Recently I listened to a friend of mine Belly Ache over the fact that they couldn't afford luxuries that all their other friends could. "My friends have gym memberships, they go out to dinner once or twice a week, they get to go to the spa. They have the coolest clothes and get to go to date nights all the time with their significant others. I'm so jealous of them!" Mind you, I just shortened their rant in two simple sentances, I had to endure a whole hour of complaining. At the time all I did was encourage them that better times are coming, but what I should have done was offer cheap alternatives that are just as good or even better that all these luxuries people waste their money on. Are you living on a tight budget like me? WEll never fear I have awesome alternatives that will blow you away.
Skip the Gym: Why pay $45 a month to go to a place filled with people who annoy you or people who make you want to barf? Seriously, I've been to a gym on a trial membership and I didn't like it. You either have to deal with gym snobs, perverts or creepy people. I'm not one to work out on a daily basis because I'm lazy but I do know some fool proof awesome workouts.
Stay at home. Once you know how to do yoga moves and proper workout moves you don't need to pay for a trainer. You can workout on your living room floor where you Don't have to be creeped out by that fat sweaty guy who keeps hitting on you. And did you know that you can pick up REALLY cheap gym equipment at yard sales? It's true EVERYONE wants to get rid of their workout equipment because they used it once and just got lazy! You can turn a spare room into your very own personal gym and you can use it any time you wish!
If you have a pet dog, start going out for jogs with your dog. If you have children, start participating in physical activities with them. If you like walking on tredmills try going for a walk in the park. If you like excruciating workouts help a friend move. I pile wood throughout the year for my fire place, it's hard work but very rewarding! I had a free membership at a grocery store where I stocked shelves and got paid for it! That's right I did heavy lifting and didn't have to pay a cent for a gym membership. You too can find all these luxuries for FREE! Some even pay YOU!
Have a Spa at home! A day at the spa might end up costing you $100 or more. Sure it might be a day filled with relaxation but I guarantee you can find the same relaxation at home for much cheaper. It's simple. Look through your Avon catalogue or go to your local drugstore. Buy some bubble bath, foot massage stuff, nice smelling things, candles, face masks etc. Now Go home, light some candles in the bathroom, play some nice music and pamper yourself.
I've been to a spa once, it was quite nice BUT I figured that for much cheaper I can have the same experience at home. I got my husband to join me in the bathroom, and we had a nice spa experience! I soaked my feet in a foot soak while he played with matches...the foot soak relaxed me and my husbands opportunity to play with fire relaxed him. Then we went upstairs into our bedroom and gave each other a nice massage and yada yada yada great spa experience. It cost us a grand total of $5.
Cheap Date Night: When you go to the movies it always ends up costing over $50. It's like $12 per person to get into the movies and another $30 to buy popcorn, pop and nachos. They over charge for food big time. Want to know how to enjoy a movie night for $15?
Step 1: Find out which theater has a cheap night. There's usually a Tuesday $5 admission. Why go on a weekend when it's expensive when you can go in the middle of the week and save money?
Step 2: Go to a grocery store. Purchase a big bag of pop corn (or chips if you hate popcorn) a 2L bottle of pop, and some snacks. You might spend $5-10 on snacks depending on how hungry you are.
Step 3: Bring your big tote bag OR put the purchased food items in a shopping bag and throw a sweater on top of the food. (So that it looks like you just went shopping!
Step 4: Smuggle food into theater...it's easier than you think I do it all the time! They NEVER look because students tend to work at theaters and they don't give a rats ass what you smuggle in there.
Step 5: Enjoy your date night and be happy that you just saved up to $30
Have No money? Easy, have date night in your living room. Download a movie or watch one you already have...it's not nice to illegally download stuff SHAME ON YOU. Pop some pop corn, cuddle and enjoy. I have a date night practically everynight...sometimes we watch movies and sometimes we play XBox.
Dinner: Learn how to cook, set the table nicely, cook some food, enjoy! It's much cheaper than dinning out. Yes I know it's nice to have someone else cook your food, if that's the case order take out, bring it home, put the take out on fancy plates and organize it in a fancy way and enjoy a nice quiet evening. Theres also nothing like combining dinner and a movie! Skip the table, head strait for the living room, put a movie on and enjoy!
Clothing: It has come to my attention that Vintage and old styles are in style. There's no more new trends, they are simply old ones brought back. Like leggings for example, they were out of style for years and now every girl wears leggings! Bellbottoms are said to be back in style. Why go spend tonnes of money on new clothing when you can buy second hand clothes cheaper? (Under garments are not reccomended to be bought second hand EVER that's just nasty.) Go for a treasure hunt at your local Second Hand shop! Shirts and pants are clean when washed it isn't like you'll get cooties from wearing clothes that have been worn before. I've found brand new clothes on the racks of Valu Villiage.
I haven't shopped for new clothes in years now. I've saved lots of money. I get complimented on clothing I got for free! I have a wardrobe that may have cost me no more than $100. I happily go treasure hunting for cool clothes and it's quite fun. Stop spending top dollar on clothes when you really don't need to.
You too can save lots of cash. Just stop craving those luxuries like evfryone else, be proud of yourself for not giving in and be free of finacial stress. If you skip all the expensive methods you might just be able to pay off that dreaded credit card! OR You may even be able to afford a nice vacation!
No comments:
Post a Comment