It’s a shame that not many people have access to a real money tree – life would be so much easier if they did! Instead, the vast majority of us have to try to live within our means and cut our cloth according to our financial situation. This usually means going without life’s little luxuries, having to say ‘no’ to your children most of the time and constantly looking around for the best and cheapest deals in the marketplace.
It’s comforting to know that there are millions of other hard-working families going through exactly the same struggles as you but it doesn’t always make day-to-day living easier or any more fun.
But learning to live well on a budget doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom and once you have accepted that this is a new way of life it gets easier to think about money in an analytical and logical way – you may find you start to get even more enjoyment and satisfaction from the money you actually do earn and spend as you’ll fully appreciate it’s value.
Shop around for the best deals
The amazing World Wide Web has made it easy for people to shop around for great deals at the click of a button. There has been a huge rise in mobile and tablet technology over the past few years, which means that rather than having to walk all over town to find the best deal you can turn to the digital marketplace instead.
There are now comparison sites for pretty much any service or product you might want or need, including car insurance providers such as Captain Compare car insurance quotes.
Why pay more for something when you don’t have to?
Use budgeting tools
Most people don’t apply any kind of planning methodology to their spending and finances. They simply drift through life casually spending money on anything and everything that takes their fancy and then wonder where it all went at the end of the month.
Just as all successful businesses need a plan, so do your finances – which is why you need to create a spending plan, you can find a great guide to this here.
By setting goals and tracking them using simple budgeting tools, you’ll start to find the process much more fun and easier to stick to.
Learn to say no
Being a financially responsible adult means learning to say no to things that you either haven’t budgeted for, or simply can’t afford. This rule applies whether it is your friends asking you to join them at a restaurant you know you can’t afford, or your children asking you for another expensive pair of shoes when you know they already have a cupboard full.
Saying no can be tough but being in serious financial debt is a whole lot tougher still.
The best things in life are free
In our consumer-focused world, it’s very easy to forget that the very best things in your life are free and probably sitting right under your nose.
Take some time to enjoy the simple things in life – quality time with you children playing a board game or just talking, a long soak in a hot bath, running through a field on a summers day, good health. I could go on but I think you get the picture!
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