How to save when our bank account ends in the red on the 15th of the month? A few tens of cumulative centimes will quickly become tens of euros at the end of the year. Some actions will be easy, others will require more effort, but the investment is worth it.
You will find here gestures, habits to be taken daily to limit expenses and thus save money!
Purchases, to be consumed in moderation
- Think 48 hours before making a big purchase. Shoes, clothes … you will see that after two days, this beautiful jacket will no longer be essential to your wardrobe.
- Before buying an expensive item, compare! On the Internet or in stores, and look carefully at shipping costs, it can make a difference.
- Make a race list. Whether at the supermarket or to remake the wardrobe of the youngest, you will avoid the mess, unnecessary purchases or duplicates. Extra tip for food shopping, do not go if you are hungry, you will buy useless things.
- Be on the lookout for promotions or buy wholesale as often as possible. Be careful to compare the price per kilo or liter. A large brand sometimes offers a wholesale product that will remain more expensive than the brand distributor.
- Privilege the brands of distributors. At almost equal quality or taste, the supermarket brand offers more attractive prices.
- Buy seasonal products and local products. Less expensive, they will be better.
- Enjoy sales or go to second-hand clothing stores. Flea markets are also full of treasures at low prices and negotiable, be it books, clothes, dishes …
Finances, a big job not to neglect
- Save daily. No need to put aside large sums, deposit every day 50 cents in a jar will make 180 euros after one year.
- Make your accounts and budget. Easy to say, but boring to do. However, this is the best way to plan a “coup de coeur” purchase without putting yourself in the red.
- If the previous point is too difficult to achieve, just write down all your expenses, even the fifty cents of candy with the wand or lives you bought for your favorite tablet game. It’s easy, on your smartphone, open a note and write them on it. At the end of the week or month, take a look and take stock. You will be surprised.
- Review your means of payment. First, canceling your authorization of discovery, it’s convenient, but it costs and it makes live beyond his means. Then pay in cash. You withdraw a large sum from the ATM of your bank for the month (be careful, some banks charge a fee if you go to the competitor) and when it is exhausted, you have to wait until the next month.
- If you have a home loan, you can renegotiate it by shortening the term or reducing repayment charges.
- Avoid multiplying purchases on credit. Do you have an exceptional expense? Go see your bank, it offers consumer credit at reasonable rates and help you manage your budget.
Small economies that will become big
- Come to work with his bowl. Although more economical than the restaurant, even corporate, it will also allow you to monitor your line, stopping McDo and other Kebabs.
- If you are lucky to have a works council, take advantage of it: it can offer holiday vouchers, discounts on movie tickets, amusement parks, sports halls, stays or weekends …
- Change your insurance. It’s proven, loyalty does not pay in these cases. Comparative sites are numerous on the Internet. Take the opportunity to take stock, without realizing it, we can be overinsured.
- Change the telephony operator or negotiate with your current operator. If you are numerous in your home, you combine mobile phone packages, Internet, landline, there are interesting offers. In some cases, you can cancel your landline if your mobile phone is enough for you.
- Register at the media library. You can borrow books, magazines, comics or even music for nothing.
- Cook large quantities and learn how to accommodate leftovers. However, if you are not a cordon bleu or you are single, take the right amounts to avoid spoiling. To buy wholesale and to throw half of it is not economical.
- You can make your own cleaning products or limit yourself to the basics: white vinegar, black soap, dishwashing liquid …
- Plan your vacation well in advance when you can. In addition to more affordable rates, you will have more choices.
Saving energy, good for the planet and the wallet
- Remember to close the shutters in the evening, you will retain better heat in your home and spend less energy to heat you. Overall, be careful about the insulation of your home.
- Reduce your electricity bill by unplugging electrical devices instead of leaving them on standby, like TV, computer, chargers. The economy can go up to 80 euros per year.
- Remember to turn off the lights as soon as you leave a room and invest in a programmable thermostat to control the heating.
- When you change appliances, look closely at the energy expenditure of it. It is better to take a model a little more expensive, especially in washing machines, dryers or dishwashers, which will prove more economical in electricity and water in the long run.
- Do not let the water run when you do the dishes, fill your sink. Not to mention that dishwashers consume less energy.
- Maintain your fridge and freezer. Frost regularly, in addition to reducing its power consumption by 30%, you will save space.
- Replace your traditional bulbs with energy saving bulbs, it is certainly already done, go further by buying even more economical LED bulbs.
- Run your laundry or dishes in machine only when the machine is full, it is more economical than the half-load.
- Also think of drying outdoors for laundry. For your dishwasher, stop the program while drying and open the machine door.
- Think about the off-peak option on your electricity contract and run your machines at night. Unless your room is next to the washing machine …
- Even if you have the off-peak option, do not let your devices charge all night. You will have reached 100% charge before midnight and tablets and phones do not appreciate overheating due to continuous charging.
- Dress according to the weather! If it’s cold, put on a sweater instead of heating up and move around a bit. If it is hot, try to cause drafts before turning on the air conditioning.
Transport, save your money and your car
- Bike or carpool? Make your choice, in both cases you will be winning, either by saving your car without sharing the costs.
- Adopt an ecological driving. Avoid sudden accelerations, dry braking, prefer speed limits at 110 km / h on the highway, you will save fuel and increase the life of your engine.
- Regularly maintain your car and check the pressure of your tires, you will gain in fuel consumption.
- Privilege public transport, bus or train. Not only will you use your car less, but you will also save parking fees that are often exorbitant in big cities.
- Try to park in the shelter, if you have a garage, put your car in it. In winter, it will suffer less frost and in summer, the interior will be more bearable if parked in the shade.
