer if you ask me... don't take cab, take the train, take the bus... walk if it's within 3 bus stops.
And Yup.. I guess these are my tips! And living by these rules I lived well and comfortably, a year without income. I still have savings and I'm back to work now. How do you save money?
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