12 everyday habits that help save money

If you add up daily small expenses, then a decent amount will be collected in a year. Quora users shared their experience on how to save money by changing their lifestyles a little. Their leads Lifehacker.

1. Remember the difference between savings in money and interest

5% discount on a product worth 10 thousand dollars is not the same as 5% from 10 dollars. But our brain is used to simplify everything and may not notice this difference. So says programmer and economist Jap Wil.

After studying behavioral economics, I began to worry less about saving 20 cents on spaghetti, but I spent a lot of time to make a good deal when buying a car. And yet, I see people who spend a lot of time cutting food coupons, but never think about moving into an apartment cheaper.

Jap Wil

2. Do something yourself

You can have fun mastering new skills and performing various tasks. Mechanical engineer Betsy Megas (Betsy Megas) believes that this approach to life helps to have fun and save.

Things I have mastered: the basics of plumbing, interior painting, sewing, bicycle repair, cooking. I would also like to improve my building skills and understand the computer device.

Betsy Megas

3. Practice defer pleasure

You go shopping, suddenly your heart stops at the sight of a product. This is love at first sight. And the reason to stop. This is insisted by coach Angela Recruiter.

She recommends that you do not give in to the first impulse, but return to your favorite thing later and check if your desire has subsided.

Ask yourself if this purchase will make you happy in a month? And in months? Year, years?

Angela Recruiter

4. Do the math while you go shopping“Every time I go to buy something, I estimate how much the amount of this purchase will increase in five years at 10% per annum (this is slightly more than 60%),” says user Raghav Mishra.

If I want to buy something for a thousand dollars, then I ask myself: do I want this thing now or 1 600 dollars in five years? Depending on what I plan to spend money on - on a guitar that I need, or a phone that is not needed - I make a decision.

Ragav Mishra

5. Do not waste on status

Stop hanging out with wasteful friends. If you like to ski - go ahead! But do not go for the whole Christmas week in Aspen to lie in an expensive hotel. Go to the hottest time (and maybe not for a week), choose a cheaper place and hotel. If you are a real skier, you should not care about a hot bath, but snow-covered slopes. So says investor Terrence Young (Terrence Yang).

6. Track expenses and automate payments

User Colin Cahill recommends using online banking for all of his cards to keep track of money. He also recommends activating the “automatic payment” service. It is free and does not require any effort.

My landlord automatically gets paid for the 27 apartment every month. And I never need to think about it.

Colin Cahill

7. Prepare food in advance

Product Manager Zach Shefska thinks that one of the easiest ways to save money and avoid stress is to cook food yourself for the whole week.

I spend about two hours on Sunday cooking. And during the week I don’t worry about what I want to eat, don’t spend time waiting in queues and going to restaurants. It is easy, simple and saves you money.

Zack Shefska

8. Know when to invest in quality.

Management consultant Venkatesh Rao recommends saving health. He believes that you should not skimp on things that are used often, especially if they are related to your productivity. These include knives, a computer, a bed or a work chair. In the long run, these expenses will justify themselves.

9. Spend only your money

“Listen to your debit card, not a credit card (it is lying),” says web developer Ly Nguyen. Credit cards make you think that you have money when you don’t have it. And before you find out about it, you will get bogged down in debt.

If you already have a debt on loans, then your main priority is to get rid of it.

Lee Nguyen

10. Stop consuming after midnight

User Axel Wannstrom says that while still a student, he made a rule for himself: do not eat or drink anything except water after midnight. He simply did not see the point in eating or drinking when the body was supposed to sleep.

This strategy does not limit your experience or life in college and does not force you to be a miser. It simply reduces waste.

Axel Vannstrom

11. Use the five question rule

Belavadi user Prahalad offers a very simple tactic for saving. Before any purchase, he advises to ask yourself five questions:

1. Is this desire or need?
2. I need exactly this?
3. Do I imagine that I use it?
4. How often can I use it?
5. Is it worth my time?

12. Be content with what you have

Entrepreneur and management consultant Thomas Antunez (Thomas Antunez) calls for learning to love things that you already have.

Even before 35, I had five Porsches and three Mercedes-Benz. These are the eight biggest mistakes I've ever made. And they were all connected with my inability to be content with what I already had. Believe me, in the race of owning there are no winners.

Thomas Antunez