From changing the way that you shave to spending some more time at the local library, here are some super end-of-the-month saving tips!
1. CURTAIL THE CELLPHONE
Go through your cellphone bill, look for services you don’t use, and ditch them. Sit down and go through each item on your bill and see if there’s anything there that you don’t use, like a surfeit of text messages or web access or something to that effect. Then call your cell phone company and ask to have those services eliminated. Boom, you’re saving money.
2. CONSOLIDATE LOANS
Interest rates are quite low right now, so it might be worthwhile to consolidate your loans into one low-rate package. Look into the various loan consolidation packages – even a 1% reduction on a R10k loan saves you R100 a year – and your loan is probably bigger than that (and the rate cut you could get is probably bigger).
3. CHOOSE A 3-5 YEAR OLD CAR
When buying a car, go for late model used. These are typically cars coming straight off service and maintenance plans, meaning they were cared for by reliable owners. You’ll save around 40% on the purchase price and get an ‘almost new’ car that has been serviced and looked after properly.
4. HIT THE LIBRARY
Don’t look at a library as just a place to get old books. Look at it as a free place to do all sorts of things. Use it to learn a foreign language, meet people, use the Internet anonymously, check out movies and CDs, grab local free newspapers, and keep up on community events. Best of all, it doesn’t cost a dime.
5. USE A SIMPLE RAZOR
This is not for everyone but the basic safety razor is generally considerably cheaper than the expensive alternatives. Just shave in the shower and dry off the blade afterwards, using just soap for lather – incredibly cheap! The real moral of the story? Use a simple razor – not an expensive electric one that stops working in three years – and shave when you’re wet. You can get a very decent shave and save a lot of money over the long haul.
These tips may not suit everyone, but hopefully they inspire to make wiser choices around how you spend and save your hard-earned clams!