How to know how to save and spend at the same time

Now we live in a time where we have to be very aware of our pockets. So much to save as to spend the money on what we need we have to be careful and look for the midpoint so as not to fall into waste or be "caught". Putting good sense in our dealings with money, we can learn to make good use of it that will help us to value it.

Know how to save and how to spend they are two concepts that are closely linked and are somewhat difficult to learn. It is easy that from time to time our hand goes out with superfluous expenses or that we give too much importance to money and we want to preserve it in such a way that we are turned into real cheapskates. Learning to find balance is not easy. Sometimes, the arrival of a time of economic hardship like the one we are experiencing, is an injection of good sense.

It is usually the moment when we realize how little we need to live decently. It is not that the facts themselves have the capacity to straighten the course, it is our response to them that reveals a new panorama. Searching for sobriety in our expenses and knowing how to save will help us to value more what we have and to put the head in managing the money we have.

Save for the future

To be a saver means to be focused on the future, to have a more or less concrete idea of what we want and to do this, we put the means to achieve it. It is also a forward-looking attitude that seeks economic security in the face of possible problems that arise later on.

If we still live at home with our parents, the savings will be focused in the face of achieve a series of objectives how to become independent, have a house, form a family or any other goal that we set. And for that we are going to need money. But this does not mean that we have to assume our own expenses: clothes, outings, gifts, etc. And if we want to face higher expenses (a car, for example), we will have to know how to save to face them.

Whatever our situation, we live in our parents' house or we are independent, it is good that we know organize the money we have and plan the month's expenses, as well as sticking to the needs we have. And for those unforeseen events that may arise and not be of primary necessity, we think about allocating a certain amount of money each month, which will vary according to the nature of these "urgencies".

Knowing how to spend is just as important as saving

As important as taking into account savings is learning to acquire goods according to our needs. Do not create superfluous needs in a difficult art that requires learning. Everyone, without realizing it, we accumulate things in case we ever need them. For example, with the subject of clothes: probably, if we take a look at our wardrobe, we may discover clothes that we have not used for a long time. If it happens of the year -or more-, it is evident that the clothes that we acquired are above what we need.

There is another risk that places us beyond our possibilities: the expense for comparisons. That is, to constantly look at who is around us, to see how we are situated with respect to others. Feeling happy, just for comparison, is condemned to never be, because there is always someone who has more. On the other hand, we must avoid falling into the unnecessary luxuries, constituting a further motivation for spending.

It is also important to differentiate between spending and investment, regardless of what the economy manuals say. We must appreciate that for example, buy our first car or start an important course for our training in the face of work with the money we have saved is an investment, while changing mobile every time a new and more modern model comes out, is spending.

Buy with common sense

In every purchase, a criterion of necessity and use should be given. You have to differentiate between what is necessary (for everyone), what is convenient (according to the job, the job, the studies, the hobbies of each one ...) and what is superfluous. Before the shelves of a hypermarket, in a street stall or watching television ads, we have to have a clear head so as not to be fooled by "offers", "you need it", "give yourself a whim", "change ... "

To draw out what is superfluous from our needs is not easy, because we are all specialists in deceiving ourselves; in the background, we are interested. A cowboy, very cheap that combines with our wardrobe and we could do very well is not necessary when several are still in the closet and in good condition. But a camera, which costs a lot more, can be a good purchase if we are fans and we will use it for several years, although we have to save months to get the money.

We must be critical of our way of consuming, even after having bought, to recognize, if necessary, that a bad purchase has been made, because mistakes are also learned. Sometimes, it is enough to stop to think very little time: at the moment in which we put on the last shirt acquired, so striking that we will get a few times, despite its brand. On other occasions, the time ends up putting things in their place, when the expensive and good rackets that we bought to play tennis are left in a corner of the storage room after a few months because we ended up discovering that we were not so interested in this sport.

Tips to save

- Do not buy on impulse, value if you need to buy that whim.
- Check and find out about subsidies and grants that you can receive (youth card, aid for rent, large family, etc.)
- When you make the purchase or want to buy a product, compare the prices and choose the cheapest one. This is easier if you make purchases online, since it is easy to compare prices.
- If you do not know how much you spend on mobile, it is a good measure to go prepaid and thus keep track of spending.
- Make a list when you go to buy, and acquire only what you need. You can also prepare a weekly menu to organize the purchase well.
- Buy clothes at the time of sales, outlets, factorys, etc.
- A car is a very big expense, so if it is not essential, do not buy it and use public transport.
- Stop smoking.
- If you want to join a gym, opt for a municipal one.
- If you go to a hairdressing academy Instead of a "professional" hairdresser, you can save up to 80%.