Do you want to simplify your life and save money? Who doesn’t? And I think now more than ever, we all want to sort out our financial house and live a less complicated lifestyle.
Life today is much more complicated than it used to be; technology was supposed to make things easier but it seems to have done the opposite.
Taking the time to simplify your life can really save you a lot of money and give you more free time.
If sticking to a budget is your goal for 2024, check out the 7 tips below.
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7 Tips Simplify Your Life and Save Money
1.Buy Quality Not Quantity
Whenever possible, buy durable goods. You will pay more money initially but will save in the long run.
This includes things like disposable razors, disposable diapers, disposable cameras, and more.
Many of the disposable items in our lives have a more durable solution that is less expensive in the long run.
Consider all the items you regularly throw away and replace with a new item. Try to buy something just once.
Another tip to buy from stores that have long warrantees or life-time guarantees.
Many quality clothing companies offer this and it makes a huge difference if you can exchange your expensive items rather than have to shell out for a new one.
2. Stop Keeping Up The Joneses
Does your used car run just fine and get you from point A to point B?
If so, you don’t need a new car. You don’t need the biggest house or the most fancy purse.
Be strong enough to buy what you need instead of what you believe will impress others.
3. Recycle everything
Recycling helps the planet but in many case you can actually make money from decluttering your home.
Call your local recycling center to find out what items they will pay you for.
Don’t just throw away clothing, furniture, toys, and appliances.
Just because it no longer meets your needs doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t enjoy it.
Sell the stuff you can and donate anything else to a charitable organization. At the very least, you’ll get a tax deduction.
Feeling crafty? Why not make some recycled crafts to sell and cash in!
Read More:
Where To Sell Used Baby Clothes For Cash
Where To Sell Used Clothes For Cash
4. Grow your own food
You don’t need to become a prepper and live a completely self-sustainable life but growing your own food is extremely satisfying.
Not only is the quality a lot better, but it’s also much cheaper than the produce in the store.
Gardening can be relaxing and enjoyable. Kids love it, too.
You might be surprised at the different fruits and vegetables you can grow yourself.
You never know, you might make enough to start selling them at farmer’s markets!
When you do have to buy food and other items, make sure to use cash back sites to save as much money as possible.
Check out my BeFrugal review for one of the best cash back sites right now.
5. Be energy efficient
It’s funny how many ways to live more simply and save money are also great for the planet. Saving water and electricity are other ways to keep your bills low.
Take shorter showers; you’ll use less hot water and have more free time.
Did you know that a low-flow shower-head could potentially pay for itself in a month?
Switch to CFL or LED lightbulbs to save a ton of money.
The initial outlay will cost more than regular lightbulbs but they last so much longer and use so much less electricity that they will end up paying for themselves.
Unplug any appliances that are not in use and you should see a difference in your electricity bills with little to no effort.
An even easier option is to use power strips that operate on a timer.
6. Downsize, when possible.
Buying more than you need just creates more stuff in your way that you have to deal with sooner or later.
It’s also wasteful since you have to throw some of it away in the end.
In general buying less will reduce clutter and save money but also life will be so much simpler when you are not faced with piles of “stuff” every time you open a closet or kitchen cabinet.
7. Reevaluate What Is Important
The last few years have given us all time to evaluate our lifestyles and what is really important.
For me, I realized that my kids were way over-scheduled with sports and they were much happier when everything got cancelled and they had evenings at home doing crafts.
Even once things got going again, I streamlined their activities which made life easier and also saved a ton of money.
Look at all your activities, hobbies, clubs, and everything else.
Do you really enjoy all of them enough to justify the time and monetary expense?
Would you rather spend money on experiences than things?
Start now by cutting the shopping out and spending quality time with your loved ones instead.
Simplifying your life is great; you have more free time and can save money, too.
We all have more stuff than we need and spend too much time on things that really aren’t that important to us. Start small, but start today.
A simple life is a richer life, in more ways than one.