10 Great Ways To Save Money For An Epic Shopping Spree

10 Great Ways To Save Money For An Epic Shopping Spree

 

The festive season is all about shopping! But for that, you need to have a bit of a corpus saved up. If you aren't sure where to begin cutting corners, here are 10 great ways to saving money for your epic shopping spree!

We get it, you love your Starbucks caramel macchiato first thing in the morning, but a daily indulgence like a store-bought cup of coffee can add up to quite a bit at the end of the month. Instead, make your own coffee at home, and indulge in your favorite store-bought coffee once a week as a treat.

Cut down on your phone bills

 
If you talk, text, and browse the web excessively on your mobile phone, you should make a conscious effort to cut down on that. Try and use your home or office landlines to make phone calls or use free apps like Viber if you make a lot of international or STD calls. You could even ask your mobile service provider to suggest a plan that will best suit your usage.

Carpool

 
Travel is one expense that can be quite massive, especially with fuel prices soaring with each passing day. Cut down on travel costs by carpooling with co-workers who travel in the same direction as you. You can share fuel expenses and will also have company while getting to and returning from the office.

Unplug all electrical devices you aren't using 

 
Did you know that even if you have disconnected your phone from your charger, but have left your charger plugged into your wall socket with the switch in the 'on' position, it still consumes electricity and costs money? Unplug all electrical devices you aren't using.

Use CFLs instead of regular bulbs

 
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are in high demand these days due to their many benefits like an extended lifespan and significantly less electrical usage. While you may end up paying a little more for a CFL light bulb than a regular one, it will cost you less in the long run where electricity bills are concerned. Opt for branded CFLs as they are known to be more energy efficient. Here's an interesting tip - when you are comparing bulbs, use the lumens number and not the equivalent wattages. The lumens indicate the actual amount of light that the bulb emits.

Cancel magazine and newspaper subscriptions that you don't really read

 
If you have subscribed to magazines and newspapers that you don't really read and only just skim through, ask yourself, will you really miss it if you cancel it? If the answer is no, go ahead and do that. An unread subscription is nothing more than expensive clutter and you can put that money towards your holiday shopping spree.

Cook extra food and store it in your freezer 

 
Whenever you get down to cooking, make a few extra portions so that you can freeze the extra portion and use them as future meals. You could even take the extra leftovers to work the next day or pack it in your kids' lunchboxes. Don't throw your leftovers away, because on browsing the web, you will find tons of ingenious recipe ideas on how you can give your leftovers a makeover to get a brand new, delicious meal.

Cut down on eating or ordering out 

 
You come home tired from work and the last thing you want to do is whip up a three course meal. So you automatically reach for the phone and dial the local pizzeria's number. While ordering out can be time-saving, it takes quite a toll on your expenses. Instead, have some shortcuts in place like have your maid cut the veggies before you get home from work, or look for simple recipes like sir-frys. You could also start a tiffin service which is more economical than ordering in.

Groom yourself at home 

 
Think about the amount of money you spend on facials, haircuts, waxing, bleaching, manicures and pedicures every month. You could end up saving quite a bit if you cut back on how often you go to the parlor. For instance, if you go for a mani-pedi twice a month, start going just once a month. You could also groom yourself at home with the amount of DIY grooming products available in the market that costs a quarter of what you would spend at a parlor or salon.

Have a garage sale 

 
You probably have tons of clothes, furniture, books, accessories etc in your home that you probably haven't used for ages now. If these items are just sitting in your home collecting dust, have a garage sale. While the concept of garage sales isn't very popular in India yet, you could post your unwanted items on Quickr or OLX.