It's never too early or late to save

When this pandemic happens, we were forced to work from home to lessen the physical contact from our colleagues but one of the advantages of this is I am able to save more. I admit, that I was not able to save on these past few years because I keep buying the things that I really want when I'm not yet working. Well, there's nothing wrong with that but in the long run, it will turn into an addiction.

Every payday, I always have this in mind that I have to treat myself. It's either I'll buy food ( which I don't usually buy because it's expensive ) or buy clothes. Anything that will satisfy me. For the past few years, I'm always like this and it always turns out that I don't save. I save a little bit but when I saw something that I want to buy, I can't help but spend it.

One time, I saw a video of this man, he is a financial adviser. In his videos, he always tries to point out that people should always save or invest. I learned from him the 3-day rule technique. When you really have the urge to buy this specific thing, You should ask yourself this 3 questions:

1. Do I really need this?
2. What will happen if I don't buy this?
3. What will happen if I bought this?

Then, If you really want it. Wait for 3 days and after 3 days, you decide if you really need it. That's how I decide now. and when you grow older, you'll realize that you're spending too much money on the things that will not benefit you in the future.

Here are a few saving tips that I learned so far:

1. Choose basic clothes versus what's trendy - I'm guilty of this. I always want my clothes to go in style. I want my clothes to be what's on-trend. Well, maybe because I'm still in my 20s. But what I learned from buying basic clothes rather than stylish and trendy one is basic clothes don't go out in style. You can always wear them without being called old-fashioned.

For example, this classic converse Chuck Taylor All Star. I had a few pairs of this when I'm still in grade school and when I'm in high school and they're never out of style. I'm still seeing people wearing these classic kicks.

2. Bring your own food - This is when you're working. Instead of buying foods on the nearby convenience store or in the cafeteria. I know some of you might say " I don't have a lot of time to prepare so I always buy my food ". but it is a matter of how you manage your time. However, I also failed to follow this. Even when I have my packed lunch. If I saw my favorite meal/food in the cafeteria 10/10 I will buy that. But the important thing is you don't do this on a regular basis.

3. Learn to say NO - Some of my colleagues always want to eat outside after shift and most of the restaurants that they want are not cheap. I mean it's good if there's something to celebrate like you do this occasionally but your savings will suffer if you do this on a regular basis.

One time, I'm serious about my savings and my friends want to buy this drink. I tell then I don't want to but they keep on bugging me. They end up buying me one cause they can't convince me to spend. I felt bad because they have to buy me but in the end, It's like my way of telling them that I don't want to spend too much because I want to save.

4. Wait for SALE - If you can notice, malls usually do sale every end of the month. However, you have to bear in mind that " Doesn't mean it is on sale, you need to buy it ". Some people usually caught up in this trap. They thought that when they bought an item on sale, they're saving a lot of money. but the question is, do you really need it? Yes, you bought it on sale but if you don't really need it you'll end up wasting money rather than saving.

For Example, I need extra memory for my laptop. The regular price is around $80 but I waited for the sale and that time the discounted price is $60 plus the other vouchers that they offer during that sale period. I end up saving almost $20 from that. I need that so badly before the sale, but I choose to wait.

I know some of you might disagree with some of this but these are the things that I learned from my experience and it helps me save more.

" It's ever too early or late to save "

If you reach this point, thank you for ready this article.

Keep safe!

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