When I needed to quit my stressful job because of mental health reasons, I was in deep financial turmoil.
I was in so much debt and I was still in between jobs(freelancing).
But truth be told before I even quit my job, I was already leading myself to financial ruin.
I was constantly living paycheck to paycheck, always giving in to impulse purchases, I had no savings, and the worst part of all, I was constantly spending more than what I was earning.
And I know a lot of people are guilty of this. We constantly live above our means.
But when I was going through a financial struggle, I had to stretch every dollar and do what I can to make the ends meet.
That made me realize that spending less or learning to cut our expenses every month is the best way to financially get ahead.
So, whether you’re looking for ways to drastically cut spending so you can save more money, get out of debt, live on one income – whatever your financial goals are, drastically cutting your expenses can be really helpful.
Here are 5 simple ways to cut your spending and spend less to save more money…
Track your spending and get your finances organized
This was the very first step that I took. As awful as it sounds, my finances were a mess.
I didn’t track my spending every month or how much debt I was already in.
Don’t make the same mistake as I did.
As early as now, whatever financial goals you may have, learning to track your spending and organizing your finances is a crucial step.
By tracking your spending, you’re giving yourself a clearer version of the areas that you don’t really need and areas that you’re spending so much on.
Doing this will not only help you learn where your money is going every month but it will also help you determine the areas that you can easily cut or downgrade to save money.
Try a no-spend day or a no-spend weekend
I was never a big believer in doing these challenges. I thought that there were unnecessary and really didn’t have any benefits.
But man I was wrong!
As I’ve mentioned above, I had a habit of constantly giving in to my impulse purchases, by constantly having a no-spend weekend, not only was I saving money but I was also overcoming my need to give in to impulse purchases.
Having a spending freeze helped me make better choices of how I spend my money, plus it helps me save money!
So, definitely a win-win, right?
Why not give it a go?
Cancel those subscriptions
We all know that it is so easy to sign-up for multiple subscriptions without even thinking if this is something that we really need.
I was definitely guilty of this. I loved signing up for free trials on multiple subscriptions and since I forget to track them, they always end up charging me for months.
What a waste of money, right?
So, take the time to sit down and look through all your subscriptions. Determine the things that you REALLY NEED and cancel those you don’t use or those that you’ll be fine without.
Remind yourself that the upfront charges for these things might be really low but these small charges can easily add up and cost us more than what we expected.
Don’t be afraid to buy used items
Buying used items, like clothing, furniture and more is not really as bad as it seems.
I admit I was also skeptical about buying used items but if you really want to save money or cut your expenses, learning to find a good deal in buying used items is the best way to go.
Buying new items can be so expensive and often a waste of money, especially if you can get what you need for half the price.
Stop eating out and find ways to save money on food
Believe it or not, eating out can really cost you.
One of the reasons why I was constantly left with nothing every month was from constantly eating out.
Sure, some of those charges may not be much but if you’re always doing it, those charges will add up and will easily sabotage your finances.
Try to plan your meals instead. You can even cook in bulk or cook some of them in advance, so you can easily pop them in the microwave on days when you are too tired from work.
Also, I used to be big in buying in bulk thinking that I will always get around to using them before they go bad but I often don’t.
As awful as it sounds, I just end up throwing food away and wasting money.
I learned that planning my meals every week was the best way to avoid this and help me save money.
In conclusion, learning to spend less and drastically cutting your expenses is possible as long as you’re willing to do what it is necessary to help reduce your spending. These are just some of the ways to help you get started on this journey and save money. There are so many other ways to do this just be sure to pick something that works for you and be consistent.