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How to save money: 8 ideas to get you inspired

Pavel Panayotov 2 December, 2020
How to save money

Do you want to save more money? Our job at iCard is to take good care for everyone’s personal finances via the digital wallet. 

With a vision to make people’s lives easier, we have outlined ways that are not hard to implement and save money. All you need is a steady income and good discipline. 

You will be much happier down the road because you can simply buy the things you desire or invest.

To inspire you, we have outlined some of the most make-sense ways you can adopt to start saving immediately … and end up with 10,000-15,000 Euro extra a year from now. 😎


1. Save money aside as soon as you get paid

Pay day


Still not in the habit of saving money when you get paid? It’s a great starting point if you want to boost up future your financial well-being.

On payday, most people start off with paying bills or going on a shopping spree. Doing exactly this is not a good idea without first outlining a plan for every single cent.

It’s no coincidence that this idea is our number one. It will help you restructure your spending habits and convert them into a savings mentality.

It will take some time to appreciate it, but imagine saving 200 Euro every month if you pay yourself first and fit within the rest of your budget.
Multiply this by 12 months and next year this time you can start off with extra 2,400 Euro. 😎


2. Save time and invest it in making more money

Make more money


We will skip the cliché.

Being more efficient with your free time and not wasting it indirectly means saving or making more money. 

For example, you could cut-off your TV time or Facebook time. 

What would you do with 2 extra hours of productivity per day?

Would you go exercise for an hour and get a part-time freelance job that pays you for example 20 Euro for that extra hour of productivity – Monday through Friday? 

Doing just this daily could help you get in a top shape while pocketing an additional 5,000 Euro this year. 😎

This strategy helps you have the weekend for yourself with nothing else to do but think of other ways to be productive, have fun or save even more money.


3. Make and bring your own lunch to work.

bring lunch at work


Saving money daily isn’t that hard. 

All you have to do is get out of your routine into a new one. 

Cooking your own meals and taking them to work daily is a fantastic way to save money while eating healthier.   

Just imagine saving 5 Euro every time you bring your lunch. 

Total money remaining in your pocket over the next year would be 1,260 Euro. 😎

Sure, it’s going to take some time of yours but look at it from the positive side – you have the chance to eat diverse food while experimenting with cool new recipes.


4. Stay hydrated – replace soda and other sweet drinks with water 

drink water


You probably know lots of people around you who avoid Coca-Cola and other soft drinks. 

First, it’s not healthy and second – it costs money. 

How many soft drinks do you enjoy daily? 

How much do you spend on that? 

Stats show that Germans consume on average 120 litres per year or a 330ml bottle every single day at an average price of 2 Euro.

Completely replacing soda and soft drinks with filtered water could help you have a healthy diet that could also save you 720 Euro in the upcoming 12 months for the things that matter. 😎


5. Quit smoking to save the money

quit smoking


This one could sound impossible for some of you because you tried quitting cigarettes but unsuccessfully.

Yet, this piece of text aims to inspire you to make a change for good – to reconsider your habits and focus on what is important – good financial and physical health.

How much does 1 pack of cigarettes cost where you live? 

10 Euro?

This one is simple – quit smoking, live a healthy life 365 days a year and pocket 3,650 Euro. 😎


6. Save by using Adblocker to prevent impulse buying

Adblocker


Ad blockers could be valuable if you find banner ads annoying.

However, there is an even better way to look at it – removing ads helps you avoid impulse buying.

Ads play with our emotions and shutting them off completely will help you battle off the constant urges to buy awesome deals that you are bombarded with.

How much could you save this year?

Depends on your spending habits, but if you avoid spending 200 Euro each month for stuff you don’t need, you could end up with additional 2,400 Euro. 😎


7. Start car-sharing with colleagues

carsharing


Since climate change is real, just like the inevitable depletion of oil in the next half a century, it is striking when you realising how many people drive alone to work.

This is costly, creates congestions and pollution with fine air particles.

Car sharing is a great way to optimise your environmental footprint while, saving money. 

People pooling together in a car is not unusual because you can reduce your travel expenses and help prevent congestions while making long-lasting connections.

In the UK, Liftshare.com is used by over 700,000 Brits and is the perfect platform to connect with like-minded individuals if you cannot arrange to share daily rides with colleagues.

Blablacar.co.uk is the EU-wide alternative where you can find people for local car-sharing or cross-border trips.

Many people claim they can save 1,000 Euro on average per year and that makes sense if you pay less or nothing for parking, car insurance or gas. 😎


8. Don’t forget your discount and loyalty cards

Loyalty cards


Loyalty cards are a great way to support your budget with extra savings. 

Collecting points for all your purchases can usually be converted into discounts and many people save from a few Euros to a few hundred. 😎

However, managing many cards in your wallet is annoying and many people simply ignore the potential for savings. 📱

To help you speed through life while saving, iCard can digitize all your barcoded discount and loyalty cards.

This makes them always available, a few taps away – in your phone, ready to get scanned and get you the loyalty points.


And finally – spend your savings or invest the money

Should you now take on the dream vacation or do you think making your newly saved money work for you is wiser? 

With coronavirus still around, it’s probably wiser to consider making your money work for you.

Just do your own research when considering savings accounts, P2P lending, etc.

We cannot give financial advice but we can add the following:

With iCard you can enjoy a feature-rich digital wallet with zero monthly fees and the option to store all your barcoded loyalty and discount cards.

Modern payments that make sense.

Did we miss an idea that’s worth mentioning? Kindly share in the comments section below.


Still don’t have iCard?
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6

Pavel Panayotov

As a Communication Manager, Pavel is engaged with creating user journeys and presenting iCard to the world. Contributions include education, activation and engagement strategies, as well as unified cross-channel product and brand awareness campaigns. In his free time, Pavel enjoys keeping up with innovations, marketing trends, friends, family and nature.

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