As you look at all the areas of spending in your life for ways to trim the fat in your budget, look for possible ways you are wasting money. This waste should be eliminated with little effort, as cutting that expense doesn't affect your quality of life.
No more wasting food now, it is a very important matter for me, I simply hate it. When you throw food out, your lose money. And even a couple of dollars worth of vegetables per week still amounts to $100 a year.
Buy what you need and optimize your grocery shopping. Grabbing a pack of gum at the checkout line of the supermarket is no big deal if you enjoy gums anyway. Buying 48 cans of tuna that will go bad in your pantry because tuna is not really part of your diet but ''the price was too good to pass'' is wasteful.
Prepare vegetables that are about to go to waste and freeze them
Freeze leftovers if you don't want to eat the same thing twice in a row
Have a shelf for stuff you need to eat soon in your fridge so you think about it before anything
I hate wasting energy too, what drives me crazy is when people stare at the fridge for half an hour, leaving the door open. We only have hot water in the shower at home, limiting the potential energy waste to kitchen appliances. With a little attention, you can lower your bill without lowering your level of comfort.
Turn off the lights when leaving the room
Open the fridge once when you start cooking and once when you store your food after the meal.
Stop the oven 5 minutes before your meal is ready and leave it inside until you eat.
Cook bigger portions and freeze them, using the oven for 12 portions instead of 2.
Lower the thermostat until you are uncomfortable, to determine your minimum temperature of comfort.
Cover your pots and pans when you are cooking so the heat stays inside and cooks your food quicker.
Wear a sweater at home and throw an extra blanket on your bed instead of turning up the heat.
Carpool, cycle, walk the rest of the time.
Run errands once a week, all at once.
Stop for gas on the way, do not make a detour.
Like buying too much house, buying too much car is wasteful. A single person living in a big city doesn't need a big SUV. Consider getting a car that fits your needs when you change it, or simply renting one when you need, and making do with public transportation and taxis the rest of the time.
Stop buying stuff and clothes for the sake of it, or because you are down and want to feel better. Your problem will not be solved and you will have two more problems, clutter and debt.
Try finding a new life to old things.
Give them a little TLC and try to repair, reuse, re-purpose anything you want to throw away.
Try to spend your money consciously. Do you NEED that? Will you use it often, or enjoy eating it? Do you need that much storage space and RAM on your new computer? Do you have to change phone every year?
Does wasting time really have to do with money? Yes, time IS money. Try to have meaningful activities, or do nothing on purpose. I really have to work on that one. If you have 12 productive hours a day, 8 at your day job and 4 on personal projects, you still have 4 hours for fun, 1 for chores and 7 to sleep. Throw in procrastination and your goals will stagnate.
By reducing waste you will find additional room in your budget to work towards your money goals quicker. And since it is waste you shouldn't miss it if it's gone!
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