It was 3pm and we had finally emerged from our rooms after a night that was an instant classic in Panama City Beach, while our friends back home were shovelling snow.
I had spent more money than I wanted to admit. I slept in. I wasn’t feeling too good. I wasn’t exactly proud of the night before. But I wasn’t even slightly feeling guilty.
Am I suggesting that you never grow up like me? Nope, not at all.
So where am I going with this?
The thing is that every winter I love to get away. I’ve got this trip planning down to a fine art and I love it. I couldn’t imagine not traveling. The only thing is that whenever I do travel, folks are shocked to hear that I write about personal finance since they assume that most folks into finance just sit around with other geeks crunching numbers. That’s now how it works.
“How do you save money?”
Honestly. It’s not always easy. This is why I need to cover how I save money when it becomes totally lame to do so.
How do you survive in the long-term when trying to save money as a young adult?
Step 1: You just have to snap.
We wrote about Facebook and the fear of missing out a while back. That article was a huge hit. The thing is that sometimes we all need to snap and let go. You can’t always stress about trying to be in control.
What can you do right now?
- Change your routine up. You may think that you live life on the edge. Chances are that you don’t. Switch it up. Try a new routine. Try something new for lunch. Do something different.
- Plan to spend money. Don’t lie to yourself and say that you’re never ever going to spend a time again. That’s not how it works.
- Find a worthwhile goal. Find something that forces you to come alive!
Those are my three go-to tips when it comes to snapping.
“The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear and projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs.” – Cus D’Amato
Step 2: Stop trying to be perfect.
Don’t chase perfection! Just get a little better every single day. We all suck at saving money. Financial experts make huge mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Don’t for one second think that a perceived expert is flawless. Nobody is. We don’t have to be perfect. Improve a little on a daily basis and you’ll be fine.
Step 3: Reward yourself.
It’s okay to drink an expensive tea or wear nice jeans. Your lame friends can judge all they want.
Here’s a harsh truth: if I went through every single person’s budget/spending out there, I could point out many flaws.
So what? We all have flaws. Big deal?
Reward yourself so that saving money doesn’t become as dreadful as visiting your relatives.
Step 4: Make it easy!
Simple doesn’t always sell but simple is awesome. Make it easy. Make it as easy as possible. Pay yourself first, invest in something safe, hide your money, and don’t try to overcomplicate it.
One more secret about saving money in the long run…
You have to ignore your internal self-doubt. I used to always tell myself that I just wasn’t good with money. I almost accepted this is as a truth. That would have been a load of crap.
[Read our guide to crushing self-doubt right now!]
I’m not going to spew the same crap that you read about saving money everywhere else. You have it in you to dominate your finances. Even in the long run.
For more, you need to read up on two awesome tricks for saving money that your stupid friends will never figure out.
Get out there and live a little. Take lots of risks. Save your money where you can. Don’t feel guilty about having fun. Take care of things when it matters most and let go when you can.
“Not only do I not know what’s going on, I wouldn’t know what to do about it if I did.” — George Carlin