Unless you have been living on Mars for the last year or so, you would know that the days of cheap plentiful oil are well and truly over. At this time of writing, each barrel of oil is being sold at nearly US$150, a price no one would have possibly predicted almost five years ago when prices exhibited an upward trend single mom budget calculator.
Believe it or not, high oil prices are definitely here to stay. This necessarily translates into higher inflation rates and much reduced purchasing power. It means that more and more money will be needed to buy the same number of units of goods.
As it stands, weak prevailing US economic sentiments do not help at all in lifting our spirits. Already, high food and fuel prices are triggering violent public protests in many developing countries.
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity", says Albert Einstein. Do not for a moment put your hands up, despair and give up. I am telling you it only takes a change in your attitude and minor tweaks in your lifestyle to maintain a more than reasonable living standard.
Not only that, you will get to save money as you go along and pass down good-as-gold thrifty habits to our younger generations.
Without further ado, let's examine how 7 simple and practical tips can help you beat inflation and save as much money as you want. They can be easily implemented by anyone living in any country but nonetheless requires a little discipline on your part.
1) If you really need a credit card, then cancel all other credit cards you are holding and just hang on to one. Yes, you heard me right. Keep only one credit card. If not, eschew credit cards totally and go for a debit card instead.
In this way, you will intuitively curb your spending and at the same time, consolidate all purchase points on a single card. Once you have accumulated sufficient points, go ahead and redeem a free restaurant voucher or airline ticket for yourself. Yeah, the best things are free!
2) Keep your hair reasonably short but presentable. If you are still reading this article, you can't be living on Mars. And you should be aware it is summertime right now. That is when the mercury shoots right off the edge and your utility bills chew up whatever spare cash you have.
Hear me out. Your head radiates a considerably amount of heat. By keeping your hair short, you will feel cool no matter what time of the day is and avoid reaching out for that air-con remote. As you know, air-conditioners are notorious for guzzling energy and can easily account for two-thirds of your energy bills.
3) Consolidate and perform all "manual" tasks in one shot. Take for example you are a stay-at-home mom and have to carry out household chores throughout the day. These chores may include taking the kids out to school, mopping the floor, hanging the laundry and so on. Instead make it a point to carry out as many tasks consecutively as possible. Once you are done, treat yourself to a quick but relaxing ten-minute shower, splash on some fresh-smelling talcum powder and again, you can avoid using the air-conditioner.
You smell good, the work is done and by the way, did I mention that doing household chores is a proven great way to slim down? I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised at just how much you can save by just avoiding switching on the air-conditioner.
4) Did you know you can literally have your cake and eat it too? How so? A really neat trick I use is to check out nearby hotels and pastry shops for their "special offers".
This is not commonly advertised but it is known that many of them offer massive discounts in the evenings on bread or cakes that are unsold. They are edible for sure and you can keep some for a hearty breakfast tomorrow morning. Most importantly, you get to save some money on quality food!
5) Many of us own a car for either work or personal reasons. But no matter what the vehicle is bought for, all of us are price-takers and hence face the problem of rocketing fuel prices. If you find yourself unwilling or unable to give up your wheeler and take public transport instead, here's what you should do to save gas and stretch your dollar: simply junk the junk.
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