Saving money doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to purge your life from anything that is enjoyable. There is a common misconception that it should cost a lot of money to have a good time. In reality, there are many ways to live and enjoy a life that is free from wasteful behavior and excessive spending. Today we are going to take a look at 6 things you can do to save money without missing out on having fun.
Draw up a Budget
This first thing you should do is to draw up a budget. This is important because, although you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you have to determine how much money you have that you can spend on activities that you enjoy. Drawing up a budget also forces you to find a place for relaxation and enjoyment on your list of financial priorities. You may also find that drawing up a budget and cutting costs elsewhere leave you with more money than you originally thought. When you have created a budget, you are able to do effective financial management.
Prepare Food at Home
Preparing food at home is a cost-effective alternative to eating out. The costs of eating at restaurants or buying food at takeaway places can accumulate to a significant amount of money. By making an event of preparing your food at home, you can have a pleasurable dining experience every weekend or even every night without breaking the bank. There are many recipes available online that are aimed at saving you money. By inviting a few friends over and telling them to bring wine or beer, you will be sure to have a good time.
No More Cable TV
Online streaming services have reached new levels of sophistication and they are nowhere near as expensive as cable tv subscriptions. Replacing your cable tv with an Amazon Fire TV will enable to you access online streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime in a way that is just as user-friendly and comfortable. Adding Kodi onto Fire TV can also save you tons of money while providing you with unlimited content that you can stream.
Sign up For Email Lists
Whenever craft beer breweries, restaurants, or entertainment venues ask you if you’d like to be a part of their email list, say yes. This is one of the best and most effective ways to get your hands on some coupons, vouchers, or free drinks. Check your spam folder every day for these freebies and file them on a drive or cloud where you can access them with your phone. When you plan your weekends, get these out to see where you can score the best times.
Buy a Bicycle
If there are regular cycling events in your area, it can be tons of fun to take part in them, especially if you have friends or family that are willing to join you. Local cycling events for charity or as a way to get the community together are usually affordable. It’s also a great way to get some exercise and you can save some money by canceling your gym membership.
Mystery Shopping
Using reputable websites for mystery secret shops can earn you as much as $150 per month or, at the very least, score you a free meal or one night’s free stay somewhere. If you don’t mind filling in surveys and if you have cash at hand, this can be a nice way to spoil yourself. You can also add the money you make to a vacation fund, which can be the ultimate way to have fun in a year or two.
