#savingmoney

[bitchesgetriches]

Just a friendly reminder, my lambs. You don't have to celebrate capitalism's most sacred of high holy days.

[glowettee]

✧ how to actually save money as a student (without giving up your coffee) ✧

hey lovelies! ♡

now, i'm sure you've noticed by the title that this post is super important - saving money while still enjoying life! i know the struggle of wanting to be financially responsible while not completely giving up the things that make us happy.

here are my tried and true money-saving secrets:

smart shopping tricks

use student discounts everywhere (seriously, just ask!)

shop seasonal sales only

join loyalty programs at your fave stores

use cashback apps for everything

meal prep to avoid impulse food buys

little daily saves that add up

make coffee at home 4 days a week

bring cute homemade lunches

use your student gym membership

walk or bike when possible

share subscriptions with friends

money management basics

track spending in a cute budget app

automate savings (even USD 5 weekly helps!)

use the 24-hour rule for purchases

separate wants from needs

keep an emergency fund

being good with money isn't about restriction, it's about making smart choices!

pro tip: create a "treat yourself" fund - save a little each week for guilt-free splurges!

xoxo, mindy 💫

@glowettee

[transboys]

Anyone still use this app?

Trans man stocking vending machines during my lunch break to save up for my wedding later this year!! Come follow along on TikTok or Instagram! I would really appreciate the support! 😁🫶🏼

[blackboujeebeauty]

Stacking Your Coins 101💰✨

As 2021 comes to an end you may be coming to the realization that

Maybe you didn’t save up as much money as you may have hoped for in the beginning of the year

You want to go into 2022 with a better understanding of your finances or getting that aspect of your life under control but you may have a hard time finding a saving method that works for you consistently.

Or you simply wanna save for something specific in mind

One of the valued aspects of life for the BlackBoujeeBeauty brand is Financial literacy and Financial Freedom. Financial literacy is having the set of skills and knowledge that allows you to make informed and effective decisions with your financial resources. Having control of your money is so important for ones' self development by separating ourselves from old habits and creating new routines and methods that not only work and benefit us but that we enjoy doing.

Having money coming in whether it be from your day to day job, investments, business ventures, partnerships and brand deals, assets and inheritance is a luxury that we should not take for granted but knowing how to make your money work for you and knowing where your money is going is an even bigger flex. In today's blog post we are featuring saving methods you can try as well as some tips and tricks on how you can always stay ahead of the game when it comes to YOUR money.

Repeat after me.

"IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY OR TOO LATE TO START SAVING MONEY"

Now in my early 20's I sometimes find myself thinking damn I could have started saving way earlier then I did. If I would of have started saving that lunch money and Elementary book fair my parents would give to me then just maybe I would be up there with Miss Robyn Fenty herself in the coins department. Okay... maybe I'm exaggerating just a wee bit but a girl can dream right? Unfortunately we still have yet to develop the technology to time travel soooo I had to get a grip and teach myself financial literacy.

Tips for saving $$

The first step to getting on the road to creating a better relationship with your money is, Knowing how much money you have available to save and knowing how much money you are actually willing to save. Going over your monthly income, expenses and bills is a good start on knowing how much you are able to save based on those factors. If you currently don't have any bills, Lucky you! but also keep in mind that a bill can also be something so little as those monthly subscriptions you don't even realize that you're subscribed too!

After you reviewed everything over and get a solid range on how much you feel comfortable saving find a method that works for you of where exactly that saved money will now be allocated. There are so many methods on how to allocate your money and I'll be sharing a few that I have personally tried myself some that have worked for me and others that may work for you.

Savings Challenges

Widely popular on Pinterest and accessible templates that can be found all over the internet are Saving Challenges. Saving Challenges can be based on daily, weekly and monthly deposits. These challenges usually should be started at the beginning of the year so that you can see the growth of your money throughout the year and what a gratifying feeling that is! These challenges are great if you are a beginner when it comes to saving as you can find a challenge that works for your budget and eventually move onto the challenges that require you to save even more money in a certain time frame. One of my favorite money saving challenges is the 52 Week Challenge where you deposit the dollar amount the reflects the number of the week in the year that it is leaving you with a cute coin at the end of the year. These challenges are great if you have a savings goal in mind for saving up for a vacation, trying to pay off some debts, building up your emergency fund, whatever it is that you want to save for these are a great way to start. These Challenges are fun as you can do them with friends and family that may have a similar goal, create your own Savings Challenge that works within your budget. Having people around you that are working towards a similar goal can be more motivation for an individual to achieve said goal.

Out of Sight out of Mind

One method of saving that I have always found to work for me for years and also requires the least amount of work is the Out of Sight out of Mind rule. A reoccurring issue that I found myself having is that when all my money was in one bank account with a Personal Checking account and my Savings account that I had easy access too I would dip into my Savings account if my Checking was lacking in funds, I had to come to terms that I could not handle having easy access to my savings so setting up an additional savings account with a smaller bank or credit union that I didn't have easy access to helped me build my savings back up because I couldn't constantly dip into it. If you find yourself having that issue as well this method could be helpful if you also have an impulse spending habit. Having Direct Deposit set up with this method is best because the money is automatically designated to the account that you chose so you don't have to move money around so much from bank to bank.

Piggy Banking

I know you're probably like a Piggy bank? really? but lets bring it back to the basics for a moment. Piggy banks, money jars and whatever else you were able to get your hands on as a kid are some of the first ways we are taught to save money. Obviously as the years have gone on and the piggy banks have been broken into, sometimes starting a routine that we are already familiar with can be helpful as well. Money is money whether you find a dime on the street that holds value. If you have spare change lying around or loose dollars that may be sitting at the bottom of your bag try investing in a piggy bank, mason jar anything that can hold money put those nickels, dimes, pennies away because over time as you continue to pour more and more into it you are accumulating money that can one day be used for a big purchase. So don't count out the coins you may have lying around because those coins can turn into dollars and eventually Franklin's.

Envelope Stuffing

Currently one of my favorite ways to save money for specific goals and budgeting my bi-weekly expenses is cash stuffing with envelopes for my short term goals and sinking funds. This method does require the most discipline and consistency in order for you to see your hard work pay off as well as doing a little bit of math here and there but is is also a fun and cute way to see your money grow as well as getting you into the habit of not only saving but budgeting as well, because there is a difference. This method does require you to look at your income first. I budget by my bi-weekly income as I also work full time and get paid bi-weekly. Once you have your bi weekly income logged down you then want to subtract your bills (ie: car payment, rent/mortgage, gym membership, subscriptions, credit card bills) that will be deducted from your account during that time period, from that amount you then look at what you have left. This amount will be what you use to budget your reoccurring expenses (ie: groceries, gas, out of pocket medical cost, housing, etc) once you have dispersed your budget amount to the different areas of expenses what is now left over will be what you use for your short term goals and sinking funds.

Short terms goals: shopping trip, beauty items, nails, restaurant outing, birthday gifts.

vs.

Sinking funds: Saving up for a home, purchasing a car , paying a debt, school tuition, vacation.

The money that you put into your sinking funds should be for a long term goal that you have that will take a longer time to fulfill then your short term goals. I like this method because my money is broken down for a specific purpose in each envelope. I can track my progress and log when money is coming in and going out. This method has really taught me about disciplining my self to create a budget that is realistic while still allowing me to enjoy the fruits of my labor but not over spending or impulse purchasing. A con to this method is that if your income is deposited directly to your bank this method does require you to go to the bank to take out the cash that you will need to stuff your envelopes. This can be time consuming if you use more then one bank. To get a better understanding and visual of how you can do this at home check out @TaylorBudgets on YouTube!

Purchase your Mean Girls inspired Budget Burn Book here!✨

Debt Payment Tracker✨

Bi-Weekly Budget Planner✨

Cash Stuffing Envelope Inserts✨

Reading

Reading is what? FUNDAMENTAL. To get a better understanding of why something may not be working for us and how we can improve on that, reading is a great source for getting different perspectives on a subject. Some Financial Literacy books that have helped me understand the importance of preserving money are

"Broke Millennial" by Erin Lowry

"The Black Girls Guide to Financial Freedom" by Paris Woods

"Get Good with Money" by Tiffany Aliche

Investing

Investing your money is a great way to also grow your money over a period of time by making your money an employee of yours. Looking at your money as employees puts into the perspective that you must make your money work for you by giving it a specific job. There are many ways to invest your money into different accounts that will grow your money based off of an interest rate. These accounts are great for long term saving and setting up your future.

Stay tuned for an Investing 101 Blog Post 📈📉

If you decided to start a new journey of saving or fixing your relationship with money please remember this.

"Be patient with your coin" this saying has stuck with me from the moment I heard it and it serves as a constant reminder for me to be patient not only with myself but with my finances. I heard this saying from content creator @jnaydaily on YouTube who makes amazing content for self development, furnishing your space, branding and so much more!

Be consistent. You've probably heard this saying a million and one time but Consistency is very important in anything that we do. When we set goals for ourselves it can be hard to see the end of that goal due to lack of motivation, procrastination, self sabotage and even just life may get in the way of the things that we want to accomplish. Affirming to yourself to continue to be consistent and patient with yourself will help boost your confidence and get you to the goals that you set!

Affirmations. I got into the routine of saying affirmations everyday which has also elevated my mind by being kinder to myself through the practice of writing down my affirmations, saying them aloud or having them visible in my most personal spaces. You can also find our Daily Affirmations on Pinterest as well!

Money Affirmations

✨I am wealthy.

✨I am an abundant being.

✨I have many streams of income that support the life I want to live.

✨Money continuously flows to me.

✨My money will support generations and generations to come.

Get in the habit of saying these at least once a day for twenty one days straight and see how your mindset transforms.

Manifest

"See it. Say it. Sow it"- BlackBoujeeBeauty

Manifesting the life you want by visualizing it, speaking it into existence and planting that seed helps to create a healthier mindset and image of yourself that eventually you will grow more and more comfortable showing up as that person that you dream of being.

I hope you have found these tips helpful and that they serve you along your journey, because we are what? STRIVING FOR FINANCIAL FREEDOM. You got this, I'm rooting for you sis!

[bougie-bitch]

Acrylic Bank

[your-spiritual-journey]

"Money is like a sixth sense - and you can't make use of the other five without it." - William Somerset Maugham

[zerotometal]

DIY dried herbs

I cook a lot and that means going though a ton of herbs and spices in a year. I also receive a farm box once a week that usually includes parsley which means I was chucking it away for a while because I couldn’t use the fresh parsley fast enough, until a light went off in my head hey dummy you could just dry these in the oven and be done before the end of the afternoons.

After playing around with the temperature I found that 150 degrees for 10 minutes works perfectly. Once the trays cool down, I stripped the leaves off and dried them up in a mortar and pestle for a few minutes. From then I stash it in a little upcycled glass jar.

[robpyne]

Save on Water - Our 7 Tips • Savings Tips

Save on water to sustain your household budget and the planet. There are a number of simple tips that will help you to reduce your water bil