Life is not easy. We are neither animals nor plants that can live without clothing or survive through sunlight. We are people who need food, clothing, and protection. But these things do not exist for free. We cannot get food, shelter, and clothing simply by wishing or by looking at the sky. To earn it, we must work for it. We work so that we can buy not only our needs but also our desires in life. Here are some financial secrets to keep in order to survive.
“Money makes the world go round”. Judging by today’s events, situations, and happenings, the quote mentioned is quite accurate. However, you cannot fully understand these situations unless you have tried to make money. Demanding money from your parents is as hard as working for it. You will never realize the value of money until you want it too much or you have lost it.
Have you heard the story of Carlos Slim? One of the richest men in the world, whose net worth dropped $27.1 billion last year. He used to be the second richest, right after Bill Gates. But today he’s being named one of the biggest losers of 2015 on the billionaire list. He was once the king of investments. Although he was intelligent, he failed to manage his spending wisely. So the moral is – if great people like him can fail, then who are we?
With new technologies and inventions, saving money is probably one of the most difficult things to do today. There are many temptations around us today, such as new and trendy heels and shoes, the latest style of dress, new and better make-up brands, newly released gadgets, limited edition bags and perfumes, and so many things we can’t list here. Life is not just about luck; there will come a time when we will encounter hardships and financial problems in our lives.
Also read: Most Expensive Home In the World
Read How I Struggled With My Life…
In my experience, it is difficult to earn money at a very young age. During my high school days, I went to school during the week and worked on weekends. Working is easy to say but hard to do. The money I earned from the work I used for my school enrollment and to buy school supplies. I even tried to work for others in the household, as a member of staff in a bakery and as a salesman in a grocery store.
If you are still dependent on your parents, you should think about saving money. I don’t say or write this just to brag about how hard I work or how I am a loving daughter. I am writing this to tell people who can read this that it is not easy to live and survive in this world.
101 Financial Secrets To Know Before You Are 30
Whether you work or depend on someone, the important thing is to learn the value of money, even if it is only a penny. For a healthy financial life, it is important to understand these financial secrets.
1. Learn The Word “Budget”
In most cases, people spend money recklessly without knowing its value. Spending money recklessly is just like doing all that hard work for nothing. Budgeting is one way to save money for future use. In my experience, it is easy to spend money that you have not earned. If you work to earn, then you should know how hard it is to have money. If you know that, you will also be careful when you spend it.
Download Budgeting App For: iPhone, Android, Windows
2. Avoid Lavish Spending
This attitude is realistic. If you only get money from your parents or earn just enough for your needs and expenses, then forget about buying expensive items like designer bags, shoes, clothes, and perfumes. If you plan to eat in a fancy restaurant, forget it. If you earn just enough, you may go overboard with these types of expensive food, and you have a tendency to run out of money.
3. Learn to say “NO”
Learning to say no is difficult when it comes to money. When you stroll through the mall, you can see many beautiful things that you might think you want to buy. However, they have a big price tag. There are times when these things are not included in your budget. If you go one step further and buy them, you might be in financial danger. Save this money for those rainy days. Remember, a penny saved is like a penny earned.
4. Record Your Expenses
In this way, it will help you to evaluate everything and the amount you have spent in the past days and weeks. You will also know if you have spent too much money in the last few days or not. By recording your spending, you will also have the opportunity to reassess your spending and adjust it.
Download Expense Tracker App For: iPhone, Android, Windows
5. Create A Budget That Is Right For Your Income
Plan your meals and only buy things that are appropriate according to your earnings. You can create a chart with percentages for each need.
6. Separate Your Needs From Your Wants
Distinguishing between what you want and what you need will help you stop buying the things you don’t really need.
7. Estimate Or Change Your Standard Of Living If Necessary
If you have magazine subscriptions, I think it’s time to cut back on them. It’s not good to live a wasteful life; use this money to save for a rainy day instead.
8. Know Your Priorities
Allocate budgets for things like food. This will help you to put a different emphasis on things.
Prioritize Your Tasks With Wunderlist App: iPhone, Android, Windows
9. You Can Try Doing A Cash Budget
On each payday, allocate a certain amount of money for things you need. For example, put food, clothing, and bills money in separate envelopes. If the money in one envelope is used up, it means that you should already stop spending on that category.
10. Avoid Having Credit Card Debts
While debt is inevitable when you are really involved in emergencies, avoiding it is really a good choice to save money. Debts, especially credit card debt, will only drag you down because of high-interest rates.
11. List All The Things That You Need, Not Want
When shopping for groceries on payday, you have to list all the things that you only have to buy, not those that you want to buy. For example, you have to buy milk because you have run out of milk. Buy only the milk you need and avoid looking at other products.
12. Minimize Electricity Consumption To Save Some Money On Paying Bills
In this way, even a small amount of money can be saved during the payment period. And watch less television. Reading a book is also a way to spend your free time.
13. Learn How To Cook
When you learn to cook, you save yourself fast food and expensive restaurant specialties. If you order meals from fast-food chains or in a restaurant, you will only incur more costs. Cooking your own meal will not hurt you if you do it well enough.
14. Bring Lunch Or Snacks With You
During working days we always tend to get hungry because we use up a lot of our physical or mental energy. If you go to a cafeteria, you are just wasting your energy and money. Instead, bring a packed lunch or a snack like a sandwich to save money.
15. Always Save For Emergency Purposes
We don’t know when we’ll need money. Emergencies like accidents or health problems are inevitable. Therefore, it is better to be ready in case you encounter these times in your life.
16. Find A Part-Time Job Or Another Source Of Income
To help you save money faster, finding another source of income is an option. Having a job is good to pay all your expenses, but it is better to have another source of income for others besides the basic expenses.
Related: 100 websites to help you earn at home
17. Practice Saving Up Money For Big Purchases
This attitude is patience. Instead of buying equipment like televisions in installments, it is better to save money until you have enough to buy a television outright. If you buy equipment in cash, you can save the interest that you would pay in installments.
18. You Should Pay Your Bills On or Before Its Due Date
Who would have thought that paying bills on time could save money? Instead of paying penalties for late payments, you can pay your bills on time so that the money you spent on fees can be used for another purpose.
19. Learn About Investment
One way to save money is to invest. There is no right or appropriate age to learn about investing. However, I think the earlier the better. Learn how to achieve impressive returns with your money.
20. Enjoy Yourself At Home
Fun is not always found outside. Sometimes it’s more fun to enjoy yourself at home. Watch movies, make some snacks, and read books not only to entertain but also to keep you from spending money outside.
21. Learn To Be Creative When It Comes To Fun And Leisure
Meeting friends does not necessarily mean that you have to spend money on a snack or coffee. You can invite your friends to ride a bike, take a tour of your neighborhood, or talk to them on foot.
22. Enjoy Your Day With Your Friends Outside
Having fun with your friends is a good idea, but you don’t have to spend much. You can go picnicking in parks and bring some snacks while you enjoy the scenery of the surrounding area.
23. Not All Good And Fun Things In Life Have A Price
Many cities offer free programs such as cultural events, concerts, and movies, where you can enjoy a day with your friends.
24. Not All Fun Comes From Things
Being together with your family and relatives is also fun. You can talk to them, crack jokes, and spend time with them so that you can bring not only happiness but also fulfillment.
25. Borrow Money Only If It Is Really Important
There are times when you get sick or do not have enough money to pay some school fees. If this is the case, there is no harm in taking out a loan, but at the same time make sure that you can pay back the money on time.
26. Be Vigilant When You Have Borrowed Something From Others
If you need something, for example, an SUV because you have something important to do and you have rented a car from a friend, you need to be extra careful when using it. Because if something goes wrong, you’re the one who pays.
27. Pay Your Credit Card First Religiously
Usually credit card debt has higher interest rates, so it must be paid first so that the interest does not add up. Trust me, if that happens, you’ll be even more dragged down.
28. If You Do Not Need Money, Do Not Apply For Loans
Sometimes other people apply for loans just because they have something to buy. But this is not a good habit. Do not apply for a loan unless you need it most.
29. If You Really Need Money, Look For Lower Interest Rates
If you have no other option than to borrow money, look for loans that have lower interest rates compared to others.
30. Though You Are Paying Loans And Debts, Don’t Forget To Save Money
Even if you are paying off your debts, saving should not be stopped. Even if the money you save is not that big, it will become really big over the years as you save.
31. Open A Checking Account Differently From Your Parents
No specific age is required to open a current account. But it is really good if you try to be financially independent when it comes to your finances. If you learn these financial secrets earlier, it will help you and train you in how to handle money wisely.
32. Open A Savings Account On Your Own
Having your own savings account is a good choice. Regardless of whether you have a purpose for saving or not, it is good practice to start saving for yourself.
33. Inquire About Retirement Account As Early As You Can
When you talk about retirement, it does not necessarily mean that you have to be old. It’s good for you to learn these things as early as you have time.
34. Know And Learn About Health And Life Insurance
“Health is wealth,” is a popular quote. In order to save more money in the future, you need to take care of your health. But it is inevitable that you will get sick sometimes, and therefore you have to apply for insurance. Later on, when your health condition worsens, you don’t want to have to think about hospital bills.
For me the list on the previous page is general and part of the 101 financial secrets you should know before 20. However, the above tips are not very detailed when it comes to basic things in everyday life. Because a man has different needs and desires than a woman.
For this reason, the tips on financial secrets may differ according to gender. Therefore I have to elaborate on some tips for men and women so that they can be understood at a young age and, if you have the chance, you can apply these tips in your daily life for a better future.
Practical Saving Tips For Women
- Instead of going to the salon for manicure and pedicure, do your nails yourself. (This article from Cote may be of help for it).
- When you order a take out, don’t pay with a credit card, but with cash.
- To be fit, you should start exercising at home.
- Only buy things like clothes that you can wear often.
- Women love to preserve their beauty and skin; use natural products.
- If you want to go somewhere, use public transport.
- If you want to browse newly released songs, check them out on free sites like YouTube.
- If you don’t have something you need to buy, never go clothes shopping.
- Buy the things you need, like hairpins, make up tissues, and everything else in bulk.
- Turn off the appliances that you are not using.
- Instead of using body wash, use soap bars that have the same ingredients and effects.
- Plan your meals.
- Never go food shopping when hungry.
- Designer items are not always cool and trendy.
- At the end of the day, don’t forget to drop your coin change into a jar.
- If you want to make extra money, a garage sale is one of the best ideas.
- To warm up the morning, make your own coffee.
- Always bring cash with you.
- Instead of buying cleaning tools, research how to make your own tools.
- Compare the prices of the things you want to buy.
- Fast food every day is not always good.
- Always check the expiration date before buying goods in a grocery store.
- Always check your savings at your bank.
- If you want to go somewhere else to relax, buy your ticket in advance.
- Avoid smoking and do not take drugs.
- If you have shopaholic friends, do not try to follow them or compete with them.
- Learn to take care of your things properly.
- It is not a bad thing to buy things that are on sale.
- Learn to find and use alternatives for the items you wanted to buy.
- Withdraw money from your bank.
- Wash your clothes yourself instead of taking them to laundry.
- Be creative when it comes to your things.
- Start taking care of your hair yourself instead of going to a hair salon.
- Plan or set a day without expenses.
- Establish a “meat-free day” at least once or twice a week.
- Only spend less than you earn on your payday.
- Start paying up your bills online.
- Invest in things that can last longer.
- Sell unused products such as shampoo online.
- Cut down unnecessary phone usage.
- When you go on an adventure trip, borrow the necessary things from your friends.
- Before buying things, weigh up the pros and cons of buying them.
- Instead of going to a bar with your friends, invite your friends over for a drink.
- Health is Wealth.
- If you want to achieve a certain look, make it possible with the things already in your wardrobe.
- Avoiding ATM charges is also a way to save money.
Helpful Saving Tips For Men
- Minimize the number of visits to computer game stores.
- Prepare your own meals like breakfast.
- Purchase quality items.
- Men have a naturally active social life; limit the number of times you go out.
- Quit drinking and smoking.
- Men are usually aware of their physique; going to the gym is not always the solution.
- Instead of pursuing expensive hobbies, books are a good alternative.
- When you travel, bring your own food and water.
- Shave using a safety razor.
- Avoid buying several razors by extending their life span.
- Sometimes men are just too busy with their lives, but washing and ironing your own shirts also saves money.
- Instead of going to the hairdresser, you should try to cut your hair yourself.
- If you go to a grocery store, bring a list with you.
- Reduce the number of times you go out for dinner.
- Buy board games for entertainment instead of sitting in front of a computer in your spare time.
- Save energy and electricity.
- If you already have a mobile phone, you don’t need a landline.
- Make your own gifts on special occasions instead of buying them.
- If you have something to fix in your home, borrow tools from your friends.
- Plan weekly menu meals.
- Try to be a vegetarian from time to time.
Conclusion
Apply these financial secrets to ensure that you have a proper financial life and manage your expenses properly. If you feel that I have missed something important here, feel free to write it in the comment field.
