If you had the magical power to change your life into what you really desired it to be like, would you exercise that power?
Of course, you would!
First, you would have to strip away the fantasy and then you would have to get down to the nuts and bolts of what you would really want for yourself.
Most people, for a number of reasons, never get past the fantasy stage.
Some are not aware they really could make the change, while others are too lazy or throw up excuses and complaints. After all, change does requires effort.
So get really serious for a moment and ask yourself ………….. are you prepared to do the work to achieve the life you truly desire?
Are you?
Let’s do a little exercise for the moment.
I want you to imagine you are now 90 years of age.
Yep, a little wrinkly possibly still living at home or moved in with loved ones or maybe you’re living in an aged care facility.
Take a moment to imagine your older self.
Now what you’re going to do is write down all the things you have done, experienced and achieved up to this point. Remember you’re writing it down as a 90 year old!
You’re going to write down all the personal fun you’ve experienced, romantic partners, the adventures and holiday you’ve taken, the homes you’ve lived in, the cars you’ve driven and the lifestyle you created for you and your family.
Once you’ve written what you’ve experienced and achieved, next write down how this makes you feel.
So, how are you feeling, are you smiling and feeling happy with joy or maybe you’re laughing to yourself that you’re a little exhausted about a life well lived?
Did you live the life you had always hoped and dreamed of?
What did you achieve in those last 50 or so years of your life?
Did you live the life you truly wanted and desired?
Were there many memories and fun times?
Did you get to travel to some exotic places?
Have you lived a very comfortable life and without money concerns?
Is it fun to be able to spoil your family with the money you have accumulated during your working years? and
Is your heart warm with joy from being able to have given to the many charities of your choice?
If you’re looking back and happy with what you’ve achieved – well done this means you’ve worked hard, made the right choices in how you managed your money so you didn’t have to worry about money during your retirement years.
Now is the time to make the change. Time to get your money sorted and working hard, while you continue accumulating during your working years.
The 3 keys ways to do this is to;
SAVING. Keep putting a certain amount away (minimum of 10%) at payday into a set and forget account.
BALANCE. Ensure your spending is well under your earning capacity, and not spending more than you earn.
GROWING. Learning how to grow and invest your money while you work by making additional contributions into your superannuation fund.
Here in Australia, we’re fortunate as it’s compulsory for Australian employers to put a percentage of an employee’s salary into a nominated super fund.
For my overseas readers take advantage of the superannuation opportunities offered in your country while you can, as this will boost your retirement options considerably.
There are other opportunities to grow your wealth either by investing in direct shares, managed funds or looking at property investing.
Whatever investment option you choose make sure it’s one that you’re comfortable with and you sleep easily at night not worrying about what happens when the investment market moves up and down.
Looking for more support, education or help in getting your money in better shape then check out the online programs I offer which teach anyone how to build financial muscle before it’s too late.
Also, check out my monthly coaching program which is super affordable and enables you to get your questions answered while learning more about managing money to your advantage.
When life suddenly throws you a curveball whether the signs were there or not and you haven’t prepared yourself for what’s about to come, it can send you into a spin and see you experience massive stress and anxiety.
Financial & Relationship stress go hand in hand and it’s still the number one trigger point for most.
When a relationship breaks down and you’re left to sort out where to go and what to do – money stress is ever-present.
Not only are you dealing with the emotional stress of the relationship breakdown, but you’re now having to deal with where to live, how to survive and then there’s the issue about money which is about to get very messy.
Then if children are involved a whole other issue about custody arrangements and financial support start coming into play.
It’s like you’re in the middle of a soap opera and left emotionally drained.
When an event like this is triggered a person will feel a whole bunch of overwhelming feelings like sadness, anxiety, or even experience panic attacks.
What happens next is that our body goes into one of the “fight, flight or freeze modes” and our heart beats faster and our senses go on high alert. Also our brain stops some of its normal functions to deal with the threat we may be feeling or experiencing.
If this has happened to you or you can see life is about to dramatically change then get some help.
Firstly, find someone who is unbiased and independent and someone who doesn’t know you or the situation that you’re about to experience.
When people are feeling overwhelmed and stressed out they sometimes don’t make decisions that are in their best interests or health.
If you know of someone or you yourself, are feeling any form of stress then get some help. You don’t have to do this alone. There are people and organisations that can help.
Be on the lookout for the SYMPTOMS that stress can produce:
PHYSICALLY
Tiredness, headaches, accidents, tightness in neck and shoulders, restlessness, ulcers, hypertension, respiratory problems, diarrhoea or constipation, chest pain, back pain, upset stomach, skin problems, weight loss or gain.
If stress is experienced for long periods of time it can result in physical, mental and emotional exhaustion or ‘burnout’.
STAY CONNECTED
We need to look out for one another, stay connected and ask if we’re ok.
If your gut is telling you that you’re not ok or that someone close to you is not, then make sure you’re there for them. More often than not they’ll say they’re ok and will remain silent while living with their pain.
SUPPORT
Here in Australia, we have an organisation called Lifeline which is a national charity that has been providing assistance to Australians experiencing difficulties for over 55 years.
If you’re reading this and not in Australia then seek out your country’s support network to ensure you get help and are not dealing with this alone.
In Australia, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 anytime as they’re available 24 hours a day.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
I have created a tool kit to help you identify when you’re feeling overwhelmed about what to do.
Other resources I have available is my monthly coaching program which is a fraction of the cost than other coaching programs at $37 per month and with no lock-in contracts. You can exit whenever you choose.
Also, courses teaching you money management skills and how you can build financial muscle. You can check out what’s available HERE.
In the meantime, here’s to your financial health, wealth & happiness.
2 years ago my Grandmother passed away. She was one of the best money managers I’ve seen. She passed her skill down to my Mum who then passed this onto me as I was growing up.
Grandma was very careful with her money as she grew up during the era of the Great Depression. Grandma saw the suffering that went with it – no jobs, no food and barely enough of anything to get by on.
So, when she got married and had a family of her own she continued on with the scarcity mentality and saved any penny she got.
Gramps was the sole breadwinner in the family and back then didn’t earn a lot. Gramps would often say that Grandma was great with managing their money.
So on Thursday’s which happened to be Gramps’ payday – she would divide up the money 3 ways.
First, she would pull money for savings, then put aside money for bills and lastly give Gramps his allocated spending for the week. If she didn’t do this Gramps would have spent the lot – as he was a very generous person and loved to give to charities and those less fortunate.
Grandma use to tell him often that charity first begins at home! Wise lady and well before her time.
Grandma had several spots within the house that she used to stash the cash around. Let’s just say she had the most expensive potatoes I ever knew ☺
While she was careful with their money she also made sure they enjoyed it too. Taking trips that had been planned and saved up for.
They retired wealthy by today’s standards and lucky they did as they eventually had to move into age care, which costs a small fortune to get in.
The point of this story is that no matter what you earn you can retire wealthy if you learn how to save and use your money wisely.
But there’s got to be a balance in life.
Saving and hoarding away money is great – but you must enjoy it along the way.
Today we’re seeing more of the extreme with some of us having no savings and loads of spending going on.
I think we’ve gone too far from our grandparents’ age – to the new age of live for today and don’t worry about tomorrow.
The harsh reality is that tomorrow is just around the corner and creeps up on you before you realise.
While you may not think too much about the future, it will be here before you know it.
If you haven’t planned for it – life will get a little uncomfortable for you.
As you get older the things that your money is used for changes.
For eg; when you are in your 20’s you’re about having a good time, meeting someone special and travelling.
When you reach your 30’s it’s about settling down with that special person, buying a house and starting a family – for the majority of people.
Then you hit your 40’s and by then if you’ve had children they are well-entrenched into the school system and you have hopefully chunked off a sizeable amount of your mortgage, whilst watching your savings and investments grow.
Then years down the track you’re retired and money that you receive from the pension or your own retirement savings is used to pay medical costs and pharmaceuticals to keep away the aches and pains from a well-lived life.
Starting to get the picture?
Well, this scenario has now been completely turned on its arse because when you hit your 40’s there are no savings or very little for most.
You’re up to your eyeballs in mortgage payments and possibly other debt and family life may not have turned out as expected. As you’re either getting divorced or having some financial stress because of the state of your financial affairs.
It’s time to get the balance back people!
Here are Grandma’s Tips :
1. Firstly, stop spending everything you earn. Yes, it’s easier said than done I agree considering you’re in the habit of spend spend spend. But you’ve got to start somewhere.
2. Put away a small portion of what you earn away before you use it to spend and pay your bills. I recommend putting away a minimum of 10% into an account that you can’t touch. An account with no account keeping fees and one that 10% of your pay automatically goes into this account on payday. An account that is separate from your current banking. There are a few around so do your research, set up an automatic deposit and watch your savings grow.
3. Do a budget to work out where every dollar is going. This is going to be an eye-opener for a lot of you because half of you don’t even know where your money is going or what it’s being spent on. Start writing down or using an excel spreadsheet to record where you’re spending. Keep receipts, check your bank statements and record everything from the big stuff that you’re spending or paying out on the little things like a cup of coffee. Once it’s down on paper take a good look at what’s going out compared to what’s coming in.
4. Next start using cash. So when you head to the grocery store you’ll soon learn that there’s a lot of things being bought at the checkout that you could probably rein in more. When heading out for dinner take some cash to pay for your meal, if you don’t you’ll soon learn that your meal is costing you more than you realise. What you probably thought was a $50 dinner & drinks out ends up costing you closer to $100.
5. And the last thing is to save up for purchases. Don’t put stuff on your credit card that is going to be out of date before you’ve even paid them off. Save up for the non-essentials and go without for just a little longer until you have the cash to pay for it. My guess is that by the time you’ve saved up you’ve probably lost interest in the thing or gadget that was going to clutter up your house anyway.
The moral of the story is to…..work hard, save hard and learn more how to manage your money smarter. Invest some time and resources in getting some sound financial education that could see you, in the long run, retiring with money instead of being broke and living off social welfare benefits.
Don’t believe me then do the math and see how much you’re spending. Keep going the way you are – not changing your spending habits and you’re going to very unhappy, miserable and without a dollar to your name at the end of your working days.
Learn how to live a life without financial stress by obtaining awesome financial knowledge & education.
How To Keto Your Money is a program that was created with you and anyone in mind who longs to get back in the black and out of the red.
You can find out more by heading over to “How To Keto Your Money” I guarantee it will be the best few dollars you will ever spend!
Also available for additional support and coaching is joining my monthly coaching program for a fraction of the cost of normal coaching at $37 per month.
You can find out more on the monthly coaching HERE.
Until next time here’s to your financial health, wealth & happiness.
Changing a money habit is NOT merely a matter of saying… yep, I’m not going to spend everything I earn this payday or I’m not going to overspend on my credit card this month from impulse buying.
Poor money habits I believe come from a deeper concern than just spending on meaningless stuff. Stuff that half of the time we don’t need or even use.
So where do these money habits come from?
Well before I answer this. I want to remind you what an actual habit is.
A habit is a behaviour that is learned when we regularly keep doing the same thing over and over again without even thinking.
Money habits are no different than the habit of brushing your teeth when you first get up in the morning or after breakfast. It’s a behaviour that becomes ingrained in how we treat and respect our money. One that we are fully aware of the consequences that follow if our habits are from poor money decisions.
Is there a cure for our poor money habits?
Yes, I believe there is. However, it takes time, discipline, awareness and mental strength in order for anyone to break this habit.
How long can it take to change a habit?
According to psychologists, while it may take approximately 21 days of conscious and consistent effort to create a new habit, it takes far longer to break an existing habit.
From personal experience in working with clients who want to change their poor money habits – it takes a lot longer.
You see there are deeper issues at play why some of us have poor money habits that can at times border on addiction. Just like any addiction, it’s more often than not about something that’s happened in the past.
A habit is not necessarily an addiction, though the two are strongly linked. A habit is any conscious behaviour you do on a routine basis.
Addiction is more about the behaviour to an excessive degree whereby someone feels unable to stop or control it.
Our self worth is often tied to our poor money habits. Our poor money habits can come from the messages we heard growing up and from the examples, we saw when we were younger.
Some of us spend when we feel low or unhappy to give us the kick “or high” we hope to make us feel good about ourselves. The hope that is supposed to fill the void we’re so looking to fill.
When in fact it’s much like the high you get from either an alcohol or drug addiction. Feels good at the time but hell when coming down from the high.
What’s the price of not changing our money habits?
There’s a high price to pay and that comes in the form of massive debt, poverty, unhappiness, envy & jealousy and often health issues.
So how do you move from poor money habits?
What are some of the ways to transform a poor money situation?
3 ways you can change a money habit is to:
1. First, acknowledge that you have a problem. A problem that you’re spending more than you earn, A problem that sees you with credit card debt, personal debt and other debt that you have no hope in paying off anytime soon. Being aware that you’re deep up to your elbows in debt and it’s time to get out, this is the first step.
2. Get help. Get the support you need to help you move forward. Having someone who understands and willing to help you means you’re not alone. It also gives you someone you can be accountable to. Someone who has a vested interest in seeing you succeed and live a better life without financial worry or stress.
3. And lastly, find your purpose – YOUR why. The reason you want a better life and one that doesn’t include massive debt or poor money habits. Set some goals. Write down how you want your life to be. What you want for your life and keep this at the forefront of your mind.
Writing down your dreams, goals and desires keeps you focussed and helps you work towards the bigger picture and what you want in life.
Breaking a habit takes a lot of willpower and motivation.
Ending the cycle of poor money habits is generally easier when it’s something you want to do rather than something others say you should do.
For anyone looking for coaching, support, education and help in moving towards their goals, then check out my “no lock-in contract” monthly coaching program.
The MONTHLY COACHING PROGRAM provides you with the support you require throughout your financial journey for a fraction of the price for $37 per month.
I’ve just opened up this program, as I’m getting a lot of questions asking if I have a monthly coaching program for a small cost.
In a world where tech advances have in many cases, made life easier than our parents and grandparents time. Why is it that for some of us, we are less content and happy with what we have – than previous generations?
I was scrolling on LinkedIn the other night or should I say morning and thought how so many of us are all vying for a piece of the pie. The pie that enables us to pay our bills, grow our business and build on long term wealth.
It was the early hours at 2 am that I sat at my desk wondering why.
I was supposed to be sleeping but wasn’t because my brain was overloaded with thoughts on how I can impact and help so many people who, on the surface appear to be doing well, but are not and are struggling financially.
Struggling to get ahead, trying to make ends meet and longing for more financial freedom.
Now I’m not talking about the kind of freedom that few achieve from massive wealth like Tony Robbins, Bill Gates or the Richards Branson’s of the world!
I’m talking about the financial freedom you get from not having to worry about mortgage repayments or even having a mortgage at all.
It’s the freedom of never having to worry about how you’re going to make your money stretch further and the freedom of not having to worry about money on a day to day basis.
That’s the kind of financial freedom I believe most are striving for.
There are many possible reasons why so many are financially struggling…
Here’s my top 3:
The obvious one is spending more than is earned.
From extensive personal debt that never seems to get paid off, and
Keeping up with those more fortunate or “keeping up with the Joneses” as the old saying goes.
Spending big on personal debt, whether trying to keep up with others or not and thinking you’ve got it covered at the end of the month (when you don’t) is a disaster resulting in crippling interest repayments.
I do feel we’ve lost some of the basic money management skills and fundamentals in how to work money to our advantage.
We don’t plan and save money. We think the good times are going to keep rolling on.
The problem with this mentality is that when an unexpected interruption comes along, whether it be a relationship breakdown, loss of income or our health is under pressure, we’re just not prepared and this has an enormous impact on our financial wellbeing.
Without the foundations in place when things go pear-shaped, as they do from time to time. Not having a money safety net to catch you and take the pressure off while you get back on your feet, can become very stressful.
There’s no denying it that people are doing it tough today.
I speak regularly with individuals, businesses owners, tradies and other professionals who are all looking for the same thing.
They want to get ahead, take the pressure off worrying about money coming in and just have more fun in life.
What I’m hearing and seeing is that under the surface people are really struggling.
They’re either doing it really tough feeling overwhelmed and struggling or frustrated and in pure survival mode.
The one thing I do know is that when you have the money foundations set right – it takes enormous pressure off.
Sadly, money stress continues to be the No 1 factor amongst our peers, our friends and our family.
The way to alleviate this stress is to look at financial education and getting the basics down and then building from there.
The start in my opinion to any healthy financial position is first looking at what I call “cash essentials”.
Cash Essentials is about ensuring you are saving and putting an amount every time you get paid or paid for work you do in separate a savings account.
Putting a minimum of 10% into a savings account away from your everyday banking is a forced discipline and if you put this on autopilot the amount you’ve set gets deducted and transferred into this saving account.
It may not feel like much at the start but when you factor in how quickly this can compound and grow you’ll be amazed at what you will have a few short years.
I’m still surprised today that so many do not have a regular savings plan set up.
That’s the first and crucial step to building financial muscle. The second is looking at what you’re spending.
It’s all too easier today to overspend and credit cards were designed that way to help you spend money you probably don’t have.
While we are becoming more and more a cashless society, there is a way you can get back control and that’s by switching from a credit card to a debit card. The debit card acts the same way but you’re only spending what you have and not what you don’t have on credit.
This is an awesome way to ensure you don’t overspend for those tempted to keep pulling out the plastic and losing control over their spending.
These suggestions are just a couple of basics that can be put in place today. However, in the end, it’s up to you and only you if want to live a financially free life.
It’s funny how we always find the money when it’s something we want and this is why we are a nation of spenders and not savers now.
If you’re serious about becoming financially free there’s an awesome resource available at “How to Keto Your Money” a 21-day kick start money program design to get you and your money is shape as quickly as possible.
Oh my gosh, can you believe it we’re now halfway through the year?
HELLO JULY! I feel like I only just came back from the January holidays.
Before we know it Christmas will be here and the stresses of having to make our money stretch that little bit further will be upon us.
So today, I feel it’s time to share some tips on preparing yourself before the year is out and having your money work a little smarter for you by looking at ways you can spend less and save more.
In this blog post, I’m going to share with you my top 10 tips on how you can spend less without feeling like you’re missing out.
So let’s dive into it.
No 1. Check Your Bank Accounts Regularly
First thing you need to do is check your bank accounts regularly. This first tip will save you a lot of money from extra charges and online fraud that seems to be happening more and more today because we’re buying more online.
Go online to your banking app or if you receive bank statements via post then check them. Look down at the debit column and make sure what’s coming out is what you’ve authorised.
Check to see if there’s been no internet fraud on your account, any subscriptions that you thought were cancelled that haven’t been and make sure there are no unauthorised amounts. If something doesn’t look right or you don’t recognise that transaction on your statement then call your bank immediately to get more information on what that debt is for.
Today with the click of a button via our fingerprint on our smartphones we approve new apps and before we know it we’ve subscribed to something that we hadn’t intended on having long term but have forgotten to cancel the subscription.
So make sure you go through regularly your bank account statements. This is the first step to keeping more money in your pocket.
No 2. List Your Debts Down
Listing your debts down will give you an idea how much you’re throwing away on interest payments that could be better used for growing your nest egg.
Look at your current debts, whether they be personal loans, credit cards, store cards or interest-free loans. Grab a piece of paper and at the top label it “Debts”. Then make 4 columns.
The first column you’re going to call it “name of debt” this is where the debt came from ie; the bank, company or person you took the loan out with
Next column you’re going to call “amount owed”
Then column 3 will be named “minimum monthly repayments” and
The last column you will label “interest rate”.
I’ve already prepared a worksheet that’s available in the resource area which you’re more than welcome to download to make it simpler and easier for you to get your debts down on paper.
Next, I want you to take a good look at what’s going out every month from the “minimum monthly payment section”. Add that column up to see how much you are giving away to the banking institution every month on your debts.
Ok so you may be going into heart failure right now and need resuscitating or you might be feeling ok realising that you don’t have as much debt as you had thought.
So what I want you to look at is whether there are any debts you can quickly pay off.
When it comes to your credit card call your bank or credit provider and negotiate with them for a reduced interest rate. If they’re not willing to look after you, research other providers who are more than happy to offer you a 0% interest rate on balance transfers for a specified period of time.
Banks are more than happy to talk to you about transferring your credit as they know secretly that you’ll never pay the card off before the free interest expires. But because you’re super smart – you will be paying down as much as you can on your credit card debt before the time comes due, so you’ll end up with a zero credit card balance in the end thus saving you hundreds and I mean hundreds of dollars in interest payments!
This is definitely one way of putting more money back into your pocket and seeing you spend less on monthly bad debt interest payments.
No 3. Start Using Cash
While you’re enjoying your interest-free credit card for the next 6 or so months make sure you leave your credit card at home and take cash with you. This will stop you from spending on purchases that you can’t afford and will also give you the chance to clear the current debt away.
Using good old fashion cash instead of using credit as this will see you spending less money because you’ll become more aware of what you’re spending your hard earned money on.
No 4. Your Small Change Adding Up Big
Save your coins!
How many times do you pay for things with cash and end up with small change and coins in your wallet or purse?
Go back to what your grandparents did and keep a jar in the kitchen cupboard and every time you get coins, add them into the jar. You’ll be surprised at how quickly it adds up to some decent dollars, which you can then use to pay off your credit card debt faster, or put towards your savings account.
No 5. Zero Monthly Bank Account Fees
Next, look for a bank account that has zero bank account fees.
Did you know you could save in excess of $500 per year just by banking with a bank that doesn’t charge monthly account keeping fees? There are plenty so shop around.
I recently did this with my personal banking accounts and I now have no monthly account keeping fees which add up to more savings and less spending.
No 6. Lookout For Foreign Transaction Fees
When shopping for a bank with zero monthly account keeping fees I want you to keep in mind whether they offer a visa debit or credit card with no foreign transaction fees.
Why is this important? Well, every time you use your credit card to buy things online whether it be via PayPal or using your credit card, you sometimes are buying in a different currency and when it converts back you may be paying a foreign transaction fee.
These are hidden fees that most consumers aren’t aware of.
In my business I use a range of apps and services that are generally from the US. When I had my previous visa debit card/credit card to pay for them – I was often slogged a foreign transaction fee and because I checked my accounts regularly started seeing this increase.
So I rang around to find out which bank or financial institution offered a card with no foreign transaction fees and luckily when I moved my personal and business banking halfway through last year I was able to take advantage of a card that offered “no foreign transaction fees”. This has seen me save hundreds of dollars a month.
I honestly hated seeing money disappear on fees, especially given I’m a money person who loathes having money come out of my account that I didn’t use or intentionally spend on. This has given me more back into my pocket, which I love.
No 7. Preloved Items
An area often overlooked is buying items second hand.
Don’t be too proud to buy something second hand online from companies like Gumtree or eBay – as you can pick up some awesome bargains. I also encourage you to go for a clean out around your home and look to earn some extra cash with items you can move on through the use of these free online selling sites.
For anyone struggling to get an emergency fund up to $2000, this is a great way to de-clutter while earning money on stuff around your house that is just gathering dust.
No 8. Bargain Shop & Shopping Online
Look for specials. Again don’t be too proud to get a bargain or special when you can.
Here in Australia, there is an app called “Fuel Watch” that lets you know the cheapest fuel for the day.
Filling up your car on the day that fuel is between 10- 15 cents cheaper will save you loads at the bowser.
There are other ways you can spend less and that’s by doing your shopping online.
We save hundreds of dollars by doing our shopping online and retailers encourage you by offering specials throughout your online shopping experience.
No 9. Discounts & Special Offers
Number 9 on my list is using Entertainment Cards & Discounts.
I wanted to share this one with you especially, as the other day my parents were buying their great nephew a 21st birthday present at BCF which is a camping and fishing store.
When they went to purchase his $300 gift card – they presented a card called The Entertainment Card.
This card offers many discounts and specials on things like dining out, shopping, travel & leisure to name a few.
So when they got to the checkout they received a 10% discount which meant our nephew is going to receive a $300 gift card that only cost my parents $270.
Bargain! Not just for my retiree parents but for anyone who loves to grab a bargain and save money.
When you start adding up the savings and discounts you can receive, it adds up to the hundreds sometimes thousands of dollars depending on what you’re buying.
So don’t be too proud to check out where you may be able to get a discount – as essentially you’re leaving good money on the table.
And lastly, another way for you to look at spending less and having more money is to…
No 10. Make Your Own Coffee
Yep, I know you love to go out and have someone make your coffee on a daily basis – I get it – coz I do too.
Why not look to invest in a coffee machine where you can buy good quality coffee beans or pods and then treat yourself once or twice a week to a takeaway coffee.
Today it appears that everyone I visit has their very own coffee machine at home.
Australians love entertaining and part of this is serving good coffee to our guests.
We are no longer happy with just servicing up our guest Moccona – we want to impress them with a good cup of coffee.
When you do the numbers – coffee machines depending on the type will pay for itself in no time.
An example of this is if you were to look at the upper end of a pod machine by DeLonghi – that’s fully automated you can pick them up new for under $350 – $400.
I’ve seen this fully automated pod machine come down to as low as $250 during sale times.
Now if you’re really clever like my husband he used points that accumulated on his credit card linking his spending to a points system and got our machine for zero dollars yep zero!
Now there are of course cheaper machines but for this example, I’m using the one we got for our camping travels as we have another bigger machine on the kitchen bench.
If you are purchasing 1, 2 or 3 coffees a day which I know a lot of people do it could be costing you around $10 – $15 + a day per person depending on what type of coffee you order and what size AND don’t forget to add in the sweet treat that normally goes with it!
We save hundreds of dollars when we travel around Western Australia because we take our little portable fully automated DeLonghi pod machine and we use the money we save paying for sightseeing instead.
So how long do you think it would take for your $200 – $300 coffee machine to earn its keep?
Well, it would take just on a month before it would have paid for itself and even less if you look at cheaper one.
Don’t believe me then do the numbers yourself – as you may be surprised at how much you are spending daily if not weekly on coffee.
Today there are so many ways to put more money back into your pocket while spending less and without having to cut costs or stick to a budget that most of us struggle to work with.
I trust this has given you some inspiration on how you can look at ways you could spend less, put more money back into your pocket and start feeling good about the way you can manage money better.
Where are the ways you could spend less while enjoying more money in your pocket?
Leave me a comment below as I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time here’s to your financial health, wealth & happiness.
