The guest post was contributed by Megan Sullivan. Megan is a stay-at-home mother of two in San Diego. In her free time, she volunteers at a local church, jogs, swims, spends time with her family and writes about her life. Megan’s proud to say that she’s happily married to her husband of 15 years, Jack.
Moved into a new apartment, have you? Like anyone just settling in - you’re bound to have a few thoughts about keeping the costs low (while getting the most out of the new experience) …
1. Get to know your neighbors
Getting to know your neighbors can be an immensely rewarding experience for a multitude of reasons:
- They may possess skills that help you save money
- They could own items that you could trade, as opposed to purchasing
- They can provide a great deal of entertainment
Neighbors that are experienced can help you avoid common costs such as car maintenance, electronic repair, and/or house sitting. They may also help provide you with furniture and other appliances to stock arrival. The best is the fact that you’ll make friends, which helps you save money on entertainment – this goes doubly true if you create a great center of media at home.
For example, click through for some of the FiOS promo codes. You’ll find that you can cut the costs of setting up this excellent entertainment mecca and be on your way with creating a part of your small kingdom that will be a great spot to hang out at with friends. It will definitely be cheaper and more enjoyable than hanging out with random people at the bar.
2. Understand the ‘outing’ options
Moving to a new location (or simply being on your own) will have you itching to get out and spend the night on the town, but if you don’t understand what’s out there (or what costs are associated with particular places) you’re bound to spend a whole lot more than regulars would spend.
Do your research to understand what’s available in the area:
- Ask others what they would recommend (within budget) around the apartment
- Use online review sites to qualify your choices in outings
- Calculate the costs of going out vs. staying in and using those funds for other purposes
You’ll want a healthy balance of outing options to stay entertained, but it’s equally important that you know when it’s worthwhile to go out versus saving your hard earned money.
3. Stay within proximity of the important items
Suppose you found an apartment for $100 less than every other option but you also happen to be an extra 10 or 15 minutes from the usual places you’d go to shop, eat, and fill up the gas tank.
Over time, the cost of the commute will add up – financially and psychologically.
You’ll realize that the extra money you could have spent for the convenience of its location really does matter when you consider the additional cost for fuel and time you’re losing from completing important, daily tasks that could earn additional income.
4. Create a habit of the grazing grocery shopper
The general mentality of a family is that they want to do all they can to stock up and make the entire week prepared in terms of food (and finances). However, what generally happens is that the individual shopping, for groceries, succumbs to the deals and sure enough they end up purchasing food items that’s not really needed (just because they don’t want to pass up a deal).
If you really want to save on groceries then make it a habit to essentially “graze” when you’re hungry. This means planning out the commute so you’re passing by the grocery store and only picking up the food items you need for that day. By doing this you’ll stop the household from overeating and it’ll force you to stick to a particular food plan throughout the week since you are doing it day-by-day.
5. Learn the areas of temptation
Every place you wind up moving to will have areas that are immensely captivating and create a great sense of temptation. These are areas like the bar districts, casinos, shopping centers, and more.
If you are aware of these areas when you’re moving in and you’re real about your addiction to such vices, you can save yourself a great deal of (financial) trouble by flat out avoiding such areas.
This is something not many keep in mind, but if you do then you’re setting yourself up to avoid many losses from spending on activities that aren’t very rewarding in the long run.
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