5 Small Lifestyle Changes I Made to Save Money

My family has always joked that I have champagne tastes with a beer budget. It's more true than I care to admit, but since getting serious about my finances I've made a few major adjustments to my lifestyle that didn't feel like big changes at the time and now are just routine. I'm sure this post is probably tone deaf or not helpful for a lot of people, but I'm sharing it hoping that this inspires even one person who has a background like me to look at their finances a little bit differently. I still kick myself over how cavalier and immature I was about a budget in my 20s. Below are a few small changes that didn't feel like they affected my lifestyle, but they definitely freed up a fair amount of money each month.

The first change I made was actually getting on a budget! For years I've been winging it. As long as my rent was paid and my bills were covered I had nothing to worry about, right? It wasn't until I began to look at apartments that I realized I had a problem and that I needed to live way below my means to save up money. I'm very lucky that I never went into debt, but using my credit card seriously hindered my previous savings efforts. After realizing I needed to make many financial changes, I picked up Dave Ramsey's book and the rest is history. Shortly before the beginning of quarantine I decided to download his budgeting app, Everydollar and it's been working out really well for me. It's easy to use and keeps me on track! Now that I tell my money where to go as opposed to wondering where it went.

I now buy almost everything used. I've never been fussy when it comes to used goods, I just never really went for it as much as I do now. I love chic fashionable finds, but often what I want is either at the top end of my budget or unattainable so the biggest place where I've saved money is in that part of the budget. Websites like The RealReal and Poshmark make it easier than ever. Almost all of my furniture (including my fabulous thrift store couch!), my air conditioner, books, artwork, and even a few serving pieces were bought second hand or are hand me downs from my parents. A favorite online source is Hayloft Auctions for home pieces and I buy books on Thriftbooks when I can't find them at the library. When I don't buy used, I try to stick to stores where I can get cash back through Rakuten. If you don't have Rakuten already I totally recommend it - it's legitimate and I get a check every couple of months in the mail that I put right into my emergency fund. Where I see the most savings is during the holidays when you can get up to 10% cash back. It's great for gifts and they share with you any applicable discount codes for additional savings. Here is my referral link if you are feeling inspired to sign up! Please note: I do get money if you sign up for Rakuten and purchase something through my link. 

Giving up my Equinox membership and using youtube videos as an alternative to the classes I loved and using the gym in my building for $25 a month was another easy change with a big impact. This swap alone saves me about $175 a month in expenses! That's a pretty big number. Two of my favorite youtube channels are Pamela Reif and Yoga With Adrienne. Tone It Up also has a great book that I've written about in the past, which deserves an honorable mention! Once my budget and my gym opens up again I may try out the Pelaton app, but I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing now. The only thing I really miss about the gym was the steam room, which I can obviously live without.

Committing to cooking at home and planning meals out ahead of time also made a huge impact on my budget. I realized a big reason I ordered takeout so much was because I hated wasting all of the extra food (I could have put leftovers in the freezer, duh!) and was nervous about some of the more "exotic" recipes I wanted to try. Cooking for one can be a little tough when you are trying not to waste any food and almost every recipe is for 4. To shake things up I did the awesome Martha & Marley Spoon meal kit that I was able to spread out throughout the week and put leftovers in the freezer. I was shocked by how much money this saved me, because the weekly meal kit felt more expensive at the time.

I'm also became a lot more open and honest about being on a budget with my friends and family. In the past I would go out to dinners and buy gifts that were a bit of a financial stretch and as a result I would have to cut back somewhere else or put it on my credit card. I didn't want to miss out on the fun and I was embarrassed about not being able to afford what everyone else could. Now I'm a lot more transparent and have no problem saying something doesn't fit into the budget. The first time I said no to a dinner out because of a budget issue I was so nervous, but my friend didn't even blink and said she understood! I was nervous over nothing and am now getting a lot more comfortable talking more openly. After that I realized a true friend won't care or make you feel bad about not being able to swing something.

Already starting to plan July's budget,

ARS xx
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