The reality of becoming financially independent is tough. Many people are lucky enough to have help from their parents, however, even then, working a part-time job barely pays the bills. Not to mention hiding inside from the cold weather makes the late night – or any time – shopping sprees very tempting. Spend another $25 to get free shipping… why not? On sale for 30 percent… might as well throw it in the cart. Retail therapy allows us to envision and attempt to recreate those aesthetic Pinterest outfit boards we all make. The following money saving tips are easy ways to help save some of those dollars that we work so hard to earn.
Coupons
Although we cannot attain the level of money saving seen on TLC’s Extreme Couponing, coupon hunting is quite easy to integrate into our lives. First, while grocery shopping there may be coupons in the aisles that we often easily ignore. Those plastic displays that stick out into the aisle with random products attached to them will often have a coupon on them. Second, dry food that comes in boxes often has a coupon on the inside of the cardboard. Make sure to check twice before throwing out that cereal or granola bar packaging. Do not underestimate how effective saving a few dollars can be, think of it as an investment into another joy in life such as buying another coffee at a local café.
Do you really need that top?
Hear me out on this one, I know from first-hand experience how quickly the retail cycle moves. Trends come and go, and large fast fashion clothing companies have new products weekly to keep up with those trends. This means that there are hundreds of products going on sale ALL OF THE TIME. Although the urgency of buying clothes immediately is satisfying, a product that is full price now will be on sale within a month. When mindlessly browsing through a website, either sort those items from lowest to highest price or go directly to the company’s sale section to take away the temptation of buying some overpriced jeans.
Subscription Saving
Now, this tip takes an extra step, however, it only has been done once. Subscription services like Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Prime and Disney+ have heavily discounted student prices. To take it a step further, make a second email address for all of the spam mail that companies send out. We are all familiar with going onto a website and seeing “receive 15 percent off your next purchase when signing up with your email.” These emails can be helpful when they are all in one place. Additionally, members often get extra coupons every so often in the inbox for stores such as Bath and Body Works, Sportchek and H&M, meaning that we can often save some extra cash when making a purchase.
It is evident that I am not against the idea of spending money outside of necessity. As students, we must take advantage of the opportunities that will temporarily increase our serotonin levels. Thinking about money can be stressful, however, these small adjustments to life can encourage money saving in ways that take little effort and time commitment.