This is a series of tips that will help you towards your $1000 goal. I also break down how I saved another $310 in Week 2 of the #the1000DollarProject...
Saving money is important to ensure financial stability. I have had to learn this lesson time and time again, this week had many successes but also a few hurdles.
Here are some of the key tips to saving money:
1. Apply the buy once rule
Apply the ‘buy once’ rule to save money. The ‘buy once’ rule is my rule for buying the best quality I can afford. Instead of buying cheap make-up, I choose to buy the best quality I can afford, which saves me money in the long run. Buying less allows me to save money, buying better allows me to vote with my dollar.
2. Bring your own lunch
Let’s do the math, lunch with snacks can cost $15 a day. $15 x 5 = $75 a week, which equates to $3,750 a year! That’s an airplane ticket for two people! This month, I am committing to bringing my lunch every day which saves $300 per month. The key is to meal prep a couple of days in advance. I also like to cook extra for dinner so I can take leftovers for work the next day. Not only does bringing your lunch save money, it also prevents plastic take-away packaging and excess waste. Why not commit to bringing your lunch to work or university every day this month? It’s good for the environment and even better for the bank account.
3. Buy imperfect produce. Buying fresh produce every week doesn’t have to be costly, especially when you buy imperfect product. Supermarkets in Australia and US have ridiculous aesthetic standards and millions of tonnes of produce gets sent to landfill every year.
Nobody is perfect, why should we expect that of our produce? When I am in San Francisco I get an Imperfect Produce organic delivery box every week. All this for $40! In Australia, Harris Farms has a great imperfect range. Buying imperfect means you save money, and you also save produce from needlessly going to landfill. Win-win!
4. Giving is getting
Give and you shall receive. Part of changing your mindset is to be giving. Giving doesn’t always have to mean money, it could be donating time. When you give, you shall receive. By donating to charity or donating time to be of service, we actually get back more than we can ever imagine.
That’s the great thing about minimalism, we are more mindful of our money and time so we can donate it to causes that truly matter. This bag of goodies has been donated to my local thrift store.
Breakdown of Week 2 of the #the1000DollarProject
Monday: Saved $15 by eating lunch at home instead of eating at the local cafe.
Tuesday: I sent in some clothes to be sold at ThredUP and got back $70!
Wednesday: I saved $120!!! Yes, this was the biggest saving of the week. Normally, I pay $16 a class for my weekly yoga class, but they were having a new year special that allowed me to buy a 20-class pass that equated to just $10 a class. That is a saving of $6 per class x 20 = $120! Also, saved $15 by eating at home.
Thursday: This is my first bump in the road - I am on a monthly spending ban but a visit to Goodwill broke me! I find spending bans incredibly hard and I can never resist a good thrift find. I was pretty proud of how I had managed to avoid thrift stores all week. But a visit to the Haight & Ashbury Goodwill in San Francisco was the straw that broke the camel's back! I had found such good finds, I couldn't say no.
This little thrift shopping spending spree only set me back $42 for 6 items, but I was disheartened by my lack of discipline. All I can say is that I need to be more responsible and accountable in the future. It didn't break the bank and it certainly wasn't out of my allocated budget of the week, but I was disappointed nonetheless. Back on the spending ban!
Friday: Uber sent me a 40% code for the next 10 rides! Another money miracle! This will save approximately $50. I use UberPool a lot in San Francisco and this was such a nice surprise. Totally unexpected - but it just shows you the universe will work with you if you set the right intention!
Week 2 total savings = $310!!!
Total savings to date = $270 (week 1) + $310 (week 2) = $580!!!!
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