Many of us live paycheck to paycheck. It’s the only way we know how to get by. We haven’t had any formal training in financial management and fear spending money on anything that is not a necessity, including our lack of knowledge about managing our finances through money management tips.
In this article, you will find some very simple guidelines for getting yourself started down the road towards improved financial management. Let’s take it from the top about money management tips for beginners, students and young adults to improve your finances..
What is Money?
Money can be defined as everything that has a perceived value in a given society or culture. In other words, what you have in your pockets right now—cash and coins—counts as money. It doesn’t matter if you acquired it through nefarious means; it’s still money.
Banks, credit unions, and all other financial institutions have a different definition of money. They define it as currency and assets that they will accept from anyone who comes to them seeking a loan or line of credit. In other words, both cash and any assets that the bank is willing to take as collateral for a loan. It’s known as “leverage” because you use someone else’s money (your cash or equity in another asset) to make more money for yourself. The bank profits by charging you interest on the amount you borrow.
If you deposit your paycheck into your bank account, this becomes part of their definition of money. If, however, you withdraw all but $20 and put it into your wallet, this is not part of their definition of money; it’s physical cash.
Money Management Tips for Beginners, Students to Improve Your Finances
Cash and anything tradable for goods or services, like gold coins, holds a dollar value set by the market. You can gauge the worth of your cash, including currency and coins, by examining eBay’s offers for an authentic US dollar bill bearing Benjamin Franklin’s portrait. In the United States, $1 typically equals $1, maintaining its value regardless of location, even if you journey to Panama. Some money management tips to improve your finances are:
Count Your Cash
If you don’t learn how to manage your money, others will figure it out for you. As part of the preparation for counting the money, large banknotes, cheques, coupons, and food stamps are removed and kept.
Invest in Yourself
You can increase your knowledge and skills to perform a job. This job should not only be a means of earning a living but also offer personal satisfaction. If you’ve been unemployed for some time, there are still ways for you to learn new things. This can improve your chances of landing the perfect job or creating your own business.
Reduce your Spending on Luxuries
It’s amazing how just a few small changes that don’t affect our quality of life will add up to several hundred dollars each month. You could save three or four thousand dollars per year by:
a) Purchasing groceries, basic household items, and clothing at discount stores such as Walmart.
b) Getting a library card if you don’t already have one and borrowing books instead of buying them. I did this for years until I got hooked on reading eBooks from Project Gutenberg.org. Their website is free to use. They offer over 42,000 books in the public domain, free for everyone to download. All you need is an eBook reader or a computer running Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X. We apologize, but there’s no support for other operating systems yet.
Reduce Your Reliance on Restaurant Meals
Even if you stick with eating at home and avoid fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s or Burger King, you could still save hundreds of dollars each month by:
a) Preparing one large meal per day as opposed to several smaller portions that are usually frozen and reheated.
b) Not buying everything that’s on sale each week at the grocery store. Just because something is special doesn’t mean you need it. And just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you should buy it either!
Give Up Smoking
If you smoke, you likely spend more money each month on cigarettes or tobacco products compared to non-smokers. Quitting smoking would be a top priority for me, as it could save a significant amount of money without much noticeable impact.
Quitting smoking or any addiction doesn’t come easy; there’s no shortcut or magic solution. If such a solution existed, pharmaceutical companies would capitalize on it, making even more profit than they do from their existing medications. (Note: I’m not opposed to medication when necessary; however, I view many prescription drugs as a form of legal addiction.)
Save During the Good Times
Now is the time to begin building an emergency fund if you lack one, ensuring that when your car breaks down or you face a layoff, you’ll have cash reserves to sustain you until your next paycheck arrives. This might require sacrificing certain luxuries temporarily, but it’s crucial for financial stability.
Teach Children About Money Management Tips
Give them an allowance but only let them spend a certain amount each week. The rest of the allowance should go into a savings account for later use – whether it be to buy a toy, bicycle, or perhaps even a car.
Only Use Credit Cards If You Have No Other Option
Credit card debt is a type of legal enslavement. The debtor pays endlessly to the creditor. There is no reprieve unless they declare bankruptcy. In Canada, individuals can eliminate debts as low as $1,000 ($750 US) through personal bankruptcy proceedings. They can achieve this by simply filing with the courts.
Using the best credit cards comes with many traps. Therefore, if you decide to have one, only charge what you are confident you can pay off in full at the end of each month (and then stick to that limit).
Don’t Buy It If You Can’t Afford It
When considering spending money on something trivial like a magazine or book, ask yourself a question: “Will this purchase still seem important a year from now if I close my eyes and imagine it?” Alternatively, you can opt for online shopping, where the total is calculated in front of you. An example of an online shop is Presentail. Presentail is a gift and flower delivery Lebanon services business, catering to the Lebanese, both locally and internationally.
Track Your Spendings
Keep all of your credit card receipts and keep track of everything you spend each day. At the end of each month, take a look at how much cash you’ve spent on non-essential items. Don’t be too hard on yourself if the total is high! Within three months (at most), you should be able to reduce your daily spending by at least 20%.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that you don’t need a fancy degree or unique experience to become a financial management expert. If you use these money management tips and standards in your daily life, you may be as financially successful as someone with a hard-won MBA in finance.