Do you like to travel? Duh. Do you like looking nice and buying and wearing new clothes? Shoes? Makeup? Hair? Possibly donating to your favorite charity? (Yess to all of these things) Do you like to also save money? Buy the food you want and go out when you want to (or even when you don’t want to)? If you are anything like me you have answered yes to one of these questions. Scrolling through Instagram and seeing people do so many of these things when it feels like I always have student loans, rent payments, and bills hanging low over my head can make me feel like living my life is just out of reach.
However! I have found that it can be totally possible. Here’s a few ways I’m saving money to partake in some, if not all of these things.
Engaging in the fine art of treating yourself works well on a variety of levels. If you’re spending a lot on food, it’ll help you to eat better. If you’re spending a lot on clothing, it’ll help you to become more fashion savvy. If you’re spending a lot on travel, it’ll help you to appreciate the smaller things closer to home.
I would say a pretty large portion of my money goes to food. I love food, I just do. Plus I love trying all different types of foods and new places at that. The trick that I’ve been using is “pigging out on the weekends”. During the week, I try to stretch my dollar as much as possible. This could mean buying greens in bulk then finding different ways to dress a salad, add different toppings. Then during the weekend, I have extra money to spend on different restaurants or to try new places. This way, I don’t have to starve myself of the things I enjoy but still I can balance my diet by monitoring what I take in during the week.
So in the past, I have had the mindset “I don’t need new clothes, there’s nothing wrong with the ones I have now. I’ll make it work”. This is ridiculous in the simple fact that I realized I really do love fashion or my version of it anyway. Working in Interior Design, I love creativity in any form and I realize how clothing can be an outward expression of yourself. That being said, I’ve learned how to purchase sparingly. Buying at times like special occasions, birthdays and events adds more significance to the items you purchase and makes it feel more special.
Also, you need to realize what is in your budget but understand when you truly “love” something. I’ve found myself walking into a store and trying on pieces that I “absolutely can not live without” but when I get into my car I’m just staring at the receipt feeling instant regret and caught up in my feelings. However! I suggest taking the items home for a few days, seeing if the initial thrill of the buy wears off and if you finally do decide you can “live without it” then return it.
Another great practice to partake in is upcycling. My newest interest is turning old clothes around and making them “new” again. There’s tons of DIY tutorials on Pinterest and if you have the time or you like different craft projects like these, I would definitely suggest trying this. Especially if your pockets are low or you have a favorite item you don’t really want to part with, just turn it around.
If you’ve had a conversation with me before about traveling. you’ve probably heard me say “I would travel to every country on this earth if I could”. At one point I was in school for Cultural Anthropology just because I love different cultures and people and just learning about us as human beings. Too often we get stuck in routines and just for the simple fact of getting a new perspective on life, I think travel helps us to “refresh” our brains. However, flights can get pricey. Working in New York, I see so many who have come to America to vacation and so many of us are trying to get out for vacation. But there are so many places close to home that can still be interesting or provide a little cultural insight. Living in South Jersey, I’ve already started plotting out my Summer with different places that I wanted to visit that are just a few hours drive away. You can so easily make a day out of it or a even stay the night. If you’re suffering from “FOMO” as I sometimes find myself, it’s definitely a great alternative to going overseas. One of these days, I will get my road trip up and posted that I took for my 30th last year, but I dream.
So that’s it. Na’ilah’s tips for the day? Shrug. I hope you enjoyed and you’re always more than welcome to subscribe to my newsletter if you’d like to be on my e-mail list for any of my blog categories. Have an amazing day <3
Love ♥ Always,
SuhailaXO
