I do not know about you, but I can attest to being on my
last five, ten, or even twenty dollars and trying to stretch my last few dollars
until payday. The times do get rough when trying to maintain your
lifestyle without spending your last dime. I understand the frustrations of
trying to keep yourself sane financially without truly going broke. Here are 7
of my simple ways to stretch your money without going broke.
Break Away From Your Debit Card Before You Go Broke.
I have learned that if you are truly down to your last few
dollars, it’s best to see what you have physically instead of
swiping your debit or credit card. Seeing is believing that you are down to
your last, and you need to have control of what you can see instead of holding
on to the faith that your card won’t get declined at a cash register. This method
works best after paying your bills and having a clear idea of how much
money you still need to have left on your card to not touch. Once you have that
set, you will need to go to your nearest ATM. At the ATM, pull off the amount of
cash you will be stretching until your next paycheck.
Visit your bank
teller.
It’s best to take the cash that you have withdrawal from the
ATM to a bank teller. You can really see more of what you are
stretching with someone skilled with money. Once you see your local bank
teller, ask him or her to break down your bills. For example, if you have five twenties’
left to your name get one twenty broken into tens, another into three fives,
and five in ones. The choice is truly up to you. Breaking your cash will give
you even more reassurance that you can and will make it until payday.
The plot of your week transportation spending.
This tip will help you no matter how you get to work, especially
if you do not work from home. If you drive to work, find a way to fill up your
tank (without paying at the pump) that will last you at least the entire week.
By filling up your tank for the week, you won’t have to be too concerned about
how you will have gas to get from point A to B every day that you need
to go. Carpooling works the same way; discover how much you must pay the person
who brings you to work and keep that cash to the side without touching it.
Don’t
bull shit around with anyone’s money if they are even kind enough to bring you
to work. You don’t want to burn any bridges with someone trying to help
you get to or even from work. I take Uber or Lyft. You want to add up how much
it will be to your destination and even back home, plus how many days a week you
will be doing it. You would want to calculate these fees before pulling money
from your debit card too. Sometimes with Uber and Lyft, you never know how much
the price will spike if you’re busy in the area you are in.
You will want to
also be mindful of the weather forecast if you walk or bike to work. The weather
also plays a huge role in spending or saving money on your transportation
needs.
If you walk or bike to work and you see that the forecast calls for a
rainy week, make sure you have money to either Uber, Lyft, or take a taxi to
work. I find that you can maybe even save cash by simply leaving before
the storm to get to work. I also know how it is to be an avid bus catcher
too. Always make sure that you keep quarters and ones in your possession, but
not too much to get robbed. If you solely rely on catching buses in your area, you may want to invest in a bus pass that will save you the frustration of ever
coming up short when boarding a bus.
Pick one or two and make them save you.
We all know what it is like to be hungry and not have anything
to snack on. Not everyone’s job has vending machines or even a wide selection
of food they can pig out on. You can make your own breakfast, lunch, or
dinner for the week to save you money. Everyone is not a skilled cook, and of
course, it will not hurt you to admit it. You can stock up on frozen
meals for dinner to keep you from mooching out on fast food after work or even
on your off days (if you have those.)
I choose to make my lunch or even pack a
frozen meal for lunch daily. For breakfast, I have the option of cereal,
oatmeal, make a smoothie, or make a quick breakfast with whatever I have in my
kitchen. For dinner, I would cook one of the three to four choices that I have prepped
to create lunch from the week's leftovers.
Create a shopping
list for your needs with a spending budget.
Let me tell you, I am the type of girl who gets in the
grocery store or even Wal-Mart/Targets without a damn list and picks up extra things.
I am guilty, and I have no problem saying it. I have found that if you take at
least ten to fifteen minutes to walk around your home to create a list of what
you need, it will help you throughout the week. Even if you realize that you cannot purchase everything from your
list, purchase at least enough to last you.
Do not shop on an impulse.
It is smart to just understand where you stand financially
instead of placing it to the back of your mind. If you do not really need whatever
you are seeking to buy, then don’t buy it. Buying whatever it is may hurt your
pockets and your ways of keeping money stashed.
A little change does not hurt.
When creating change or changing, it is best to
always keep at least 10 coins that equal 99 cents. By keeping 3 quarters, 1
dime, 2 nickels, and 4 pennies (no more breaking bills.)
Do you have any tips to share that helps you stretch your money? If so, drop them in the comment box below! Every Thursday will be a money-saving Thursday's on my blog too. Hopefully, this helps someone!
Discover your inner strength every step of the way with
shefoundstrength.com
That was very helpful.. Cuz I trust to save money but I fails so thank you Lynne Boo😘😘😘😚😚😚😚
ReplyDelete