The dust has settled, the excitement of Christmas is over and despite all the December planning and budgeting for the longest month in the history of longest months; January has arrived and here you are pockets pulled out, broke and mourning the seemingly longest wait ever for payday!
January has traditionally been the month of very dry pastures for me for obvious reasons. We go crazy in December spending what we don’t have on things we can’t afford or really want.
The spending becomes so addictive -because some stores slashed their prices by 60% – that you forget to put some money aside for a ‘rainy day’.
I suck at managing money; I know, I know, there are thousands of free resources that can assist with that. But I’m also lazy.
Lazy to research, lazy to read, lazy to plan. We all know the things we need to do to get what we want but we never do it, right?!
Anywho, January always caught me with my pants down -as if I didn’t go through the exact same thing year after year; you’d think I’d learn my lesson- and having to ‘scrunt’ until payday.
In recent years though, with my bad-ass winning at adulting self, I decided to make a few adjustments -because it was always trial and error for me- so that I didn’t have to deal with the bane of being broke.
Here’s how I kinda survive!
Pay bills in advance
During December, we get paid our salaries and any other pittances in the first two weeks, yay! No not so ‘yay’, this also means that next payday is like 100 weeks away. To avoid defaulting on bills, I pay those shit in advance.
So instead of stressing out about starving to death and my electricity and water getting cut, I only stress about starving to death.
Stopped buying Christmas gifts
My family is small and my friends circle is even smaller. Most of my Christmas gift shopping was out of guilt anyway or just as a formality (depressing I know). I stopped that shit completely and swapped it with time (yeah corny I know).
Time with loved ones, gathering together under one roof. Eating, drinking, nostalgia and being merry. Besides shopping for people that already had everything, became a bit redundant.
Skip eating out
This is a no brainer, but all those groceries I stocked up on in December were for this very reason. Skip the restaurants and the fast food joints and save yourself some cash. Besides, 99% of the time whether or not the food is good is a toss up anyway. Come on, you know this.
Meal planning
So meal planning is becoming a thing in my home. It saves a lot of time and money because you write your list based on what you will be eating for that week or month then you shop accordingly, at least that’s how I do it.
You avoid “oh look they have lollipops, I want that” aka compulsive buying. Unless you planned on cooking lollipop soup that’s not on your damn list! You also avoid a lot of food wastage. I’ve had to dump tons of spoiled food because I shopped randomly for things that I ‘might’ cook.
Stop spending STAT.
You’d think after coming off that binge spending kick for the holidays you’d be done with it. Seriously, stop spending!
Entertain yourself at home
Hey, you know that 50″ plasma you decided to ‘treat yo self’ with for Christmas? Use it! Justice League wasn’t that great anyway. Besides, you wasted money on some fancy shmancy internet gadget (that you’ll hardly ever use) that gives you free movies even before they’re produced.
If you want the feel of the movie theater pop some popcorn and invite your friends, tell them to bring their own shit…haha
Stop treating yo self
Seriously! I mean come on, this treat yo self campaign has given everyone an excuse to splurge on shit they don’t want, do shit they cant afford all in the name of treating ‘yo self’.
The dynamic of the debate of ‘do I really need this or do I just want it’ has changed to ‘fuck it ‘ treat yo self’. Of course with the bullshit we go through in life, it does warrant a ‘treat yo self’ now and then. But treating yo self every damn day is a one way ticket to Brokeville (unless that’s what you’re into).
What about you? What are some of the ways you save and manage money…? Let me know in the comments will ya!
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Wise words, Lady. I am so skint I don’t know how I’m going to last until payday! Very true about the treating yourself culture. It’s such a cynical ploy to get you to spend more money. I’m hopeless with apps as well. Best advice? Don’t spend money!!
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Hahah… right…thanks… if only I was able to will the things I want into existence and keep my money in my pocket…that would pretty damn awesome indeed…hahah
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Great list. We stopped doing Christmas gifts too. Not only did it save money, it relieved a great deal of stress. The holidays this years were truly stress free! We just enjoyed spending time with our family and friends.
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I agree, it is incredibly stressful around the season, sometimes you don’t even get to savor the moments🙈
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Great list 🙂
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Thank you☺
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Some really good advice here! I’m currently watching my bank account like a damned hawk to ensure that I don’t end up crying on the streets, homeless and hungry, by the end of the month! xx
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Hahahah… I knoowwww! Lol every atm transaction hurts… it was going well until all the tiles in one of rooms decided to pop up…!🙈 it’s good to save for life’s surprises…
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Good points! I don’t buy anything the first time I look at it. Stop and think first!
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That is actually what I’ve started doing, we have a mini debate in my head…all three of us and majority rules on what to do next…hahah…
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🤣
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december brokesness will teach january endurance then if u survive u nuh u can do it all over again year end to month end muah!!!! well if ur circle of friends so small where u get time to buy gifts out of pity…. go hunting for that bottle of 5c,10c,25c,1.00
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😂😂😂😂😂
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I think I should get a piggy bank🌚
An unbreakable one… that’ll just fall apart after a certain number of years😩
I think that’s the only solution for me
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😂😂😂😂sounds like you are on to something.
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Hahahha I love the stop treating yourself point because it is absolutely true. I use that excuse waaay too often for someone that’s broke. Hahah I am going to be hearing your voice in my head every time I think as such from now on! Happy New Year to you and your family ❤
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Haha haha. .. so when you do it you’ll know you didn’t really need that… hahaha. .. thanks same to you (()) I think those are hugs🙈it kinda looks like a vagina though but they’re definitely hugs!
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As much as I loved this post, why didn’t you share earlier? 😪😪😪
Don’t mind me, it’s a great list and it’s so applicable to every day life as well. I’ve always learnt the hard way and I’m getting better at it now 😁
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Hahahah… so have I…😂😭😔
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You had me at ‘Lollipop soup’😂! Nice post Keda
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lol…thank you…
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I def need to do all of these!!!! I definitely believe in treating myself everyday and going out to dinner every night as if I’m some socialite and then be looking crazy when my bank account is less than desirable. Thanks for the tips!
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😂😂😂 that happens… lol… the bank account brings you back to reality real quick…
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Is that lollipop soup made out of Charms blowpops? Because if it is, I’ll have mine in strawberry and will take seconds.
You know this post is right up my alley. From this post I’m getting the impression that money management is more your thing than you think it is. Good ways to keep yourself solvent until your next check. I used to manage my money by getting my direct deposit split between bank accounts with different purposes. http://openmouthsgetfed.com/2017/12/31/all-hide-no-seek-you-dont-have-to-budget/
I still have all the bank accounts, but now I also follow a budget. http://openmouthsgetfed.com/2017/11/16/paying-bills-a-budget/
This allows me to responsibly use a rewards credit card to get cash back or travel points on my purchases. The budget keeps my spending in check so I don’t OD on trying to earn points. I did just treat myself to Coachella tickets though soooo….
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Hahaha… I read your posts… very insightful and helpful for people like me… i look forward to reading more… Coachella though…
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SZA, the Weeknd, and Beyonce though…
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Oh damnnnnn…🤐 carry on.
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HA! This is a great list, and I am guilty of a couple of misdemeanours! Happy New Year to you. I hope 2018 is more fruitful for you 🙂
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We trade off movie nights with friends where we watch a CD or turn to a TV program. The hosts pop the corn. After a few electrical outages, the amount of food that had to be dumped made me ill. So, like you, I plan and I shop weekly. The less groceries in the fridge the less chance of tossing what was decent food into the trash. Argh!
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Right?!
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This cartoon says what my parents and grandparents always taught me and that was don’t spend more than what you have.
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sage wisdom there…
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yes it is
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Definitely getting a money box!
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Hahah… had one… years ago… for every dollar I put in I took out 5🙈.
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Love this article!
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🙂 thank you so much
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Excellent post; clever, funny and practical. I’m prepping to do a talk to some folks finding themselves out of work and budgeting was a portion of my agenda. With your permission I’d like to include a link to this blog post…thoughts? It will make them smile, and think.
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Thank you so much! Im feel privileged to have you share it…😊
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Thank you!
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Lmfaooo. Meal planning and skip eating out girl! 😭😭 that’s what ducks all my money. Nice post Keda!
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Hahahha… me too…. but I had to stop🙈🙈
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Thanks for reading…😊
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Anytime b💕
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Well!! I needed these lessons right about now! I am so broke I can’t even joke about it I mean WTFFF was I even thinking!!!!!! But you’re right, the whole “treat yo self” trend also needs to end lol. It’s just not necessary!! Thanks for the tips! Xoxo
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Hahah… well what I think is “fuck it you only live once, you’ll survive…!” Then I go on to “suck salt” till pay day and sucking on salt is no fun… lol I think thats the stupidest thing we tell ourselves to justify our recklessness.. lol🙈🙈🙈🙈
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This was my first Christmas back home with my family so I can be excused for the shitload of spending I did…. I was smart though, I gave my daughter a budget and had her do all my Christmas shopping for me!!
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Hahah… that was smart…
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Good advice. I definitely need to stop eating out and stop treating myself! They’re my biggest vices!
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Me as well… well the eating out part… I hate cooking… 😦 so I really have to try extra hard with this one…
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Yes it’s so easy just to eat out or get a takeaway, isn’t it? I’ll try to be stricter with myself from now on! It will save so much money.
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you won’t believe how much money… just cutting that one thing out… but yes… it is so much easier to Not cook…hahah…
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Love this !!!
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Thanks much…😊
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Comically written but so true! LOL at lollipop soup!
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😊 thank you…
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❤ this and even more love the bridesmaids photo….”I’m poor” hahahaha my favorite!!!😆
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☺ thank you lol…
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The comic strip was funny. So many people can related. Good tips. Saving money is not fun, but life happens and planning is somewhat necessary in the financial aspects of your life.
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Indeed…! Thanks for reading…
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