3 Incredibly Important Strategies That’ll Help Your Paycheck Last the Entire Month
A month is a long time. You know what makes it even longer? Not having enough money to last till your next paycheck. Sadly, there are probably too many people in Singapore who live from paycheck to paycheck.
Yeah, it’s easy to say that the only people who live month to month are those who spend recklessly and lack proper budgets. Not true.
Bad luck can happen to anyone.
You might get into a major car accident that totally wrecks your vehicle. You might get saddled with a huge medical bill as a result of that car accident. You might get retrenched and have to settle for a lower paying job.
Got the picture now?
Good, because here are 3 ridiculously simple ways to make your paycheck last the entire month:
#1 Make Adjustments to Your Monthly Expenses
The easiest way to make your current paycheck last is to make amendments to the bills and utilities you’re currently paying. In fact, you’ll probably save the bulk of your paycheck-extending savings with this method.
Making adjustments to your monthly expenses will require some time and sacrifice on your part – but it’s a surefire way to free up more of your precious income. Seriously, you’ll be able to unlock hundreds of dollars that would have otherwise been tied up in bills and utilities!
Here are some key expenses you should adjust to keep more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket:
Refinance Your Home Loan: When was the last time you refinanced your home loan? If it has been a few years since you did, right now might be the perfect time to refinance and save yourself $100-$500 per month depending on the refinancing package. Sound good? You can get free advice on the best refinancing deal here.
Review Your Insurance Policies: Now, there are three ways you can save money. You can make policy coverage adjustments that lower your monthly payments, compare insurers and choose one that offers similar coverage for less, or you can use a combination of both approaches. You can compare insurers offering car, health, life, and home contents insurance here.
Adjust Your Mobile Plan: Do you fully utilize every minute, text, and GB of data your mobile plan offers? If not, it’s probably time you changed your plan to something more suitable for your usage needs – and cheaper!
Adjust Your Cable Plan: Do you really need that many channels and do you really spend enough time at home watching cable to make the expense worth it? If you’re paying $120+ on cable, you might be able to save about 50% by switching to Netflix (or you can save even more by reading #3 on this list).
Adjust Your Electricity Usage: How much do you spend on electricity every month? Now, cut that number by 50% and you’ve got how much more money you can potentially save each month. You can read how to do that here.
#2 Embrace the Coupon
There’s no shame in hoarding coupons. If you see them on the floor near the mailbox trash bin, it’s OK to pick them up. After all, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” right?
If your mailbox (or those of your neighbors) doesn’t get many coupons, the easiest way to get them is to just be part of a retailer’s mailing list or “preferred” shopper program.
If physical coupons aren’t really your thing, you can take the digital route with the following websites:
iPrice Coupons: Includes coupons from retailers such as Zalora, Qoo10, Hotels.com, and StreetDeal Singapore.
Deal.com.sg: Includes coupons you can “purchase” for a variety of retail products, dining, wellness, and travel deals.
GreatDealsSG: Includes coupons and discounts for a wide variety of dining, events, lifestyle purchases throughout Singapore. Highly recommended site!
#3 When It Comes to Entertainment – Pay the “Iron Price” Instead
I know how important entertainment is to you. But it’s a tad expensive in Singapore isn’t it? I mean, to get a halfway decent cable package typically means spending over $100 a month – for shitty service no less.
But there is a way you can watch your favorite shows and movies without having to pay a single cent. All you need is a decent internet connection.
Do you watch Game of Thrones? If not, let me familiarize you with the concept of paying the “Gold” price and the “Iron” price for something. When you pay for something through the use of currency (ex. your monthly cable bill), you’re actually paying the “Gold” price.
However, when take what is yours through the merciless conquest of your opponents – that’s paying the “Iron” price. So how do you pay the “Iron” price when it comes to your cable provider?
Simple. You take what yours by saying “screw you, I’m paying the Iron price for my entertainment,” and watching your favorite TV shows and movies with sites such as itvmovie.eu.
The internet is full of such sites, so feel free to ask your friends about which sites they prefer. Godspeed!
What are some other simple ways to make your monthly paycheck last? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook! For even more useful information on everything personal finance, visit MoneySmart today!
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