Whether you’re in college, starting out as a young adult, or have had some kind of financial hardship in your life, here is a list of ten things that can help you get to the other side of things without completely losing out. your mind.
1. Change the bottle – it doesn’t matter what kind of bottle it is. It could be an old pickle jar, mayonnaise jar, cider jar … whatever. I prefer glass ones. Something about the sound of the change hitting the glass works for me. Make sure it’s really clean and dry before you ditch all the gear, EVERYTHING, and let it sit. Don’t ‘borrow’ because the money you borrow only reduces the amount that will be there later, when you really need it for gas, food, whatever.
2. Jar of dollars – at the end of each day, put as many as you have in your wallet, pocket, wherever you keep your cash in this jar. Like the jar of change, leave it alone. “Borrowing” from this jar only guarantees that it will be a $ 10 maximum revolving jar. It is not something that is going to be of great help when needed. Trust me. It took me a while to leave this jar alone because dollars are so much easier to handle than change, and so much easier to spend. Also, don’t bank against the jar: “Oh! There is $ 10 in the jar. I will use my debit card and then put the money from the jar into my bank account to cover this desired item.” Once again, trust me. It never turns out that way, and if it does, your dollar bottle will go back to $ 0. It’s not a big emergency fund.
3. Buy the expensive shampoo, that’s fine. I know this sounds ridiculous when money is tight, but naked with me. I have spent years buying cheap shampoos with very little criteria other than what I could afford and it would clean my hair. Once, when I was still doing move-in cleaning, someone had left their shampoo and conditioner half full or better yet more expensive – the jackpot! Do you know what I found out? Expensive things were really the way to go. My hair looked better, healthier, and it took a lot less shampoo to clean it, which means it would last longer, and it did. Much more. In fact, months later, I am still using this shampoo and conditioner and I still have a ton left. I would have needed to buy cheap stuff multiple times by now. Better quality = less money spent in the long run.
4. Buy organic and all-natural products: Organic products can be a bit pricey, but they are like expensive shampoo: they last longer and need less product. I had the opportunity to try an organic body wash for free. I needed a body wash and thought why not give it a try. In the worst case, I would hate it, go too fast and go back to my usual body wash of whatever is on sale. From the very first use, I realized the benefits of being organic. It took very little product to cleanse my entire body, about a tenth the amount of cheap stuff. More money up front, sure, but less money overall.
5. Buy Trial / Travel Sizes – Why Buy Trial / Travel Size Items? For backup, of course. It really sucks when you go to grab your dish soap, shampoo, soap, toothpaste or whatever, only to find there is nothing left, or not enough to do the work you need. What can make this worse is when it happens a week before payday or when you’re not really sure when the next dollars will come in. Have a ‘trial size’ location to store your trial size items so you can find them when you need them. If you use all one, remember to replace it as soon as possible.
6. Make sure to cut your hair, at least every two months; I know you might wonder how this helps you overcome poverty, but you would be surprised. When you let your hair down, it shows and people notice it more than you think. You don’t have to go to the best salon, get the full shampoo and the blow-dry / style offer. Just go trim, clean things up. Not only will you present yourself more positively to others, but it will also make you feel good.
7. Get comfortable with thrift stores – thrift stores are great! When a garment has started to show signs that it has reached the end of its acceptable life cycle, it is time to replace it. Clearance sales at regular stores are great and definitely worth a look, but know, just like thrift stores, it will take some time to scour through things to find the item or items you are looking for at a price that is comfortable for you. disburse. Over the years, I have taken the time to find out which thrift stores near or near me have the best selection and quality of donations. Replacing a worn shirt with a worn one is not going to improve things. It’s definitely worth the time to search different thrift stores to find the one that will have the best quality secondhand items. Yes, these stores may cost a bit more than those with a lower-quality donation selection, but it’s worth a dollar or two to look good, resulting in feeling better.
8. Coupons – Yes, coupons. I’ve never been able to understand this as the coupon queens being talked about, but they can be valuable, even in small amounts. A friend of mine gave me a coupon the other day that gave me 23.3 fl for free. oz. bottle of one of the best brands of olive oil. There are tons of coupon pins on Pinterest and a Google search will provide you with a ton of results if you want to discover coupons. Even that single coupon is helping to stretch the dollar a bit more.
9. Gift card budget – I think this one is a bit out of the ordinary. It was something I started doing when we started to stabilize in our VR life. They would pay me and then distribute the money on a gift card at our regular grocery store, a Costco cash card for gas, and one for Papa Murphy’s Pizza (we love it on Tuesdays). This helped keep the money going where it needed to go instead of the soda one of us had to have at the convenience store, any impulse purchase that came our way, or that thing that you really, really need (want) go on sale. which seems like a ridiculous price at the time. Yes, this means that if you need the money that is on these cards for an unexpected emergency, you don’t really have access to it, which can be frustrating to say the least. If you run into one of those events, check out the change and dollar jars.
10. Meditate. I know this may seem a bit off topic, but I assure you it is not. When money is tight, it can be extremely stressful. If you’re like me, that means you’re constantly doing the math in your head, figuring out this and that, how and when, etc. I spent a lot of time in my head trying to solve the world’s problems (well, my world at least) and without stopping to meditate daily for a minimum of 15 minutes it left me crazier than the Mad Hatter. I’m sure those 15 minutes a day have saved my life along with the lives of my husband and my dogs.
Being bankrupt, just getting started, or having a cash shortage can be very stressful. Be kind to yourself. Remember this is temporary (hopefully). Also remember that temporary can sometimes be longer than you thought it would be.
When money is tight, personal care tends to fall by the wayside. Don’t give it up, even when you think you don’t care. If you can’t move on, how are you going to get your finances in order and move on? Do not worry. You got it.