You’ve heard the saying that life is for the living and that we weren’t put here to work, pay bills, and die. It’d be great to relax and have fun, but how do you squeeze entertainment into a budget already packed too tightly as it is?
Living on a paycheck-to-paycheck budget can be stressful. If anyone deserves some fun in their schedule, it’s you! If taking time off work to do something relaxing sets off a domino effect of more stress, it’s time to revamp what you’re doing.
These small financial tips can help you make room in your budget to have a little more fun in your life!
1. Shop Smart
Do you find yourself randomly walking grocery aisles with no idea what you really need? Frequently rushing to the store at the last second to find something to make for dinner?
Those types of shopping styles can cost an average family hundreds of extra dollars a month. Chances are, you’re loading up on things you won’t use and buying things you need when they’re not on sale.
Instead, grab the newspaper and grocery ads for the upcoming week. Write out your weekly grocery list based on the BOGOs and sales. Use what’s on special to determine your meal plan for the week.
Even if you have to go to two or three stores to get the best deals, you can save a lot of money this way!
2. Eat Out on a Budget
Restaurant dining is a multi-billion dollar industry around the world. Who doesn’t love the freedom of not having to cook or clean up after a meal occasionally?
When you’re on a tight budget, though, this often seems like a perk for everyone else. It’s possible to dine out at restaurants without breaking your bank if you do it with a strategy.
You can cut your dining out costs significantly by:
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Signing up for rewards clubs and only eating where you have a discount
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Looking for ‘kids eat free’ specials if you have young children
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Skipping the soda and opting for water instead
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Splitting a meal with someone else
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Eating at restaurants without servers if you can’t afford a tip (never skip tipping your server just to save money!)
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Watching for weekly specials and getting those
Cooking three meals a day, every day, can be exhausting. Let someone else do the work occasionally, but eat out smart!
3. Earn Extra Money
There are so many ways to earn a little extra income from home today if you know how to find the real deal.
Are you always playing games? Do you like to take surveys? Do you have an email address?
If any of those answers are yes, you can easily earn cash and gift cards to use for fun activities. There are some legitimate sites, like Ibotta and MyPoints, that have been around for a while.
Just for buying groceries and scanning them or opening an email, your rewards add up. Cash them in and use the money you earned to do something you enjoy!
4. Cut Out Subscriptions
It’s so easy for subscription services to get our money automatically every month.
We sign up for things we don’t use and just keep paying for them. We get talked into “trying” services for free and forget to cancel them. These little bills add up if you’re not careful!
You may be losing money in your budget because of services you don’t even use. Pull out your bank statement from the past two months and scour it over.
Where are you being charged for subscriptions you aren’t using? Or what services do you have that you could switch out for something cheaper?
Since you don’t notice that money coming out now, cancel it and use the funds to have fun instead!
5. Set Small Goals
No one wants to work hard all the time and never get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But dreaming about that tropical paradise vacation can seem like a goal you’ll never reach on a tight budget.
If you set small goals to get to your big target, though, you’ll get there faster than if you never try.
Life is going to keep coming at you whether you’re saving for your dream or not. The sooner you start working towards it, the quicker you’ll get there!
Set a target of whatever you can reasonably save each week or month to put aside for your big goal. Use these small targets to give yourself something to look forward to, but hide the money away so you aren’t tempted to spend it!
Conclusion
Happy people tend to be those who are able to have fun in their lives. Living on a tight budget can make this difficult, but not impossible.
If you want to enjoy the rewards of your hard work, try these tips to squeeze in a little discretionary income in your life!
