3 simple ways we’ve learned to save money over the last year

I know you’re all sick and tired of hearing me talk about saving money. If I tell you to ditch your cable for streaming platforms one more time, you’ll probably threaten me with bodily harm. I get it. But here’s the deal … of all the things you could do to improve your financial situation, saving has got to be near the top. You could look for a higher paying job, you could invest in bitcoin, you could get a second job on the weekends … but saving when you want to spend is probably the easiest and smartest way to improve your finances. So without further ado, here are three ways to save that most of us have probably taken advantage of over the last year…

We stopped doing stuff: Nothing like some stay at home orders to decrease the amount of money we spend at bars, restaurants, concerts, or ax-throwing outings. Even if you’re starting to get back out in the world, I bet you’re not behaving like you used to. I know I’m not. If you’re a parent, you may have enjoyed not having to chauffeur your kids to all those exciting things like 4 year-old soccer. Side note: Is there anything worse than a bunch of 4 year-olds running around in a kid-amoeba, not even getting near the goal? The only reason it’s not boring is because it’s too frustrating to be boring. The good news is, maybe time away will help your kids figure out which activities they don’t care to return to after things get going again.

We brought back family dinner: It’s been a while since I was a kid, but back in those days, we had dinner together most nights. It wasn’t always around the table, a lot of times it was around the den and the TV. While I hate the coronavirus and all the trouble it’s caused, being home more has brought back fond memories of being around family and spending time at home. Working from home (especially with kids going to school from home) probably hasn’t been easy for everyone, but I’m sure it’s decreased the amount of take-out we’re used to getting, and that’s probably good for everyone. Just make sure you still support local restaurants a few times a month so those small business owners can afford to feed their own families.

We shopped with more purpose: For a while at least, we were going into the store to get the things we really needed and hurrying back to our cars. Now whether or not that was a big deal from the standpoint of your physical health, I don’t know, but it was probably good for your financial health. When you’re not taking your time shopping, you’re probably less likely to buy things you don’t really need that we’re most definitely not on your shopping list.

Even as things get back to normal, keep these in mind, as they might have brought about some positive changes you’ll want to keep in the future.