Short useful messages from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
For every purchase, consider if it’s in line with your personal values and your goals; otherwise, you might be either spending too much or simply on the wrong things.
You can accelerate your debt reduction by making it a habit to put all “extra” money (bonuses, cash gifts, tax refunds, and so on) towards your debt.
If you set up automatic bill payments and savings, you’ve got time and energy to focus on other good money habits.
When you can’t decide between buying two things, you can use indecision as a trigger to not buy anything.
“2 items out for every 1 in” rule: is the new possession you’re considering buying valuable enough for you to get rid of two of your possessions?
30-day list: add today’s date and the thing you want to buy right now. After 30 days re-evaluate the list. This stops impulse buying as the feelings tend to go after 3 days.
Create financial rules for yourself e.g. use a 30-day list for your wants, have a “two items out for every item in” rule, and emphasise experiences over possessions.
Spend less than you earn and invest the difference. Pay off your credit cards in full each month. Don’t buy things you don’t need.
Keeping your budgeting simple makes it more likely you’ll stick to it. If your finances seem too complicated, go back to the basics. Create a simple budget organised by category, and tweak it every now and then.
To air-dry clothes indoors, hang them on a drying rack. Keep garments separated to allow air circulation and faster drying, maybe near a fan or a heat vent to air-dry more quickly. Turn them at least once to help them dry evenly.