6 Ways To Save Money To Do The Things You (Actually) Want To Do

Our parents have told us all our life to save our money. But did we ever listen? What do you think?

Now as we start to navigate our way through college, it’s become a huge learning curve figuring out how to successfully be an “adult.” You have to get accustomed to paying your own bills and making big decisions on your own. But one thing is for sure: it’s never too late (or early) to start taking our parents’ advice to strive for financial freedom.

Check out these six money saving hacks and you will be bringing in the cash in no time.1

1 – Budget, Budget, Budget. At the beginning of each month sit down and budget what you know you have to pay for. Think of all the utilities, credit cards, and even student loans and write them down so you can see your expenses. After budgeting those larger categories, don’t forget to plan out how much you want to spend on fun activities with your friends, like a fun group dinner or a shopping spree for yourself. Last but not least, always make sure you keep an emergency fund set aside just in case you get into a jam and need some money. By planning ahead, you can keep in mind what you are responsible for paying and balance it with other things you may want to do that that month.

(Photo via @marialedps)

2 – There’s An App For That. One of my favorite budgeting apps to use is Mint. Mint is like having your own personal accountant because the app organizes all of your finances and assets for you. It also enables you to consolidate all your accounts into their website so that you can see all your bills in one place. No more searching through piles of mail or endless emails to find your bills for the month. One of my favorite features of Mint is that they show you your expenses in a color-coded pie chart so that you can see exactly where your money is going. (I’m looking at you, coffee habit.)

(Photo via @indiesunsblog)

3–Ditch the Card, Pay Cash. Nowadays, everyone pays with their bank card. But bank cards can cause a bad habit because you aren’t visually seeing how much you are spending. The purchases are almost invisible because you swipe your card and forget about it. Instead, take out the cash you plan to spend for the week and only use that money. Every time you open your wallet, you will be able to see exactly how much you have left to spend for the week.

(Photo via @toshaisgnarly)

4 – Coins Count Too. Often we throw our loose change in to random pockets or cup holders and we forget about them. Give those seemingly unwanted coins a purpose by making a designated money jar. On the jar write exactly what you are saving for like a trip to San Francisco or new Balenciaga boots. Every time, you get change put it in the jar and make your goals a reality.

(Photo via @stylefromalexis)

5 – Dine In, Not Out. Our lives can get so busy that just making a quick stop to pick up something to eat on the way home not only saves time but saves you the stress of cooking. However, it can also eat up a huge margin of your budget. A twenty-dollar bill can get you just under two meals once you factor in tax and tip. For the same amount of money, you can get about a week’s worth of groceries for twenty dollars. Which will give you more bang for your buck. Set yourself a goal to eat out only once a week and you will see just how much money you will be saving.

(Photo via @tamiraclew)

6 – Minimalism. Less shopping means more money. One of my favorite YouTubers that focuses on utilizing minimalism and saving to their advantage is Zoey Arielle. She has a series of videos all about money saving hacks and reducing her material possessions to make her some extra cash.