Reducing your spending habits to save money can be overwhelming. Whether you’re saving for a house, or retirement, or just in case: the whole world of finances can feel overpowering when you have no idea what you’re doing.
I’m just a simple girl who loves fashion and the occasional take-out meal. I don’t know anything about stocks or options or ETFs (even though I should because I did take a finance class in Uni… but oh well).
If you’re looking for actual financial advice, this post isn’t for you. But if you’re like me and want to spend a bit less without denying yourself everything you want, just keep on reading! Here are 5 very easy ways I use to spend less and save more.
1. Keep clothes that are too small or too big
Keeping clothes that don’t fit your current figure seems to go against every closet declutter rule ever. And I know it might remind you of those jeans you used to keep to motivate you to lose weight. But this is different.
Let me give you an example. I personally always adhered to the concept that anything that doesn’t fit right now should be donated. And I always did. Problem is, my weight does fluctuate. And when I got pregnant, this fluctuation caused to me have to buy everything new, multiple times.
Had I kept those jeans that I loved but that were a bit too loose, I wouldn’t have struggled as much during postpartum. And when I then suddenly lost a lot of weight due to postpartum anxiety, I had to buy a whole new wardrobe, again. Might as well have used clothes I had some years ago.
Of course, not everything should be kept. Things that don’t suit you or your lifestyle can go. But do keep those pieces you love but can’t wear right now. Put them somewhere in a box, just in case.
2. Keep clothes you love that are out of style
Trends come and go, and then come again. There is no need to donate items you like but feel outdated in at the moment. Chances are, you’ll be happily wearing them again in a couple of years.
Just keep the ones that you love wearing and that are good quality! The need for good quality clothes only increases with age in my opinion. 😉
3. Learn to recreate your favourite take-out meals
Take-out can be pricey. But there are usually two reasons why we order take-out when we’re at home: when we don’t have time to cook, or when we really crave a certain meal.
When you don’t have time to cook, there’s not much you can do about that. But let’s say you often crave certain meals you’re used to ordering in. Being able to recreate some of those favourites can really help with spending habits! And bonus points if you make big quantities and freeze some portions for those days when you can’t be bothered to cook.
4. Save money by buying second-hand
A lot of the time, trying to spend
As of now, most of my clothes are thrifted or bought on platforms like Vinted. Same thing for my son’s clothes (and toys!) which can be so expensive new but can be bought in bulk for super cheap when they’re used.
Books can be bought used for a fraction of the price, too. If you’re in Europe, I love world of books. 😉
I also love thrifting furniture or upcycling the things I own. Speaking of upcycling:
5. Learn how to DIY what you want
Sometimes, the cheapest way to get exactly what you want for less is to just make it yourself. Learning to DIY can take time (I’m still learning to sew and it’s hard!) but can ultimately save you a lot of money if you’re really into clothes/decor/food.
The only thing I would not do is trying to save money by sewing an item of clothing from scratch if you’ve never done that before. The reason for that is that fabric can be so expensive. (I least where I live. Maybe that isn’t the case if you live somewhere with actual thrift stores and can get thrifted fabric for cheap.) Buying expensive fabric, the right supplies, and then messing up the garment is just not worth it. Especially since the fabric often costs more than the finished piece, which is insane to me.
Great things to DIY are:
- pieces of furniture (you can repurpose your old furniture or thrift a piece and then paint or decorate it),
- décor (nothing easier than painting jars or bottles to make cute vases)
- clothes makeovers that don’t require professional sewing skills (think iron-on patches, cropping tops or jeans, adding elastics or darts to make waistbands smaller, etc.)
What do you think? What are your