You don’t necessarily have to make more money to spend less and save more. Spending less starts with changing your overall money spending habits. There are a few small habits that you can start working on now that will help you spend less in the future.
Think Before You Buy
It’s really easy to see something and need to have it. Just like that you suddenly absolutely must have a brand new, bright pink hair straightener that costs $350… even though you’re really not a huge fan of pink, already own a hair straightener that you don’t use because it takes way too long to straighten curly hair.
Welcome to impulse spending! To curb this particular problem — which I happen to be getting better at, slowly but surely — I instill a 48-hour rule for most items — a week if it’s going to put a huge dent in the bank account.
More times than not I end up not getting the item because I realize I really don’t need it, or more often, I simply can’t be bothered to go back and get it. It only takes 48-hours for me to spend less!
Embrace Brand Flexibility
By now you know that when it comes to buying things, the more expensive things aren’t necessarily quality — you are often simply paying a brand fee.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes this brand fee is legitimately worth it. When it comes to electronics, clothes and even some personal products (especially when it comes to beauty products like make-up), I definitely see the value in spending a bit more.
But there are also just as many places where you can skirt the brand fee and go for something more reasonable. In fact, one of my favorite places to experiment with this is at the dollar store. There are so many products you can grab at the dollar store — my best dish towels? Dollar store. Cleaning products? Dollar store. Food storage containers? Dollar store. Dog toys? Dollar store.
You might have to comb through the shelves to find the right thing, but chances are you’ll find a ton of things that you can replace for less and spend less money!
Pay Attention To What You Spend
I am a credit card shopper. I put everything on my credit card because I want the points, but that also means that I don’t actually see what I spend. It’s really easy to forget that you just spent that $19.47 at the supermarket or $22.34 at the book store when you’re swiping and the transactions are going off into the interweb.
One of the ways that I’ve helped myself spend less with my credit card is that my bank account is set up to send me a notification every time I spend money, whether it be in person or online. The bank sends me a quick simple email that tells me how much I spent and where I spent it. That way when I go back and pop open my email after a shopping spree (or simply running errands) I can go over everything I spent so I actually know what I’m spending!
Give Yourself Spending Money
This is one of those “do as I say, not as I do” moments because I am terrible for giving myself spending money, even though I know it helps curb overspending in the long run. So, I get it, when it comes to money the world tells us to save, save, save — then there are always bills and credit cards, retirement, medical… it’s never-ending.
But here’s what happens when you give yourself actual spending money: you spend less. I know that seems weird, but when you have the ability to spend money on things you want (not simply things you need) you stop spending money that’s allocated to different things. It’s the smart way to spend and treat yourself!
What are your tips for spending less money? Share them in the comments below!
Looking For More Tips To Spend Less?
- Find a Savings Challenge for the New Year
- Set These Personal Financial Goals for the New Year
- Bad Money Habits You Need To Stop
Tae started out as a journalist before following the money into the corporate world. But it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener and now you can find her spending most of her time writing about all the things she loves. Namely, money, travel and business with a hefty dose of self-deprecating humor. She is a podcast fanatic, blogging aficionado and loves to find new ways to turn passions into cold hard cash!