This is most likely obvious to everyone here, so I apologize in advance if it's useless information to you.
Most of my life, whenever I went shopping I'd always buy the marginally cheaper item when presented with a choice, like going for the 3.85 ground beef over the pack that costs 4.
I'd also do stuff like keep the heating off unless absolutely necessary, wrapping up with blankets most of the winter in an attempt to shave a bit off my gas bill.
Over time all of this adds up, I know, but I realized that what else adds up with these small improvements is quality of life. I mean, if there's one thing you should be happy spending money on it's a higher standard of living... a comfortable life.
My real savings came from cutting down on unnecessary expenses.
One big reduction was on certain activities some class as 'socializing', specifically going out drinking. It seems really stupid spending carefully at the supermarket, then hitting a bar on the weekend and forking out hundreds on drinks. At first I thought I was missing out just staying at home, but going back to that now, what I'd miss even more is being able to get up early on Sundays without a headache.
Another, which might not be possible for many people, is not driving. If I really need a car for something I now rent for the day or take a taxi. Honestly, it's nothing compared to the yearly total costs of owning a car. Cycling is also nice.
Then there's the long tail of pointless purchases that I no longer make. I've now taken a more minimalist approach to living. I don't mean "throw everything out and live in an empty apartment with white walls and a mac" kind of minimalism, but simply just not buying anything I don't need. I've reassessed my priorities and put more emphasis on better living rather than simply saving for the sake of having more money in my bank account.
tl;dr spend more on things that make you happy, don't buy things that don't.
March 05, 2017 at 05:25PM
