When I turned 19 and graduated college, I wasn’t worried about how I could possibly get the money for my clothes or for my Lead CDs. I didn’t care for such matters seemed trivial to me.
However, I was deathly frightened of where I would get money for my little brother’s college. Don’t get me wrong – my parents are very responsible and they never forced me to pay for it. I volunteered to do it because I wanted to show my gratitude to them.
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| Education is still a sincere gift. |
This was my drive. This was what made me interested in managing my personal finance. And now that I’m 20, I think I could share a thing or two about improving finances drastically while seeming more warm and sincere.
1. Have a no-spending weekend. My family was surprised when I suggested this because it was usually me and my little brother who love going to the malls on weekends. Now, they love doing this ritual too because it promotes bonding and lessens stress. We watch movies and make popcorn or sometimes we just sit silently and read our own books while drinking fruit juice or tea. Relaxing!
2. Keep a piggy bank. Everyone has different rules about piggy banks. Some people put all of their change into their piggy banks at the end of the day while some people just toss random money in it. As for me, I make it a point to put at least P25.00 every morning in it. As long as I put this specific amount of money, then I’m guilt-free! (Make sure to have a goal for your piggy bank! Mine is I’ll divide it every month – half goes to my emergency fund and half goes to a gift for a random special person to me!)
3. Give gifts with your heart, not with your money. Frugal doesn’t necessarily mean cheap. Gifts which require effort seem more sincere and heartfelt, don’t you think? Write love letters, make scrapbooks, record yourself singing your love’s favorite song (think very hard about doing this first!), make homemade cookies…the possibilities are endless!
Any thoughts? Share below! 🙂
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