As much as we don’t want it to, money does control a lot of things in our lives. It’s much easier to spend the money than it is to save it and when we’re adults, we spend our money carelessly because we don’t have any responsibilities. However, you do get to a point in your life where at some point, you’ll need to think about putting some money towards your future. If you’re a spendaholic, then here are some top tips on how to save your money.
Transfer Into An Account You Can’t Touch We all have payments that must be made, like taxes, rent or mortgage payments and these are expenses that leave our accounts automatically, and we really don’t have a choice in stopping them. So with this in mind, set an amount that you could take away without making life difficult. It doesn’t matter if it’s a few dollars, ten or more because it’ll all add up eventually. Now open an account wherein you cannot touch the money until a certain time frame has passed and credit that account with that set amount of money either daily, weekly or monthly. Having little access to it means you won’t be able to remove it without consequences and it’ll eventually just be another expense you have to cater in like your taxes. You can also use acompound interest calculator to determine the future balance of your savings.
Cut Back On The Luxuries
Giving ourselves a treat every once in a while is a great way of praising yourself and giving yourself credit for something you’ve done or achieved at that moment. However, materialistic things can become quite addictive, and it’s important to keep a reign on these luxuries so that you don’t end up spending beyond your means and therefore get used to a lifestyle that you simply cannot afford at this present time. Luxuries are anything that isn’t household bills, medical prescriptions, and groceries. So, count any extras like a hefty phone contract or gym membership as a luxury and find ways to cut back on some luxuries each month. Ask yourself if you need it, rather than want it and whether it’ll be used or bring you more joy in your life.
Set Yourself A Goal Or Two
We can benefit from goal setting because it provides that motivation needed to be successful. There’s a lot of gratification that can come from achieving a goal, so when it comes to your finances, setting goals can help avoid falling off the saving wagon. Don’t set unrealistic goals because this will de-motivate you and will reduce the chances of you saving any money at all. Make a daily, weekly or monthly goal and don’t forget to set some big goals for the year. These little goals that you hit will help go toward your bigger targets. Start small and then go bigger!
Ask yourself what you want to save money towards too. You might have just gotten engaged or have plans to buy your first property. Having a reason for your goals will only encourage you to commit to saving.
Build Up An Emergency Fund An emergency fundis great for those blips that occur in life. They are normally unexpected, and some can be a financial nightmare. That’s where your emergency fund comes in. An emergency fund should be used in the event of an emergency where you cannot supply the funds from your current savings or on a credit card. Having this fund is going to ease some of that worry and pressure when owning your first home or paying for a wedding. You’ll know that you have a bit of a safety net to fall back on should you need it.
Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself Saving can be difficult, so it’s important not to be too hard on yourself. Reward yourself whenever you’ve reached a milestone and don’t feel guilty when you spend money on something you really needed and wanted. At the end of the day, you’ve worked hard to earn the money you’ve got so there shouldn’t be any guilt in treating yourself. Always assess your savings too as there will be times where you may be able to save more or have to reduce your saving amount.
As you start to save money, it may be tough, to begin with but it will usually get easier and it’ll eventually turn into a habit that you don’t even notice! So start saving your money today so that the future is a little less bumpy and your finances are healthier.
My team and I wanted to thank each and everyone who entered JT’s Valentine’s Day Giveaway. You just don’t know how good it makes us feel to offer a giveaway. The Dooney and Bourke Patterson Leather Paige Sac with a matching Continental Clutch was a different choice for us because we wanted to offer something different. The Azure blue reminded me of the ocean and we wanted to make sure it was a giveaway that you could use right now and into spring and summer. The giveaway ran from February 10 through February 24th at 11:59pm.
The winner chosen through Random.org is Sally G.! Everyone of the Elegant Lovelies have been so gracious and congratulating Sally G. Again thank you for entering and you never know when a giveaway may come up or what it may be.
Blessings and Thank you for being a part of our community.
Sometimes, it’s as little as the beginning of a new year or a new season that make us want to take a bit better care of our health. Other times, however, we need a major wake up call in order to change our habits – but, as long as you’re able to focus on the road ahead, your chances of changing your ways are quite high.
Getting rid of bad habits and leading a much healthier life than you used to can be a challenge, though, and make people before you have fallen back into their old ways despite a former health scare. Here is a handful of ways to make sure that you’re able to stick to your goals and keep your eyes on the price. It just makes it a bit easier to stay positive and happy about the future.
First: Replacing your bad habits You won’t be able to quit a bad habit unless you have something to fill the void with; it’s that simple. While some people encourage you to have a glass of water every time you feel like having a cigarette, for example, a bigger lifestyle change is in order to make you turn away from your harmful habits.
Focus on exercise, for example, and join a jogging team in order to improve your health. It will feel almost impossible, to begin with, but sooner or later you’ll crave that dopamine that a good run gives and you certainly don’t want to ruin your lungs by having a cigarette either.
You can have a look at Inspire in case you’re a cancer survivor to find just a bit more inspiration and encouragement.
Next: Start a healthy routine Sure, a good run now and then might make you feel like you’re heading somewhere – but, unless you manage to stick with it, you’ll quickly fall back into your old ways. A great way to ensure that you’re keeping track of your effort and get a sense of reward from your hard work is to keep a health diary.
Start by tracking what you eat, for example, as well as the hours you put into exercising and make a habit out of writing down your mood as well. How does it make you feel, where do you think you’ll be able to be in a few weeks from now, and how can you encourage yourself in the future?
Remember to reward yourself This brings us to our final point; rewarding yourself after a good exercise, a proper portion of self-control or a day free of sugar is going to help you a lot along the way. Don’t be afraid to use food as an encouragement, by the way, unless you’re trying to lose weight, of course.
If this is the case, you might want to take yourself out on a shopping trip, tap yourself a nice and long bath, and just turn off the outside world for a bit. Every bit of reward and encouragement is going to tune your brain into preferring your new and healthy habits so keep up the good work.
When God speaks to you, you may not always understand it or know what it means. But if you are obedient and follow His voice, He will not lead you astray. Just know that He is watching over you and is protecting you.
I wanted to share with you a series of events that happened to me over the last week. I didn’t understand it at first, but in the end; I knew that God was speaking to me and directing my path.
Jay in the Jeep Wrangler
On Saturday, February 9th, I am at the Dobbs Clocktower in North Saint Louis County. The Jeep Wrangler was in for a state inspection and an emissions test. As I finished up and made my payment, I remembered that I needed to make another appointment for our Jeep Grand Cherokee, for the same thing. I knew that I wanted the appointment to be on Thursday, February 14th. I was going to be off of work on that day and it is a good time for me to complete errands and the like. I typically make the appointments for 9am or 10am, so I can go straight there after I drop off my wife at work. The associate offered me the 10am appointment time. But immediately I said, “No, do you have anything later?” Not sure why I said that, but it is what had come out of my mouth. He then offered 12pm or 2pm, so I took the 12pm slot. I left the store and came home.
Now, fast forward to Thursday, February 14th. I dropped my wife off at work at 8:30am and began my day of errands. I went off to Target and Trader Joe’s in the Brentwood Promenade in Central Saint Louis County. I needed to pick up a few groceries because these stores were not far from where I dropped off my wife. As I was finishing up, I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was only 9:30am. I still needed to get to fill up the Jeep with gas, go by Aldi for a few more groceries, and then to Walgreens to get a Valentine’s card. I thought that I would go to the Aldi in the Clocktower (next to my Dobbs) by 10am, get the gas and go by Walgreens; and still have enough time to get to Dobbs for the appointment. As I finished making the plans in my mind, I heard this voice on the inside of me say, “Go to the Aldi in Maplewood, it’s closer.” Yes, it was closer to my current location, but further from my Dobbs. I thought about it for a second but nevertheless I decided to go to the Maplewood Aldi. I filled up the Jeep with gas on my way there. After leaving Aldi, I decided to go home, unload the groceries before heading back out to Dobbs. I would wait on Walgreens until after I finished at Dobbs. I arrived home by 11am and I was back on the road to Dobbs by 11:40am and arrived at Dobbs at 11:55am.
When I got to Dobbs, I spoke with Ken. He is the Assistant Manager and has been seeing a lot of me lately, with inspections, new tires and oil changes. As he got me checked in, he says to me, “It’s a good thing you were not here a few hours ago.” Confused, I asked, “What do you mean?” He then says to me that there was a shooting in the adjacent parking lot a little bit ago. One person had been shot and another person’s vehicle has been shot up. Not really sure where or what he was talking about exactly, I said, “WOW!”, signed my paperwork and took my seat in the waiting room.
As I sat down, I grabbed my phone and quickly searched the local news to find anything about what Ken had just told me. I was drawn to a headline that said there was a shooting in North Saint Louis County. I clicked the link to find out the details. The article had stated that just before 10am, in the parking lot of Ross’ Dress for Less and Aldi in the Clocktower Shopping Center, a man had been shot and about thirty rounds of bullets had been fired. I quickly went to another website and saw the same details.
I just sat back in my chair with my hands over my mouth, in awe. I was supposed to be in that parking lot at about the time that the shooting had occurred. I had wanted my appointment to be at 10am so I could already have it done and I could go about my day. But when I made the appointment for 12pm, it wass till okay. I thought I could still be in the area, doing my other errands.
But That Still Small Voice told me, twice, not to be there at that time. As I sat there and thought about it, I realized that God, through the Holy Spirit, was speaking to me. He didn’t want me to be there at that time. He was watching over me and protecting me. He knew that I wanted to be there at the time, but He knew better. He was speaking to me, I just had to be obedient to Him and listen.
We don’t always know when God is speaking to us. Sometimes we think it has to be this loud audible voice that everyone hears. Not always. Sometimes, He will speak to us through the words that come out our own mouth. Sometimes, it is a gut-check to our heart that leads you to do something that you are not planning to do. Either way, we just have to be able to hear to that voice, obey it and to listen to it. We don’t always know what God is telling us, nor why? But in time, He will reveal it to us.
Diamonds are a high-ticket item with a significant amount of risk if done haphazardly. Finding a trustworthy jeweller is paramount if you want peace of mind and to make sure you walk away with an authentic diamond that is worth the price you paid for it.
If you have had troubles tracking down a reliable wholesaler up till now and are on the lookout, keep reading. This article will discuss key signs to look out for that will point you to the right direction.
With more options for buying diamonds popping up, the harder it gets to make a final decision. You can find diamond wholesalers in Sydney like Australian Diamond Importers that are fully certified, have a brilliant range of options and have a solid reputation in the marketplace.
Tracking Down Reputable Diamond Wholesalers – How To Do It When looking online or in person, the same rules apply. Finding a trustworthy and reliable wholesaler is more than possible as there are several in the region. On the other hand, there are also those you want to stay clear of.
We have gathered some of the top expert tips from GIA and put them below so you can carry this knowledge throughout your search.
Carry out detailed research. Image Source: Unsplash
The more you research your options, the better chance you’ll discover something reputable. Learning important diamond terms and what they mean, such as the 4C’s, will also help you locate the trustworthy wholesalers. They will often make these terms clear on their website or in their store as they know these are crucial factors to determining the final price.
Search out finer details. Reading between the lines is crucial before you buy. Go in-depth and check the weights, carat, cut, and more before you buy anything.
Ensure it has a GIA Grading Report. It’s often hard with the naked eye, to determine the authenticity and price of a diamond. This is why it’s crucial to look for this official certification which proves it has been lab-verified with the proper equipment and by the experts themselves. This will also help with buyer protection as insurers will often ask for grading reports from GIA. These may include: colour, clarity, cut and carat weight.
Check the reports yourself. Now you know there’s a report, you go one step further to check this online with their official database. This is a great and expedient way to ensure things line up, especially when you are buying diamonds online.
Do some digging on the seller. Normally, a great diamond wholesaler will reveal several details about their business. You should be able to find out things such as how long they’ve been operating, testimonials/reviews, and how they deliver secure transactions and return policies.
Learn More About JT
Bubbling with Elegance and Grace started out as an outlet for my passion for fashion but has evolved into a place for me to teach, collaborate, and inspire. My hubby has since joined the team and we have been digital creators for 13 years. We are thankful for those who believed in us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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