How to Spend Money Wisely: Secrets of Home "Bookkeeping"

Well, that's why it turns out that at the beginning of the monthyou put a large sum of money in your wallet, and after 15 days the bills disappear somewhere, as if it were not a leather wallet, but a real sieve? And this applies not only to women (who are considered terrible spenders), but also to men. How to spend money wisely? How to save at least something until payday, so as not to blush in front of your neighbor once again, borrowing money? We will try to answer this difficult, but vitally important question in our article. And if you learn the described wisdom, then you will finally buy the coveted stiletto boots. No? Prepare the old pair for the next repair. Although, you must agree that it is not about the boots. It is just that money in your pocket gives confidence and peace of mind, and their absence leads to gloomy thoughts. And in order for these very gloomy thoughts not to creep into your head, you need to master just a few tricks.

How to spend money correctly

Saving money is actuallyIt's quite simple. It's much more difficult to persuade yourself to make some sacrifices for the sake of well-being. People naively believe that one single purchase can't knock you off track. It can! And not even for one month. That's why it's so important to open your wallet with a clear head. How can you learn to do this? Follow these tips:

Record your purchases Remember how our grandmothersmeticulously collected receipts from stores and kept a household ledger? At that time, their behavior seemed petty. But they were right and knew exactly how to spend money wisely. Try to write down all your purchases for at least a week, right down to your travel tickets. No, you won’t save money that way. But you are guaranteed to notice several expense items that could be cut. For example, the endless cups of coffee you buy in the office lobby. Or the tenth bottle of perfume this month. You will still give the “unwanted” fragrances to your friends, so why buy them? And it goes without saying that such purchases lift your spirits. Look at how much money you spend on them and finally learn to spend your salary wisely.

Plan your spending This is also one of the secretsthe old generation. They (our wise mothers and grandmothers) planned everything in advance. How much to spend on groceries per month, how much on clothes, how much to put aside for unexpected expenses. Yes, you heard right. They even managed to put aside a few kopecks from their salaries. Because they knew that anything can happen in life. We spend money as if we were insured against illnesses or life's troubles. Of course, if you have such insurance, then you don't have to read this article. But for those who still encounter illnesses and troubles on their life's path, it's time to make a detailed budget for the next month. Just approach this task as wisely as possible. Take your salary as a basis, and not your boundless appetites. Of course, every girl needs a Gucci bag, but maybe it's better to put aside a couple of thousand for a trip to the sea? If your first experience of budgeting didn't work out, don't despair. Learning how to wisely distribute the money you earn is much more difficult than earning it. So take into account old mistakes and plan again. Until you fit into the planned budget and understand how to spend money correctly.

Shops!.. Here it is – the scourge of modern women.How can you resist a stunning dress with a bright price tag when your wallet is pleasantly rustling with your just-received salary? Especially since you've received a lot of money, and the dress is such a small thing. Next comes a handbag (to go with the dress, of course), shoes and jewelry. Why so many purchases at once? After all, you only wanted to buy the dress on sale? It's simple here. It just didn't fit into your existing wardrobe, and it definitely needed to be complemented with suitable details.

And here you are, tired but happy, returninghome with purchases (and a half-empty wallet), you try on a new dress to show it to your family, but it is too small (or too big). And there is no other one like it in the store…. And you have to return the purchase. Now look around. Where will you put your bag and acid-green shoes? They looked just great with the dress. But separately - that's a completely different story. Of course, you can try to return them to the store. But why do you need all this fuss? Wouldn't it be easier to go home right after your paycheck? Then there would be no unreasonable spending and unnecessary disappointments. Don't be like chronic alcoholics who need serious protection in the form of a vigilant wife in order to get home on payday. Shopaholism may not be officially recognized by doctors as a disease, but it wouldn't hurt to learn to treat your affliction sensibly. So go home on payday. And don't look back at the colorful shop windows.

Shopping wisely

Gotcha?It's only the second day after your paycheck, and you're already planning to go shopping? No, no, you shouldn't lock yourself within four walls for a month, afraid of spending all your money. You just need to learn to spend your hard-earned money wisely. Don't take all your money with you. Make a detailed list of upcoming purchases, calculate how much money you'll spend on them, and take a little more than the amount you got after calculating. This way, you won't be able to spend extra money and you'll fit into your planned budget (you've already made it, right?). So, let's assume that you've figured out how to spend money wisely, and by the day of your next paycheck, there's some money left in your home safe. Commendable. But many people immediately forget about all their home accounting lessons after this and rush to spend the money they've saved, citing the fact that their next paycheck is just around the corner. Wait. You'll never make a fortune this way. Put everything you've managed to save on a bank card. And preferably at interest. Don't believe in the modern banking system? Then give the money to a close friend for safekeeping - until you can learn to refrain from unnecessary spending yourself. Do you want to be a wealthy person? Then don't borrow money. Never. Even if it seems to you that there is no other way out or that the borrowed amount is very insignificant, and it will be easy to return it. It is better to live on potatoes alone than to eat sausage at someone else's expense. Judge for yourself: today you are short a hundred, and you borrow the missing amount from a friend. But you will have to pay it back. And this means that in your next paycheck you will be short exactly the same hundred. What will you do? Borrow again? Don't you see a pattern? But it is much easier to learn to spend money wisely and start saving until payday instead of going around with an outstretched hand.

Learn to save

Do you know what costs us the most?Our bad habits. Just count how much money we smoke a month, or how much we drink espresso from a machine. Have you counted? Now multiply the resulting figure by 12 months. Impressive? Maybe it's time to quit smoking? Or limit the amount of coffee you drink to three cups a day (this is the amount that doctors call safe for the body)? And if you again want to take a drag on a fragrant cigar or go down to the lobby for an aromatic and strong drink, remember how much money you are losing. And best of all, think up a prize for yourself with this money. Something that you never had enough money for before. For example, a new tablet. Or a leather jacket. And let one temptation fight another. For some reason, many people, when talking about saving, completely forget about utility bills. But we also spend money on them. And a considerable amount, and every month. So pay attention to this expense item. If you still don't have meters installed in your apartment, install them. If you wash dishes, don't turn on the tap at full power. Let the water run moderately. Turn off the lights in the rooms you are not in at the moment, and try to use energy-saving lamps. No, we are not trying to turn you into a miser. We are simply telling you how to spend money wisely so as not to wait so painfully for payday. Didn't you just recently complain about chronic lack of money? It seems to us that it is better to turn off the light in the next room a couple of times than to ask your friends for a loan once again, burning with shame. However, it is up to you to decide. We recommend reading: