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10 Ways To Save Money On Christmas Decorations

11.14.2019 by admin // 4 Comments

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This Christmas, make your home look festive for the holidays without spending a ton of money. Whether you want to buy cheap Christmas decorations or high end Christmas decorations for cheap there are ways buy Christmas decorations on a budget. Buying Christmas decorations after Christmas for a discount, scouring local estate sales for high end Christmas decorations or DIY Christmas decor are all ways to save money on Christmas decorations this year. Here are affordable ideas to save money on Christmas decorations.

DIY Outdoor and Indoor Christmas Decorations

Are you crafty? The best way to buy discount Christmas decorations is to DIY Christmas decorations! You can make your own Christmas indoor decorations and Christmas outdoor decorations. There is some decor you can find for free like pinecones and pine branches outside. You can also spend a little money on craft materials from a local craft store. Look out for coupons at local craft stores to buy your supplies and save even more.

Look for inspiration for DIY Christmas Decorations on Pinterest such as this Pinterest board by The Crafty Christmas, and ideas for cheap Christmas decor like 100 Dollar Store Christmas Decorations by the Prudent Penny Pincher.

DIY Outdoor Christmas Decorations

DIY Christmas wreaths are one of the most common examples for DIY outdoor Christmas decorations. Grab a few evergreen branches from the outdoors and look for inspiration on Pinterest. You can also make your own wreath from other materials. DIY outdoor Christmas decorations Pinterest searches yield results for wreaths, repurposed skis / wood and more.

DIY Indoor Christmas Decorations

Pinterest is abundant with DIY Christmas table decor ideas. There are many DIY holiday table decorations that include materials you can buy for cheap at a craft store or materials at home you can repurpose. Cheap Christmas decorations can include finding pinecones and evergreen branches outside to decorate your mantel or use a garland with ornaments. DIY Christmas Decoration Pinterest searches include napkin rings, waterless snow globes, Christmas tree skirts and more.

You can also make holiday gift bags as centerpieces, or repurpose other Christmas decorations you have lying around such as a garland with ornaments down the table. There are plenty of DIY for holiday kitchen decor!

See Also: Simple Ways to Save Money During the Holidays

Christmas Decorations from Family Members or Friends

Understandably not everyone has the option to get Christmas decorations from family. But, over time things tend to accumulate especially if you have family that has lived in the same place for decades. Help them declutter by taking Christmas decorations off of their hands. Perhaps they have held onto items that are sentimental but they don’t use. They’d prefer to keep something in the family instead of donating it. Christmas decorations that tend to accumulate over time include ornaments, coffee mugs, vases, table cloths, festive gift baskets, ribbons and other festive odds and ends.

Are any of your friends moving or moving in with a significant other? If they are, do they have duplicate items they’re looking to get rid of? Any time someone moves there are always items – big or small – that they won’t want in their new place. It works out for both of you if you can take something off your friends hands they don’t want anymore.

Ask for Christmas Decorations on Your Wedding Registry

Today, 66% of married couples have lived together before they walked down the aisle according to the NCBI. When you’ve already lived together there are less things you need from a traditional wedding registry. If you already have most of the household basics, use this opportunity to start collecting stuff you want to decorate your house for the holidays. And, consider what you’ll need if you want to host people for the holidays. This includes Christmas decorations, Christmas table decor and kitchen appliances that are more helpful during the holidays like a Kitchenaid mixer to make Christmas cookies as gifts. Additional hosting items can include extra table settings, serving utensils, serving bowls and more.

Split Buying Christmas Decorations With Friends

Do you live with roommates? Have everyone chip in to buy cheap Christmas decorations together. You can split the cost evenly and agree to a budget. Or, each pick certain pieces to buy (ex one roommate buys ornaments, one roommate buys the Christmas tree skirt) so that it’s easier to split up what you bought when you no longer live together.

Buy Discount Christmas Decorations After Christmas

The best time to buy discount Christmas decorations starts the day after Christmas. Stores want to clear their inventory quickly to make room for New Years Eve and Valentine’s Day and will have sales immediately following Christmas. While the selection may dwindle quickly as the sales get better it’s an excellent way to save money. Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Home Depot are a few stores where you’ll Christmas decorations on clearance after the holiday. I’ve also had success finding Spode at TJ Maxx and Macy’s on sale.

After Christmas sales are also a great time to stock up on Christmas cards, wrapping paper, gift stickers and ribbon for next year.

Scour Local Estate Sales for High End Christmas Decorations

Finding deals on Christmas items at estate sales is one of the best kept secrets. An estate sale usually happens when there is a death and the family is trying to sell almost everything in the house before putting the house on the market. Estate sales are a great place to find complete sets of holiday table decorations, high end Christmas decorations and luxury Christmas tree decorations as the family is trying to sell most of the stuff in the estate all at once. It’s also a great opportunity to find quality Christmas decorations. You’re also more likely to find high end household items like Waterford crystal, Spode and more that can be put out during Christmastime.

To find local estate sales, enter the town + estate sale into Google. If you live in a city, you may have more success looking at close suburbs. This is also a great time to buy furniture or other household items you still need for your home. This includes kitchenware and table settings that you can also use during Christmastime.

Look For Cheap Christmas Decorations on Craigslist and LetGo

Often when people are about to move they will try to get rid of stuff to make their move easier. With Christmas decorations, especially items they purchased for cheap, they may even be willing to part with holiday items for free. When it’ll cost more to ship something than buy something new they will want to get rid of it. Christmas trees, ornaments, outdoor decorations take up space but are cheaper to replace than move.

Since fewer people move in the winter the best time to look for moving sales are in the spring and fall. You may even get a better deal since fewer people are looking to buy Christmas decorations during those months.

Use Coupons When You Buy Christmas Decorations

When you do want to purchase new items prior to Christmas look for coupons and deals. The deals won’t be as good as after the holidays but you can still find 10% or 20% off the store coupons that you can apply to Christmas decorations. Wondering where to buy cheap Christmas decorations? Bed, Bath and Beyond always has 20% off coupons. Bed, Bath & Beyond usually accepts coupons that have expired as well. Everyone makes fun of the long CVS receipts with coupons, but those coupons for $10 off X for example can be applied to the Christmas decorations they sell and Christmas cards and wrapping paper. For higher end Christmas decorations Bloomingdales Home has Friend & Family sales (it’s free to become a loyalist).

Use coupons after Christmas as well! While some stores limit combining sales with coupons you can always try and see if you can get that extra discount.

Rent Christmas Decorations

While this market is still relatively new, you can rent Christmas decorations. You’ll find Christmas decorations rental companies in various cities. Rent-a-Christmas is one example and is based in New York City.

Budget Your Money and Time Wisely

It’s easy to overspend during the holidays whether it be on food, decorations, gifts or all of the above. Create a budget for how much you want to spend and stick to it. This cost can come out of two areas in your budget: either how much you want to spend on the holiday season all together or how much you want to spend on household items throughout the year. Personally, I created a household items and repairs budget and included any holiday decorations and cookware that was required in that part of my budget.

Balancing all of the shopping in addition to work, holiday parties and other events makes time really tight. Be mindful of how much time you spend researching what you want to buy, looking for deals and actually shopping. Don’t forget to take time for yourself and enjoy the season. It’d be better to spend a little more money and be happy than save a little more but miss out on all of the fun.

What are ways you’ve saved money on Christmas decorations?

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Categories // Smart Spending Tags // Holidays, Saving Money Tips

10 Financial Tips for Living On Your Own

09.02.2019 by admin // 6 Comments

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You’ve decided to live on your own for the first time, congratulations! Maybe you’re moving out of your parents house, or moving out of living with roommates. Now, you get to decorate your new place exactly how you want and have everything match. The room is a bit bright so you’ll get some curtains and… oh wait, curtains are over $1,000 for the room?! Welcome to the joys of furnishing your own place. No matter the situation, living on your own requires getting a lot of stuff. This doesn’t even include the mortgage / down payment / deposit! Here are 10 financial tips for living on your own for the first time.

Don’t Buy Too Much House

Top living on your own tip: don’t buy too much house. Whether you are renting or buying, it’s important not to buy too much house. If you spend too much money on rent or a mortgage you will not be able to cut back on this expense if money gets tight. What does this mean? It means that your housing costs should be no more than 30% of your gross income (pre-tax income). This includes rent, mortgage, taxes, bills like electricity, water and wifi and any repairs you may have to make.

Even though the rule of thumb is no more than 30% of your gross income the lower this percentage is, the more money you’ll be able to spend actually furnishing your place and more money you’ll be able to save.

See Also: How to Save Money in Your 20s

Organize Your Move

Being organized about your move will help save you money. Start by creating a few lists, including a to do list and everything your new place needs. In the “everything you need list” identify what you already have, what is needed, what is needed but can be purchased later and what is nice to have. For example, you’ll need a lot of kitchen items but you’ll absolutely need to have pots and pans to start if you plan to cook. While a good knife set is also needed if you’re not a big cook this is an example of a purchase you can delay.

Also create a list of general household items (paper towels, cleaning supplies, spices) that you often don’t think about because you’ve acquired a collection from living with your parents or living with other roommates over the years. You’ll avoid a lot of repeat trips to the grocery store, Costco or Target by creating a list of what you need here before you go shopping.

Now that you know what you need immediately and what purchases you can delay match this to your budget. Likely, this is more expensive than you anticipated but see how far you can get. There are tricks you can use to lower these costs and make your money stretch further.

Spend As Little As Possible Moving

Moving from one place to the next is always a pain and spending money on the move itself is unavoidable. There are ways to minimize this expense; however, moving expenses and effort tend to be inversely related. The less you spend, the more effort you will have to put into the actual move. The least effort will be to hire movers that pack everything for you and unpack everything for you. On the flip side, the most effort but least expensive option is for you to move yourself in your own car. In the middle, there are options to rent a uHaul, ask for friends help and offer to buy them food, etc.

When you’re moving to your own place for the first time it should be easy to minimize this expense as you have less stuff to begin with. At the same time, you will be spending money on moving after the initial move too as you begin buying more furniture for your place. Some of these purchases may require having to rent a truck or spending money on delivery fees.

Set A Budget For Furnishing Your Own Place

Living on your own can get expensive quickly. It’s important to set a budget. Remember, you don’t need to have everything day one. You need wifi, a place to sleep and a few household items like toilet paper and some food. It’s ok if you don’t have a kitchen table or look settled for a couple of months. You’ve just paid the big expenses of first month, last month and security deposit or perhaps the closing costs and downpayment on your first home / condo. You’ll also have to start paying the monthly bills of living in your own place.

How much should you budget? That varies by person, and is really more about what you can afford and personal preferences. It’s more important avoid going into debt than being settled day 1.

Accept Furniture and Household Item Donations from Family Members

Your first place doesn’t have to look all put together – that can come with time. Forget what you see on Instagram, House Hunters and what your friends that don’t have their own place suggest when they come to visit. Earmuffs and blinders are key here! When you move into your own place for the first time without any roommates it is expensive. Even getting curtains for one room can be hundreds of dollars, if not over $1,000.

Understandably not everyone has the option to get used items from family. But, if your parents or your aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc, have things you need, accept them. Even if they don’t match or will need to be replaced soon it’s better than nothing. You don’t need to have these items forever, but moving into your own place requires a lot of things all at once and the fewer things you have to buy the easier it will be.

Are any of your friends moving? Or, are you living with roommates now and is there anything your roommates are trying to get rid of? Any time someone moves there are always items – big or small – that they won’t want in their new place. It works out for both of you if you can take something off your friends hands they don’t want anymore.

For the items that won’t last long, add them to your list of things to buy in the future. Prioritize this list and throughout the year look for sales. Always set aside some money in your budget to purchase items for your house in future years.

Scour Local Estate Sales For Furniture and Household Item Deals

Finding deals on household items and furniture at estate sales is one of the best kept secrets. An estate sale usually happens when there is a death and the family is trying to sell almost everything in the house before putting the house on the market. You’re able to get multiple things from one place at a steal and if you do need to rent movers or a uHaul, you can do it once. One friend ended up getting a $8,000 large dining room set in excellent condition for under $1,000. When she moved out (it didn’t fit in her next place) she ended up selling it and made a profit!

You may end up spending the same money you would have for something brand new at Ikea but there are two benefits to buying furniture / household items second hand. First, the quality of what you’re buying is much higher and you’ll be able to command a higher value should you ever try to resell the same piece a few years later. Second, you don’t have to self-assemble.

To find local estate sales, enter the town + estate sale into Google. If you live in a city, you may have more success looking at close suburbs.

Buy Second Hand Household Furnishings On Craigslist / LetGo

Craigslist and LetGo are also good to search for specific things you need to furnish your new place. I really wanted a wine rack from Crate and Barrel and didn’t want to spend $400 for it new when I first moved into my own place. After regularly searching for a few weeks I found one nearby on Craigslist for $125. A few years later when I moved I ended up selling it for $150. Both of these website / apps are best when you know exactly what you’re looking for otherwise you’ll spend a lot of time browsing. The strategy of buying second hand can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Use Coupons For Household Staples and Decorations

Normally I don’t talk about coupons often as I don’t think it’s worth going out of your way for 20 minutes to save $0.50. But, moving in on your own requires a lot of stuff so it’s worth it to spend a few hours looking around for the best deals and setting alerts. In this case, you’ll end up saving a lot of money by shopping around. Still, it is important to be smart about your time. If you see a good deal for one thing that will take 2 hours out of your day, is the amount you’ve saved worth those 2 hours?

T.J. Maxx and Homegoods generally has good deals and there are extra sales on holiday items after a holiday has passed. Bed, Bath & Beyond always mails 20% off coupons and you can try to split your transactions (or go with a friend) to use multiple coupons during the same trip. Usually, Bed, Bath & Beyond also accepts coupons that have expired. For higher end, Bloomingdales Home has Friend & Family sales (it’s free to become a loyalist) which you can take advantage of for things like bed sheets and towels. Macy’s also frequently has sales and coupons.

Budget Your Time Wisely

Don’t spend so much time on searching for the best deal that you waste all of your time. Everyone only has 24 hours in a day and each hour you spend looking for deals you could have been using to do something else, including doing something that would make you more money. You have a lot to buy when starting your own household and shopping around can take you to many stores and require a lot of repeated trips if you don’t plan correctly. Plan ahead as best as you can with lists and research ahead of time but never waste a couple hours to save only a couple of dollars.

You’ve Now Living On Your Own, Now What?

You’re now officially moved in and living on your own. Now what? It’ll always take some time to get settled and you’ll realize you’ll need things you completely forgot about. Don’t worry about buying everything at once. Continue to keep your lists of prioritized needs, needs and wants. Chip away at these lists over time and take advantage of yearly sales. Do more research on when the best time to buy certain items are, which you can find here, and here.

Once you’re more settled, look for other opportunities to be smart with your spending so you can get back to saving more money or finding ways to fund more of what you need for your home!

What are other ways you’ve found to save money when moving to your own place for the first time?

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Categories // Smart Spending Tags // Housing, Money in Your 20s, Saving Money Tips

How to Build a Strong Financial Foundation In Your 20s

08.09.2019 by admin // 13 Comments

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Building a strong financial foundation is important at any age, but if you’re in your 20s, smart money moves early on will set you up for success for decades to come. This is true whether you decide to be single, end up with a partner or end up having a family. Increasing your income, investing your money, creating an emergency fund, getting out of any debt and being smart with your spending are all key to be build wealth in your 20s. Here are 13 tips for building a strong financial foundation in your 20s.

Hustle At Your Job

Your lifetime earnings are decided in the first decade of your career. If you went to college and graduate in 4 years the first 8 years of your career will fall in your 20s. Make these years count. Don’t get distracted by spending too much time thinking about how to save money. Increasing your income early on will help you build wealth in your 20s.

Create a plan to double or triple your salary, no matter how crazy that amount may seem at the time. This plan may include strategic networking to get promoted or switch industries, identifying what you need to do advance your career, get another degree and / or expand your skill set. Dream big and create a plan with steps you can act upon to get to that dream. If you only dream it and don’t take actionable steps towards that goal it will always remain a dream.

See Also: 10 Pieces of Career Advice for Young Professionals

What if you don’t have the job you want or don’t know what you want to do yet? That’s ok, you don’t need to have everything figured out. Continue to hustle and start to better understand what you don’t like and build your network. Get a career sponsor and a career mentor. It is easier to switch jobs when you have a network that can help you get that first interview.

Begin Building a Passive Income Stream or Side Hustle To Make More Money

Making money isn’t limited to just your day job. Build wealth in your 20s by starting to build a passive income stream. Generating a passive income stream doesn’t require a lot of effort. And, you will have a compounding effect as your net worth increases. It won’t seem like much money as you are starting out. But, it’ll begin good habits and that amount will increase over time.

See Also: The Ultimate List of Passive Income Ideas in 2021

If you’re in debt or are only beginning to build your wealth generate more money through a side hustle. The amount of money you make in a side hustle usually is proportional to the amount of hours you spend on it. For example, you’ll make more money on Instacart based on the number of jobs you accept. Other side hustles, like writing an e-book, will require a lot of effort up front. Over time, these side hustles will turn into passive income streams.

Invest In Yourself In Your 20s

Investing in your 20s isn’t limited to investing your money. You also need to invest in yourself. You’ve invested in yourself by attending college, but learning doesn’t end there. There are other professional certifications and additional degrees that can significantly increase your earning potential. Investing in yourself in your 20s is easiest when you have fewer responsibilities. This can mean getting your MBA or another Masters degree, getting your CPA, CFA or PMP.

Investing in yourself also isn’t limited to education. Take time to travel and learn new cultures, exercising regularly and eating healthy. Healthy habits also pay dividends in the decades to come.

Start Saving Money In Your 20s

Saving money in your 20s starts with knowing where your money goes, creating a budget and then starting to save money.

Where should you put the money you’ve saved? Money saved in your 20s should first be used to build an emergency fund. An emergency fund is money that is easily accessible and liquid (such as money held in a checking account or savings account) that you have for when things go wrong. This includes an unexpected health bill, unexpected car repair, if you lose your job and so forth. The golden rule is 3-6 months of expenses but it really depends on your situation. You can find a calculator here to help identify how big your emergency fund should be.

See Also: How to Start Saving Money in Your 20s

Invest Money In Your 20s

Start investing money in your 20s. How much should you invest? As much as you can. That money will compound over time and help you create a passive income stream. You can automate your savings through direct deposit and then invest that money in a brokerage account. There are many potential big expenses on the horizon like a house, additional education, car, family and it’s much easier to put a down payment on a house or pay out of pocket for grad school if you started building your savings on day 1. No amount is too small to invest.

It’s not enough to just save money though, you also need to get your money to work for you. Invest your money in stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and bonds.

See Also: How To Invest Money In Your 20s

Build Wealth In Your 20s By Saving for Retirement

The easiest way to build wealth in your 20s is to save for retirement. Companies offer 401(k) matches and your contributions are tax free. Without question, take advantage of your company 401(k) match. This is free money. It’s ok to only meet the match when you’re starting your career but if you don’t meet the match you are leaving free money on the table. As your career progresses, look for opportunities to significantly increase your 401(k) contributions and max it out to take full advantage of the tax benefits.

You can also build wealth in your 20s by contributing to a Roth IRA. While your income is low open a Roth IRA. Contributions to a Roth IRA are not tax deductible but when your income is low this has less of an impact. The tax benefits to a Roth IRA are when you take the money out in retirement you aren’t taxed on any gains and there are no required minimum distributions. As your income increases, you may hit a point where your eligibility is phased out and then are not eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA anymore. At that point you’d have to look into a Backdoor Roth IRA so it’s best to take advantage of a Roth IRA as soon as you can. A Roth IRA is pretty straightforward, but there are a few Roth IRA rules to be aware of.

At first your retirement accounts will seem really low. But, by the time you turn 30 you’ll be impressed with how much your wealth has grown in these accounts.

Minimize Your Debt

It’s important to keep your debt to a minimum or get out of debt completely in order grow your wealth in your 20s. In the Class of 2018 69% of college students took out student loans and graduated with an average debt of $29,800 according to Student Loan Hero. How can you start chipping away at this as quickly as possible? There are also companies that are offering loan forgiveness as one of their company perks.

While you may already have student loan debt, you don’t need to find yourself in additional debt, especially from credit cards.

If you need a car for your job and need to take out an auto loan, spend as little as possible here. Buy used, but also buy smartly. Don’t justify buying a more expensive car because you’ll have it for so many years. The truth is, you have no idea where you’ll be in a few years. You may move into (or out of) a city, to a new country, get married. There are also so many options these days to avoid buying a car such as living and working in a city to take advantage of public transportation, working from home, and working as a consultant and traveling every Mon – Thurs.

Live Like You Are Still in College

Building wealth in your 20s is also dependent on controlling your expenses. When you are in your 20s you either recently graduated or have graduated within the last 10 years. College is recent enough where you can probably recall vividly how you lived during those years: frugally.

In college, you most likely are living in a very tiny space with roommates. You’re surrounded by businesses that offer the college specials. For example, show your student ID to get a certain percentage off and bars that cater to college students with $2 beer nights. You had opportunities to walk across the hall and borrow friends clothing. Meal prep included ramen noodles and microwave mac and cheese.

Is frugal living not for you? This doesn’t have to be a permanent lifestyle, but the longer you’re able to live frugally like you lived in college the easier your finances will be. You don’t have to cut back in all areas either, the single most important expense is housing.

Spend As Little As Possible on Housing

Housing is likely the largest expense in your 20s, and the easiest one to blow. Nice, spacious, well located places are the most expensive. Don’t become “house poor.” Experts say housing should be no more than 30% of your gross income and that includes all housing expenses. You will have to make sacrifices so identify what is most important and where you are more willing to cut. And, if you’re going to live on your own follow these financial tips so you don’t spend too much on housing.

If location is most important, look into studio apartments, living with roommates and a place that is outdated. If you want the nice kitchen and something more spacious you’ll probably have to look at a less ideal location. In some cases this may mean looking at alternative cities, not just across town. When you don’t understand how people can afford certain things you probably don’t have to look much further than the percentage of income that is going towards housing. Bringing your own lunch can save $7 / day or $140 / month. Being smart with your housing can save you hundreds a month and thousands a year.

Limit Spending on Food and Drinks

Limiting spending on food and drinks is a great money move in your 20s because it starts developing discipline around spending money. It’s hard to say no to always going out with friends and spending money on food and drink but it adds up. By learning how to budget and then prioritize how you spend money on food and drinks it will help you prioritize your spending in other areas.

The most frugal way to limit spending money here is to never eat out. But, where is the fun in that? Plus, to the first point on hustling at your job it’s important you build your network and build relationships. You can still go to restaurants and bars and not break the bank. For food and drink, take advantage of happy hour specials. Go over a friends house and have a drink before heading to the bar. When you get to the bar, limit yourself to one drink. Take advantage when there is free food at events. Bring your lunch. There are plenty of ways to continue to enjoy eating out while controlling your spending.

When you buy groceries, look for coupons and deals. There are also ways to spend less on food by buying cheaper options. For example, buy oats and make oatmeal instead of single serve yogurts. You can find dinner recipes and meal planning tips to save money.

Limit Spending on Clothing

Your college wardrobe and professional wardrobe will not look the same so spending money on clothes in unavoidable. It’s unrealistic to expect that you can go on a clothing ban unless you have a robust professional wardrobe from college or what you wear to work is more casual. When you do spend money on clothing, take advantage of sales.

Do spend enough where you look presentable at work. You want to position yourself early on as a go getter and dressing presentable will help form favorable opinions. Don’t break the bank while doing this though, you do not need to buy designer. You can buy nice work outfits from TJ Maxx or buy second hand and look professional. If your company gives you a laptop bag with your laptop use that for the first few months until the right sale comes along. Later, take advantage of Black Friday shopping at the outlets for a nice black tote bag. You do not need to start day 1 (or even year 2) with a Tory Burch or Prada tote bag.

Live Like You Have The Least Money of Your Friend Group

Living like you have the least amount of money of your friend group is easiest to do when you first graduate college. Everyone is just getting established and six months out of college is when the first student loan payment is due. Friends will want to have a few drinks at home before going to the bar to save money. Or, stay in instead of going to a bar. You can go on trips that are driving distance and share rooms with 3 other people. Even if you earn more money than your friends, or have less debt than your friends, spend as if you have that same income limitation or same debt limitation. Then, put that extra money towards your emergency fund, retirement and investing.

As you age, friends will move away and you’ll need to spend money on flights to see them or vice versa. Between careers and starting families it will become harder to see friends and you’ll spend more money to hang out as you prioritize convenience over money.

Don’t Increase Your Spending for 2-3 Years

Lifestyle inflation happens when you increase your spending as your income increases. Spending more now could mean blowing through funds you’ll need for a down payment, retirement, etc. The more you can save when you’re young the easier it is as that savings will continue to generate passive income for you. As your career progresses, this will also become harder to avoid not due to increased expectations but less free time. Things you used to be able to do yourself you will to pay someone to do for you or you won’t have as much time to shop around for a deal. This may be as a result of a more demanding career or deciding to raise a family. Your tastes will also increase as you age.

Take advantage of being young and keep your spending steady the first few years after you graduate, even as your income increases. Live like you are still in college for the first few years and then slowly increase your spending after that. Invest the money you’ve saved instead and take advantage of compounding interest to begin building a passive income stream.

Take Advantage of Company Benefits

A 401(k) match isn’t the only company benefit you should take advantage of. Some health insurance plans offer money towards a gym membership every year. Depending on the industry and area, companies may offer free or discounted food, free gyms on-site, discounts on auto insurance, discounts on personal travel and more. Look at your internal company site to learn more about perks offered by your company. And, if your company doesn’t have great benefits it’s a hot job market now. Ask your friends for an employee referral and interview at another company.

How to Be Smart With Money In Your 20s Summary

The financial recommendations above seem like a lot, especially when you are in your 20s and just starting your career. How are you supposed to fund an emergency fund, invest, pay off your loans and actually live on your salary? Don’t get overwhelmed and take baby steps to start small. The less money you spend, the more money you’ll be able to invest or put towards paying down debt. The more you can increase your income, the less focus you need on keeping your expenses small. These smart money moves in your 20s will help set you up for success for decades to come. Yes, these are the years it’s hardest to do that as you’re likely making the least of your career now. But, your lifestyle expectations are also the lowest. By following the advice above, you’ll be in a great position to build wealth in your 20s.

how to be smart with money in your 20s, how to invest money in your 20s, how to save money in your 20s, smart investing in your 20s

Categories // Start Here Tags // Investing, Money in Your 20s, Saving, Saving Money Tips

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