Let's Talk About: Saving Money!

It's so easy to spend, spend, spend! Fast food here, concert there, those shoes you HAVE to have. Personally, since I'm in college I'm probably (hopefully) the brokest I'll ever be in my life, yet I want so many things. However, one of my resolutions for the New Year was to spend less. Honestly, I've been keeping up my resolution, here are some of my tips:

1. Recognize "need" from "want."
This is something that is easier said than done because buying something we really want makes us feel complete and satisfied. If we want something enough, we suddenly form in our head that we now need it in order to feel good. Things you may need: food, medicine, school books, new windshield wipers, an oil change. Things you may want: new clothes, fast food, a cd, jewelry, a concert. If you are buying more "wants" than "needs," chances are you experience buyer's remorse and are struggling financially to reach your goals.

2. Think about it.
This goes off of the above tip. What I like to do is put things in my shopping cart (online or in real life) and either wait a few days or walk around the store with it. That way, I can think about whether or not I really want/need this item and whether or not I'm actually willing to spend the money on it or save instead. 

3. Plan.
Set your goals, know your goals. What I did was I figured out all my monthly expenses and added them up. Because I make about the same amount each week at work, I added that up, subtracted my expenses and then determined how much I will have left over after my bills are paid. That way, I know how much I can set aside for my savings/fun things. 

4. Record.
Something I started doing is keeping an Excel spreadsheet of my expenses. I have even kept track of my gas because I was curious to see how much I was actually spending each month.  I also date when I pay bills so that I know whether or not I actually paid, that way you're not behind on things.

5. Save. 
I try to put at least $50 from each paycheck I have into my savings (so, about $200 a month). I'm going to be honest, sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, just depends on if things come up. I set a goal to save $1,000 this summer (I'm only about $300 away. Yay!!) for school and expenses this upcoming year so I'm not stressed out constantly. So, whenever I look at my savings and see where I'm at (still not at my goal), then I want to reach my goal and suddenly I don't need those running shorts.

6. Shop smart. 
There is NOTHING wrong with shopping on sale/clearance. Some people are so silly about it because they think it makes the item cheap or worth less...Uhhhh DUH it's worth less but still awesome! If I see something at Target in the 30% off section, I wait. Why? Because 9/10 times that item moves to 50% off..then 75% off. Obviously you chance it being bought, but most of the time, it's still there and still awesome when purchased at 75% off (actually, it's even better). When shopping online, look for coupon codes (seriously, just Google "coupon/promo code for ______insert store name____") 15% off is better than 0% off! Lastly, RETURN something if it doesn't work out. I used to be bad at this, but now, if it doesn't work for me, I do not keep it.


I KNOW it is so difficult to save money, but think about how you'll feel when you save up for something you really want/need.  Focus on your goals and don't stop until you've reached them!