When people hear the phrase “saving money”, they often imagine boring weekends without shoppping sprees, saying no to every fun activity possible and staying home all day checking how much everything costs. The truth is, saving money doesn’t always mean sacrificing happiness.
Those were the sentences I said to my friend that found saving money as impossible as finding an ancient pirate treasure. He was the kind of person that went to super expensive friend activities every night, spent thousands on branded clothing and many more stuff. That was until he started taking my advice. “One of the most important tips is to know where your money is going.” was my first tip for him. You don’t have to spend your money on all the stupid things that have ever existed. Even if you do, don’t spend more than needed. Buy as much as you need. These stuff drain money slowly, and it might be too late when you notice it.
Another key strategy is to set a fun budget. Saving money doesn’t mean cutting all fun activities unlike people think, it means planning them beforehand. Decide on an amount you’re comfortable spending each week on entertainment, food and hobbies and divide that money according to your liking. It’s as easy as that. Activities cost a lot more when they’re not planned. By planning it, you can save a lot of money while having the same amount of fun. This was his personal favorite advice I gave him.
There are also many tips of saving money slowly, then it adding up to a huge amount in near future. For example, an Arabic technique suggests saving 1/3 of monthly salary every month while getting to spend the other 2/3. This actually is one of the best ways to have a control on your bank account and also spend however you like. With this technique, your money goes up without you noticing and it doesn’t even limit the money spent that much.
Finally, remember that balance is personal. What feels worth spending money for you might be different for someone else, and thats okay. The goal with saving money isnt perfection, its progress. My friend took these advices from me and realized that he had the same amount of fun while saving thousands of dollars that he could use in the future. Do you think it is really possible to have as much as fun while saving money? Give it a try!