Personalfinance tips
Broke Millennial
While many of these personal finance books are for any demographic, Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry focuses more on the millennial generation. Of course, there are still great lessons and insights for other age groups, but I wanted to include this note. What I like about Broke Millennial is the focus on helping you go from paycheck to paycheck or broke, to being more financially secure and independent. With the student loan crisis and inflation issues plaguing the United States, many millennials feel doomed or stuck to be broke forever. Erin Lowry focuses on simplifying money, getting out of your financial funk, and including personal stories of her own to help you become a money master.
Use Airbnb When You Travel
I use Airbnb whenever I travel because it's easy to use, I can preview different houses/apartments, and the prices are super tasty! Last year I stayed in Whistler for a weekend with my girlfriend, and we got to stay right in the center of the village – it was terrific. If you want to use Airbnb next time you travel, you can get a free $45 in travel credit here.
Take a Staycation
What's a staycation? It's exactly what it sounds like. Instead of taking an expensive vacation to someplace far far away, take a look around you and explore your homeland. Do what tourists would do, if they were you. PS: If you're weird like me, a little bit of backyard camping can be fun as well.
Take Online Surveys
This one isn't really a money saving tip, but at the same time, it kind of is. That's confusing, let me explain: Filling out surveys online is a nice and easy way to make a couple extra bucks every day. If you stay consistent with it and earn a decent amount of money, you can put it straight into your savings account. Bam. I just turned a money making tip into a money saving tip. If you want to get started, these are my top 5 survey sites:
- Swagbucks
- InboxDollars
- MyPoints
- Vindale Research
- Toluna Sign up for as many as you can (with a separate email) to get more surveys and more money.
Buy Used to Save Money
You won't be able to buy everything used, but when it's an option you should go for it. You'll be saving money and most of the time you won't be sacrificing much quality. Just make sure if you're buying something used from a stranger (like a car) you inspect it thoroughly. Here's a list of 10 things you should always buy used.
Cut Your Own Hair
This one isn't going to work for everyone, but if you can manage to cut your own hair you'll be saving time and money. If you don't want to cut your own hair but you want a cheaper cut, go to a salon with trainees. They will either give you a free cut or a very cheap one. Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any jacked up haircuts caused by this money saving tip.
Clean Your Closet
After you finish decluttering your house, it's time to move onto the closet. Give it a thorough cleaning front to back, and often times you'll find clothes you forgot you had or clothes you no longer wear. With the clothes you forgot you had, you can rotate them to the front of your closet and start wearing them again. With the clothes you no longer wear, try to sell them on a site like thredUP or Poshmark. That's an easy way to make some extra money.
Declutter Your House
How long has it been since you went through your house and did a thorough “Do I really need this s***” cleanup? If it's been a while you should really get on it. It's a great way to relieve some stress, clean your house, and you might even find some things that you can sell for a bit of extra money. If you find something you want to sell, you can sell it on:
- Craigslist
- Facebook marketplace
- eBay
Shop the Holiday Discounts
This is a genius trick to get a ton of holiday shopping done way in advance and also save a lot of money. What you do is shop for your holiday items the day (or a few days) after the holiday is over. For example, when Halloween ends all the stores heavily discount their Halloween decorations, making it the perfect time to scoop up new ones for next year. The same goes with Christmas, Mothers day, Fathers day (discounted cards), Easter and more.
Cut the Cable
The average cable bill is $99/month. That's over $1,100 per year and it's up to you to decide whether that's worth it or not. There are a few ways to save money on your cable bill:
- Cancel it altogether
- Review your subscription package and make changes
- Negotiate your current bill with Trim (see #3 above)