20 May Creative Ways to Save Money Using Artful Agenda
It is never too late to get your finances in order, even if it seems a bit overwhelming or intimidating. There are plenty of baby steps you can take in the right direction, and Artful Agenda can help with these creative ways to save money.
Keep a Spending Diary
Writing down the things you spend money on daily is a good way to hold yourself accountable for sticking to a budget. It’s also a creative way to see what you’re spending your money on. Most of us know how much we spend at Starbucks in a single visit, but it’s easy to lose track of how frequently we are making such purchases.
Tracking these smaller daily expenses can help you figure out how much you’re spending on essentials and how much you’re spending on things you don’t need. This helps with evaluating where you can cut costs to save money!
Plan Your Spending Ahead of Time
Add events and occasions that require you to spend money to your agenda. This helps you prepare for them ahead of time and allows you to treat yourself while also holding yourself accountable. You can color coordinate these events, like date nights, happy hours, or brunch, for example, so that you always know when they’re coming up.
Holidays and birthdays also have a way of sneaking up and creating unexpected expenses. Use your Artful Agenda to keep track of the dates when you need to send someone a card or a gift.
Meal Plan and Make a Grocery List
One of the best ways to get on a budget and stick to it is to make a grocery list before you go to the grocery store. This helps you cut back on unnecessary purchases and gives you an opportunity to compare prices on the things you’re buying or look for coupons!
A good place to start with your grocery list is by writing a meal plan. This makes it easier to take stock of what you already have and what you need to buy.
Add Your Bills to Your Planner
Be prepared for when your bills are due by adding their due dates to your Artful Agenda. If they’re on autopay, you can use these as reminders to verify that they’ve been paid. If your bills are not on autopay, this will make sure you remember to pay them. You can even add paying the bills to your Priority Tasks for the day they’re due or plan ahead by adding them to that section a week before they’re due.
You can also create a “Bills Calendar” in the account you have linked to Artful Agenda that has all of your due dates. This will allow you to toggle on and off when you want your bills to show in your Artful Agenda, and you’re able to change the event color based on whether or not the bills have been paid.
Designate “No Spend Days”
Pick a few days a month where you choose not to spend any money. Skip the things you’ve noted in your Spending Diary, and save that money instead! You can even work your way up to having multiple No Spend Days in a row, and even No Spend Weeks.
Having these in your Artful Agenda will help you plan ahead for them. You’ll know to do things like make coffee at home, pack a lunch and avoid online shopping.
Re-evaluate Your Recurring Payments
Choose one day every three months where you assess your subscriptions. You may have a subscription for a streaming service or an app that you no longer use, and checking this will help see subscriptions or memberships that can be canceled,
Your email subscriptions are also something that affects your spending habits, so unsubscribing to marketing emails is another way to save money. Use this day to unsubscribe from getting emails about sales, promotions, and specials. It’s a great way to clear out your inbox while also making sure you don’t spend money on products you don’t need.
Artful Agenda Helps You Save
Money management and budgeting aren’t always easy, but Artful Agenda can help you get creative with it, get organized, and meet any saving goals you have. Challenge yourself this week and try one or two of these tricks!
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