With the beginning of 2014 come the New Year’s resolutions – to quit smoking, to work out more, to save money, and to earn more money. Well, it’s not so easy to stick to hollow, requiring declarations, but no need for worry! Now, we are offering already-proven tips on how to make more money in 2014 in ten easy steps.
Forget about New Year’s Resolutions
Don’t even try sweating over a restrictive diet, a foreign language course, one more MBA or any other pointless goal. Just try to come up with little things that will add to your savings without bringing major change in your life.
Track Your Spending
You will be surprised how easy it is to spend, without even realizing it. There are various websites and even mobile apps, which can provide you with your own spending tracker. Once you see how much you earn and how much you spend, everything will become clearer. And you will be able to find ways for reducing your expenses.
Balance Your Finances
Once you see where exactly all your money are going, you will realize what’s important and what is not. See how much you earn and whether it is really enough for dining out and getting regular pedicures.
Try to Be Realistic
Don’t set savings goals that you know you just can’t achieve. Forget about rules like “I won’t eat out” or “I will brew my own coffee at home”. Simply try to limit your costly habits to once a day, week, or whatever suits you. Pay off your debt in little sums every week, instead of paying a huge amount of money at the end of the month.
Automate Credit Card Transfers and Paying Bills
These happen once a month and it’s always better to automate transfers to your savings account than having to do it manually – you can forget, or you can decide that now is not the best time. It’s a better strategy than trying to be disciplined.
Look for No-Fee Options
Do you know how much you are paying every month for simple fees? Not services or products, but fees! You can avoid at least half of them – interest fees, late fees, checking account fees, ATM withdrawal fees, and so on. Just make a research and choose the right financial institution. As for the start, check again your credit card interest rates and make a comparison to other banks. Traditionally, UAE-based banks charge higher interest rates on credit cards than foreign providers.
Forget about Your Last-Century Cable TV
There are way cheaper alternatives like the streaming services of Roku or Hulu. In fact, you can even negotiate the price with your cable company! Telecom companies make a lot of money by charging separate fees for many packages and additional options which you really don’t need.
Negotiate Other Bolls, Too
Often, companies do not inform us on new offers or promotions. So, if you have the option, take the time to negotiate prices for everything – from cell phone bills to credit card interest rates.
Go over Last-Year Offers and Contracts
If you have signed up for some special promotion in 2012 or 2013, it’s probably no longer valid. However, there should be new “free trial” or other promotional offers for all kinds of services. You may be surprised to find out that you can save let say $30 a month if you sign up for the new promotion instead continuing with the old offer.
Take Care of Your Health
If you are in a bad shape, you are less productive. Therefore, you make less money. It’s that simple. See you doctor, try eating more balanced diet, drop a few pounds, and quit smoking. Bad health only costs you money.
Stay Motivated
Motivation is of course very important. If you cannot find something to inspire and motivate you, tell all your family and friends about your goals. Tell as many people as you can, so that they can keep you on track. You can always use some support! In addition, you can always find movies, music tracks, books and magazines to help you stay focused.
