With the holidays just behind us, many of us are now just seeing the damage done from Christmas gifts, parties, Boxing day shopping – you name it! If you need a little motivation to get your finances back in shape for the months to come, read on below.
Write it down
The simple art of writing down your daily expenses will give you great insight into your spending habits and where you tend to spend your money most.
Cut it out
What little “extras” can you challenge yourself to cut down or fully cut out for a month? To some, that may look like brewing a coffee at home instead of stopping at your neighbourhood Timmies on the way to work. Try a free yoga class on youtube instead of the $20 hot yoga class you frequent on the weekends.
Creating a weekly meal plan and grocery shopping list will also, help cut down on those extra little treats that somehow find their way into your cart.
Remove email subscriptions
If you love to shop, it can be easy to avoid the mall if you are on a budget. But what about your inbox?! Not see easy to avoid. Challenge yourself to go through your emails and remove yourself from automatic subscriptions to your favourite stores. This will help cut down on temptation, as you visually won’t be reminded daily of the MUST HAVE MUST BUY sales tactics.