1- Make a budget
This first step may sound painfully obvious, but it is important to go into extensive detail with making your very own budget. First, calculate your income for the month, and then list out and add up all of the bills (like Netflix and credit cards) that you will have to pay for the month. After this, subtract your bill total from your income total and you will be left with what you are allowed to spend. Since bills are now out of the picture, you will then have to consider food, gas and savings. I know that this may sound like a doozy , but take a deep breathe and start small if you need to.
Helpful Hack ~ Put a portion of your money in your savings and your spending money on a reloadable debit card (I personally recommend a cash app card). By doing this, you will be less tempted to overspend!
2- Take advantage of stores and restaurants that offer membership rewards.
From drugstores like CVS to restaurants like Chick-fil-A, some places offer a membership program that allows their shoppers to earn points by simply shopping. Most of the businesses that offer rewards also have apps that supplies additional savings.
Helpful Hack~ Drugstores sell products for more expensive prices than they would be at your local Walmart and Target. It is very important to price match your items to ensure that you are getting your money’s worth.
3- Save the coin!
Every time I go to a store and hear a customer tell a business to “keep the change,” I die a little inside. I know that keeping change can be overwhelmingly annoying, but it is one of the best ways to saving money! Find an empty jar at home, drop all of coins in it at the end of the day, and watch your coins stack. Once filled to the brim, take your coins to your local coin counter and receive cash for your coins.
Warning~ Often times coin counting machines take a profit of the money being dispensed. While this is a bummer, think of it as compensation for not have to roll and haul your coins to a bank.
4- The best deals are in the undiscovered
Surprisingly, it is the stores that you least expect that have the best deals. Let’s say that you go into a store targeting young adults and find a low quality but charming sweater that’s retailed for 18 dollars. Across the way is a more expensive store that’s target for an older audience, but inside is the perfect sweater that retailed for 60 dollars and on sale for 18. Because you would usually never visit the store, you will never discover this amazing deal.
Helpful Hack~ Even though the two sweaters would have been the exact same price, they differ in quality. A budget queen must always consider the quality of an item,, not just it’s convenience.