The Bachelor’s Guide to Savings

Source: http://www.singleguymoney.com/2010/01/bachelors-guide-to-savings.html

Cut back on your gadget intake. If you are trying to make ends meet or just want to be able to afford to save a little money for a rainy day, look at the gadgets and accessories in your life and think about which ones you really need and which you can go without. For example, do you really need pay TV with extra HD channels and recording functions which you don’t know how to use (or remember to use)?Subscription television can be several hundred dollars each and every month and that’s after you’ve paid to have it installed and surely a bachelor like yourself has better things to spend his money on. Instead why not hire movies rather than subscribing to the movie channel – if you remember to return them before the due date it’s much cheaper. Or watch sport at the pub, you’re probably there anyway – that’s why you don’t remember to record your shows at home! And what about that phone with all the internet applications, can you cut back on that and have a phone which just does the things you need it to do? You can after all check your email and use the internet at home – or better yet, while you’re at work.

Cut back on your takeaway intake. Ordering takeaway and having pizzas delivered is great but the costs really add up when you do it a lot. Therefore, to save money on your bachelor lifestyle cut back on the amount of takeaway you order. Cooking and eating at home will save you money and make you feel better when you have a proper meal rather than one between two buns. You can even save money on your shopping as you take back your kitchen by examining what’s already in your cupboards before you visit the supermarket. You’ll probably find a lot of cans and pasta packets that will feed you for a week before you have to spend money on groceries yet again. before you go to the supermarket next time, remember to make a list of exactly what you need to save you money on buying things you think you need, and forgetting the things you really did need and having to make two trips. Making a list will also help you avoid stocking up on more junk food at the supermarket because if it’s in your bachelor pad, you’re going to eat it – so don’t bring it in. Cutting back on junk food saves you money too, and will go even further to making you feel better and keeping you in shape, two important factors for a bachelor on the prowl.

Save money on your dates. You don’t need to be a complete tight arse when it comes to the girl of the hour, just make some simple cut backs to save you money and she probably won’t even notice. For example, split the bill when you’re at a restaurant for dinner she’s probably already suggested it anyway and instead of immediately brushing off the idea to appear chivalrous, share the cost. To save on pre-dinner drinks which can be expensive from a bar or restaurant, you could have drinks at your place or hers before you leave. Or to save on your fuel costs suggest to meet your date at the restaurant or bar so that you don’t have to drive out of your way to pick her up and drop her off. Return home. You don’t have to go back to living at home to save on your rent, but your parent’s place can be a hive of money saving tips and tools for a bachelor. For example, invite yourself to dinner one of two nights a week to save on meals for yourself, or do your washing in your mum’s machine instead of going to the laundromat or powering up the clothes dryer on your own power bill. Plus, before you go out and buy household items for your bachelor pad, see whether your mum has anything you could use. Your parents’ house will be a treasure trove of unused linen, packed away dinner sets and mismatched dining chairs which you can commandeer to save you money in furnishing your home.

Use a dedicated savings account. If in the course of helping you with your washing your mother neglected to mention the importance of a savings plan, you need to start one now, because if you are going to be more conscious about your spending habits, you should also keep track of the savings you are making. To help you with this step, open a dedicated high interest savings account which you can operate primarily online. In this way you can make instant internet banking transfers to your savings, plus you don’t have access to the account with an ATM and withdraw card to spend up big on a night out with the boys. A savings account will also allow you to set up a regular transfer from your everyday account to your savings fund every payday. In this way you are paying yourself first , contributing to your savings growth and you won’t even notice because the transfer is automatic.