How to Save Like a Boss

I wanted to write something about saving money. The problem is, I’m not really a budgeter or a planner. I pretty much fly by the seat of my pants. Most of the articles you read about saving money are going to talk about writing down every penny you spend and seeing where your money goes. And to be honest, that is probably way better advice. And if you are that type of person you should go read some of those articles. In fact, my friend J$ at BudgetsAreSexy.com has some awesome free templets. Just Click Here to see them.

But if you are like me and you don’t have budgeting and planning in your DNA I’ll tell you how I do it. Find someone who makes a lot of money, marry them, and put all the money in the bank.  

Just kidding. I wasn’t that lucky either. But, having a partner in crime does make it easier. I think the best idea, if you are a couple, is to try to live on one income and save the other one. Just think if that beautiful person lying in bed with you every night decided you sucked, and they left you tomorrow. You’d suddenly have to learn how to live on just one income. I’m sure that won’t happen because you’re awesome. As a couple, you only have one rent/mortgage, power bill, water bill, etc. I think you should really be able to save a little bit more than one-person’s salary because your expenses shouldn’t be all of your paychecks. If you are living paycheck to paycheck you really need to re-evaluate your life decisions. Seriously. That may sound harsh, but you are not going to make it if that is your current situation. If that is just, where you are right now, that is one thing. But you had better get a plan on how to get out of that situation in 6 months or less. That is what I’m here to help you do.

Regardless of whether you are a single person or a couple. Or, maybe you’re Mormon and you have multiple wives. It doesn’t matter. If you are having trouble saving money, I can help. Here is the one thing you need to know. There is really only ONE key to success. Ready? Here comes a truth bomb... Spend less than you make. (Insert the music from the angles here)

Spend less money than you earn? Is that really the advice from this blog? Yep, it sure is… But there is more to it than that.  So you had better keep reading. I’m going to tell you how to do it.

Here are a few tips to get your costs down. Before you roll your eyes and say you’ve heard this all before. You are here reading this article for one reason… you can’t save money (or at least you could be better at it). Think of these as the fundamentals of getting ready to become a worldwide real estate investor. Every pro athlete has a coach and they still go over the fundamentals. Think of the stuff you want to achieve in your life as the ‘mentals’, and you want to ‘fund’ them. Well, you need fund-a-mentals for that. (I just came up with that clever example as I was typing… that’s why you love me and I make the big bucks) I have done all of these at one time or another and some I still do. 

Here we go: Dump the cable. Dump the gym membership. My wife and I are the self-proclaimed king and queen of happy hour. I could write a whole post on that topic. We love to go out to the bars and have some drinks and get a bite to eat. But, we do it early and then we come home and cook dinner. If you are a single person or even a couple, ask your neighbor to split the trash can. Look for more sharing apps and opportunities. This is another area we can learn from the millennials. They would rather share than own. They want the ‘experience’, not the ‘thing’. I’ve always been a ‘thing’ person. I inherited hoarder genes from my mother but my wife is a minimalist. It is a constant struggle in our relationship. But I must admit… I think she is right on this one. I’m trying to transition to a life of less stuff and more experiences. I feel like I’m digressing. I’ll get back on track. Loose the car payment. I have literally never had a car payment in my life. I did own 3 vehicles at one time, but I paid cash for all of them. I have also always cut my own hair. It sounds like a little amount, but $20 every two weeks is close to $500 a year. If you do 10 things that save $500 a year then you just put five grand in your saving account. It really does all add up. There is also a big point I also want to make here. Don’t deprive yourself of things. I have a bad habit of ordering the cheapest thing on the menu. Get what you want in life, in the store, and on the menu. But just be conscious of what you are spending. Saving $2 to get the chicken instead of the steak isn’t going to delay your quest for Financial Independence. Oh yea, and I think that I’m obligated by law to tell you stop buying lattes. But on bigger purchases really think about if you need it or if you want it. And shop around. I’m buying more and more things online (I’m a late adopter of this because I love shopping IN STORES). Look at Amazon and Ebay and use things like shopify or INSERT OTHER AFFILITES HERE______________________________________ and take advantage of things like EBATES___________________________ 

It isn’t just about cutting things out. You can also make more money. People often forget about this step. Ask for a raise. Get a side hustle. Or get a different job altogether. I hate when I hear people say they are stuck. You’re not stuck, you just being lazy. People tell me they wish they could what I do, or they wish they could go to Morocco, or they wish whatever. Why can’t you?

I’m sure I could google ‘ways to be a cheap skate’ and write down 100 more ideas. But I’m trying to keep it real. These are the things that I do. I’d love to hear your frugal habits and maybe I can learn a few things from you. Put some of your ideas in the comments.

And as always please subscribe to my blog to help support my lifestyle and help me keep bringing you awesome content. I need to know I’m helping and I’d love to hear what else you’d like me to talk about.