10 Things to Help Pass the Cash Poor Times
Whether you’re in college, just starting out as a young adult, or have had some sort of financial hardship come your way, here’s a list of ten things that can help you get to the other side of things without losing out. complete. your mind.
1. Change Jar: It doesn’t matter what type of jar it is. It could be an old pickle jar, a mayonnaise jar, a cider pitcher… whatever. I prefer the glass ones. Something about the sound of gear hitting the glass works for me. Make sure it’s really clean and dry before you throw all the change in it, EVERYTHING, and let it sit. Don’t ‘borrow’ from it because the money you borrow only reduces the amount that will be there later, when you really need it for gas, food, whatever.
2. Dollar Jar: At the end of each day, put everything you have in your wallet, pocket, wherever you keep your cash in this jar. Just like the jar of change, leave it alone. “Borrowing” this jar just guarantees that it will be a $10 max revolving jar. It’s not something that’s going to be of much help when needed. Trust me. It took me a while to put this jar down because dollars are so much easier to handle than change, and so much easier to spend. Also, don’t deposit against the jar: “Oh! There’s $10 in the jar. I’ll use my debit card and then put the money from the jar in my bank account to cover this item.” Again, trust me. It never turns out that way, and if it does, your dollar jar goes back to $0. There isn’t much of an emergency fund.
3. Buy the expensive shampoo – OK. I know this sounds ridiculous when money is tight, but be honest with me. I spent years buying cheap shampoos with very little criteria other than that it was what i could afford and it would clean my hair. Once, when I was still doing the move-in cleaning, someone had left their shampoo and conditioner half full or better, more expensive – the jackpot! Do you know what I found out? The expensive stuff was really the way to go. My hair looked better, healthier, and I needed a lot less shampoo to clean it, which means it would last longer, and it did. Much longer. In fact, months later, I am still using this shampoo and conditioner and there is still a ton left. I would have had to buy the cheap stuff a few times by now. Better quality = less money spent in the long run.
4. Buy organic and all-natural products: Organic products can be a little expensive, but they are like expensive shampoo: they last longer and need less product. I had the opportunity to try an organic body wash for free. I needed a body wash and thought why not give it a try. At worst, i would hate it, go too fast, and just go back to my regular body wash, whatever is on sale. From the first use, I realized the benefits of going organic. It took very little product to cleanse my entire body, about 1/10 the amount of cheap products. More money up front, sure, but less money overall.
5. Buy trial/travel sizes: why buy trial/travel size items? As a backup, of course. It really sucks when you go to get your dish detergent, shampoo, soap, toothpaste or whatever and find there’s nothing left, or not enough to do the job you need it to do. What can make this worse is when it happens a week before payday or when you’re not really sure when the next bucks will arrive. Have a “trial size” location to store your trial size items so you can find them when you need them. If you use a full one, remember to replace it as soon as possible.
6. Make sure you get a haircut, at least every two months. I know you’re wondering how this helps you overcome poverty, but you’d be surprised. When you let your hair down, it shows and people notice it more than you think. You don’t have to go to the best salon, get the full shampoo and blow dryer/styling deal. Just go fix yourself, clean things up. Not only will you present yourself in a more positive light to others, but it will make you feel good.
7. Get Cozy With Thrift Stores: Thrift stores are great! When an item of clothing has begun to show signs that it has reached the end of its acceptable life cycle, it is time to replace it. Clearance sales at regular stores are great and definitely worth checking out, but know that just like thrift stores, it will take some time to dig through things to find the item or items you’re looking for. at a price that is comfortable for you. disburse. I have taken the time over the years to find out which thrift stores near or near me have the best selection and quality of donations. Replacing a worn-out T-shirt with another worn-out T-shirt isn’t going to make things any better. It is definitely worth taking a look at different thrift stores to find the one with the best quality second hand items. Yes, these stores may cost a bit more than those with a lower-quality selection of donations, but a dollar or two is worth it for looking good, which results in feeling better.
8. Coupons – Yes, coupons. I’ve never been able to crack these like the coupon queens you hear about, but they can be valuable, even in small amounts. A friend of mine gave me a coupon the other day that he gave me 23.3 fl. free. oz. bottle of one of the best brands of olive oil. There are tons of coupon pins on Pinterest and a Google search will give you a ton of results if you want to discover coupons. Even that one coupon is helping to stretch the dollar a little further.
9. Gift Card Budget: I think this one is a little out of the ordinary. It was something I started doing when we were first stabilizing in our VR life. I would get paid and then distribute the money into a gift card to our regular grocery store, a Costco cash card for gas, and one to Papa Murphy’s Pizza (we love Tuesdays). This helped keep money going where it needed to go instead of the soda one of us had to buy at the convenience store, whatever impulse buys came our way, or that thing you really, really need (want ) to go on sale for what seems like a ridiculous price at the time. Yes, this means that if you need the money on these cards for an unexpected emergency, you don’t actually have access to it, which can be frustrating, to say the least. If you come across one of those events, check out the change and dollar jars.
10. Meditate. I know this may seem a bit out of the question, but I assure you that it is not. When money is tight, it can be extremely stressful. If you’re like me, that means you’re constantly doing the math in your head, figuring out this and that, how and when, etc. I spend a lot of time in my head trying to solve the problems of the world (well, at least my world) and without stopping to meditate daily for at least 15 minutes made me crazier than the Mad Hatter. I’m sure those 15 minutes a day have saved my life along with the lives of my husband and dogs.
Being bankrupt, just starting out, or struggling with cash shortages can be really stressful. Be kind to yourself. Remember this is temporary (hopefully). Also remember that the temporary time can sometimes be longer than you thought it would be.
When money is tight, personal care tends to fall by the wayside. Don’t let him, even when you think you don’t care. If you can’t move on, how are you going to get your finances in order and move on? Don’t worry. You got it.