Life is short, and the cost of living is skyrocketing. Here are some tips I’ve found that can be little wins to help day to day.
Automate as much as you can.
Ask yourself, “What is a simple task that can be automated, no matter how small?” Autopaying a bill or creating an email rule to clear your inbox on a regular basis adds up. Make.com, IFTTT.com, and Zapier.com are all helpful tools. Tasker, Automate, and Workflow are just a few of the apps available for Android and iOS. Both IFTTT and Make.com have apps for both platforms as well. The possibilities are endless.
Delegate what you can.
If you don’t have to, why bother? Keep your focus on the things you genuinely enjoy and adore in life. Take some of the things you don’t have time or energy for and delegate them to others. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a personal assistant or a housecleaning service, there are ways to save both time and money in the long run. While it may seem counterproductive to spend money on something you could do yourself, if it alleviates stress and frees up more of your time, it can result in increased focus and thus productivity.
The little savings can add up.
Find a coupon for $5 off. Make good use of it. Do you get 1 point for every dollar you spend? Don’t let any points slip through the cracks! These little things can add up over time. Don’t belittle a buck. These little things can add up to thousands over the course of a year. I’m not making this up. With different cashback programs, monitoring for deals, or credit cards, I can make more than $3000 in savings over the course of the year. Take advantage of freebies, but don’t take them for granted!
Think of the big picture.
Sometimes we get stuck on the short-term. It is critical to view the big picture in the long run. Are you going to save money over time? Is the decision you’re making going to be good for you in the next five years? Here are two examples. Tesla: I had been driving a GTI for two years and it cost about $10,000 less to buy than a Tesla at the time. However, after doing some research and cost analysis, it turns out that the GTI was more expensive to own in the long run. Another example is that I pay nearly $2k in annual fees for various services, but these services allow me to profit $3k more per year than if I didn’t have them. A little extra money spent in the short term can help in the long run. Ahem, our concierge service. 😊.
