Stop Spending Money at Work
Work is not just sitting in a cubicle or office staring at a computer, driving a truck or teaching in a classroom. It’s the place where you spend the majority of your life, and unwittingly for many people, a place where money is spent. If you are trying to bolster your savings or just hoping to cut back on bills think about work-related attractions that lure you to splurge, even if it’s just a few dollars a day.
Think about it, three dollars a day adds up to $15 a week and $60 a month. That’s $720 a year you could be saving. That’s a big deal especially if you add it up over the years. And you could more than likely tack on another $100 or so for those special occasion lunches and other indulgences. The following is a list to help you cut back on work-related expenses.
Stop buying coffee in the morning. Most people complain that they don’t have time to make coffee or eat a decent breakfast in the morning. But why is that? If you give yourself the proper amount of time to eat you’ll be fine. Stop hitting the snooze button and start saving money.
Bring your own lunch. Fast food places and other restaurants are offering cheap and quick meals for lunch. If you brought your own lunch you’d still be saving money and don’t forget about the nutritional aspect of fast food. It’s full of saturated fats, sodium and other health-damaging ingredients. If you don’t have time to make your lunch in the morning, do it the night before. Remember, a little time management can end up saving you a lot of money.
Stay away from the vending machines. If your office or place of business has vending machines chances are people are spending money on sodas, candy or salty snacks. Why not bring in a bag of carrots and celery for a snack or some other healthy alternative? It conserves money and supports a healthy lifestyle.
Don’t keep up with the Joneses. Be disciplined about saving money; don’t try to keep up with the “crowd.” Just because your colleagues own the latest cars or dress in the trendy new lifestyles doesn’t mean you have to follow. Be your own person; materialistic things are just that – materialistic. They don’t have much substance; the splendor of a new car or new electronic devise is ephemeral. But the car payment or credit card payment can last years.
Be smart about clothing. If you need to dress smartly for your job look for clothes that mix and match and you can wear for multiple occasions. Also, maintain your clothes (follow the manufacturer’s directions) and look for sales or even take advantage of layaway. And as for shoes, there’s absolutely no reason to have a closet full of them.
There are many other ways to save money at work. Think about carpooling or purchasing an automobile that gets great gas mileage. If you have travel expenses claim them correctly, and if your employer offers specials on gym rates or other benefits then take advantage. One more thing, you may want to skip the after work happy hour celebrations. You could easily drop more than a few bucks at those events.
Use this as a challenge to improve your money management; make a commitment and start saving money at work this week.
About the Author
The following post is from Kathryn Katz, a Certified Personal Finance Counselor who works for Consolidated Credit in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Their non-profit agency helps families through financial crisis using credit counseling, debt consolidation and financial education.