To save money, try to resist temptation
You don’t have to play Uncle Scrooge to be penny wise and hoard for the future! The journey is the key. We will discuss here how to exercise a bit of restraint in a number of small- yet- effective ways, so that you can maintain your lifestyle, discover new and better habits, as well as save along the way!
Firstly, you have to understand where do you spend your money.
Typically, if you are an earning member of the family, and assuming that basics have been taken care of, your outlay will range over expenses to do with food, entertainment, and shopping.
Eating out
When you eat out, you expect high standards in terms of quality, ambience and service. So, how do you make the most of it?
■ Try eating out at lunch instead of dinner. There are some great deals and great value to be had at lunch time set menus and buffets.
■ Ask suggestions from friends and relatives. The best bargains are usually discovered by word of mouth.
■ Enjoy a drink at home before you head out to the restaurant. This is a good option if you want to cut your bill by half.
■ Cash in your vouchers. Many places offer deals on meals — scour local magazines for the latest on what’s hot and when.
■ Eat out in a group. It will be more cost- effective
■ Many restaurants offer discounts to prospective customers via SMS. Read your message carefully before discarding it.
■ Order an appetiser as a main, or split a main course with a friend. Ditch dessert.
■ Skip the fancy places and check out the neighbourhood dhaba.
■ Be sure to ask for a doggy bag for anything you can’t finish. Leftover restaurant meals make great lunches for the following day.
■ Fill up on the extras. Snacking on the compli- mentary peanut masala or bread sticks means more of your meal will go home with you.
■ And to complete the experience, drop by earlier to identify the best table, reserve in advance and don’t forget to tip well, so that they remember you the next time. Or you could just forget dining out and order in!
Entertainment
■ Check your paper and local magazines for events in the city. You will be surprised at the number of cultural, literary and spiritual happenings that occur on a weekly basis, and a lot of them for free, or a fraction of the price of your movie ticket.
■ Indulge in a hobby. Not only will you learn something new, or revive a past craft, but you will also derive satisfaction from it, and meet new people at the same time.
■ Rediscover your city. Whether it’s the local park or library, or a visit to a museum or an architectural site, revisit places you’d taken for granted until now.
■ If you can, catch a movie on a weekday. Ticket prices could be cheaper for morning shows, Monday to Thursday.
■ Entertain at home. But be smart about it. Suggest a pot- luck and BYOB, throw in a good movie and you have the makings of an excellent evening with friends.
Shopping
■ Go generic. Don’t always opt for branded products. There are savings to be made when you choose the in- house store brand, to a national one.
■ Buy in bulk. This saves you money if you shop smart and buy those items that have a longer shelf life.
■ Don’t shop when you are hungry.
■ Avoid the ready- to- eat trap. They are expensive and not healthy.
■ Don’t shop with the family. If you have young children, all those extra goodies will add to your bill.
■ Try discount and seconds shops, and the factory outlets.
■ When shopping for clothes mix and match.
Online shopping
Shop online for bargains. You save on the cost of the product, as well as on petrol, by shopping through the Internet. However, take care not to compromise to security. Here are some tips:
■ Shop from a secure computer which has up- todate anti- virus and security features.
■ Use only specific trusted sites.
■ Try alternative payment methods like a virtual card, which is a onetime card with a specified credit limit that you need to use within a specified time frame, usually 24 hours. Or try a prepaid credit card.
Go ahead and adopt some of the ways suggested above and optimise your resources for maximum fun.