How to save money so as not to deprive yourself of the joys of life

Prioritize

Savings shouldn't make you suffer. If you can’t do without a particular brand of perfume or collectible records, don’t give up on these expenses. Money saved on things that are important to you is unlikely to bring joy. Instead, think about where you can limit yourself. For example, do not buy a new smartphone if everything is in order with the current one.

If you're spending money spontaneously, set aside money for essential needs first. For example, renting an apartment, buying groceries and treatment: usually 40-60% of the budget is spent on this. From the remaining amount, set aside at least 5% in an emergency reserve. It will come in handy in emergency situations. For example, if your work laptop is broken and you need to urgently fix it. Feel free to spend the rest of the money on things that bring joy. But try not to make several large purchases at once. Share the costs. Let's say you buy perfume this month and new books next month.

Share your spending

Sign up with friends for food delivery, a subscription to a streaming service, or training courses. And together you can buy something for shares like "2 for the price of 1." If you don't have anyone, look for flea markets. Or groups on social networks where people sell useful but unnecessary products, cosmetics and other things.

Sometimes it is not necessary to pay for the desired item at all. To do this, look for sharing communities or go to swap parties. There you can not only find a lot of interesting things, but also get rid of what is no longer useful to you. Useful if, say, you are moving to another country and do not want to lug a set of frying pans in your luggage.

Ask your friends to send you referral links or promotional codes, and share it yourself. For example, you have a referral promo code for free shipping from a hypermarket, and your friend has a promo code for ordering goods from a pet store. He just needs to buy groceries, and you need to restock cat food. By exchanging codes, you will not only save money, but also get bonuses. You can use them for future orders.

Look for profitable subscriptions

Some of them help to save on food delivery, others on medical services. Before paying for subscriptions, study their offers, look for reviews on social networks, find out from friends what options they use and why.

Do not rush to connect dozens of services. Otherwise, the costs will be many times greater than the discounts that you will receive. And some subscriptions have duplicate offers. For example, different services feature the same series or have the same discounts on recurring products and services. Therefore, stop at a subscription with the maximum number of bonuses. So you save on both important and secondary expenses, but at the same time you do not have to connect several services.

seize the moment

Take advantage of all seasonal opportunities. For example, in the summer market you will find fragrant tomatoes straight from the garden, which are cheaper than store-bought ones. Look for mushrooms and pumpkins in autumn, and persimmons in winter. Perhaps there is a weekend fair near you - go and explore the assortment.

Don't forget about mid-season sales. At this time, clothing stores sell old collections with discounts up to 70%. Usually such sales start in the middle of the last month of the season. Remember about promotions like Black Friday or Cyber ​​Monday. In order not to become a victim of marketing and really save on them, compare regular prices and sale prices.

Black Fridays and Cyber ​​Mondays are usually held in late autumn - a good time to buy New Year's gifts. To accurately purchase everything you need, make a shopping list and fill the basket in advance. So the right product will definitely not be taken away from under your nose.

Turn your search for discounts into a quest...

The world is full of opportunities to save money and they should not be neglected. For example, take advantage of promotions for new users. This is an obvious but still working tool. Some services, such as online schools and streaming platforms, give promo codes and big discounts to customers who have not used their services before.

Explore offers from other sellers. Sometimes the right product can be found on another marketplace with a bigger discount. Don't forget cashback cards. Let's say bonuses accumulate on cards from stores, with which you can partially pay for goods. On bank accounts, there is often a cash interest from all purchases that you made during the month.

…but don't lose your head

Discounts are great exactly as long as you do not become a hostage to shopaholism. Are you sure you need a waffle maker with a 70% discount? After a week of culinary experiments, she will probably move into the pantry. When you see a promotion, think about whether you really need this thing, albeit at an attractive price.

Sometimes stocks make us act impulsively. It is difficult to pass by a thing, the discount for which will end in just a couple of days. In order not to spend extra money, try to postpone the purchase for at least 3-4 hours. If you forget about the same waffle iron at a discount, then you don’t really need it that much.

Estimate how long you can use it and divide the purchase amount by the number of days. Let's say you still want to buy a waffle maker for professional chefs. It costs 10,000 rubles. You plan to use it at least once a week for a year. It turns out that one launch of the waffle iron will cost you a little less than 200 rubles. In the store, one waffle costs, on average, from 150 rubles. But, ordering it, you do not need to cook the dough and wash the dishes. If it is more convenient for you to cook waffles, and not to buy, take the device. But if you are a beginner cook, then you hardly need a pro waffle iron, so you can practice on an inexpensive device.