2008 Woodie Awards
Easy ways to keep your financial ship afloat
Zach Wingerter
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: Opinion
Spring Break is over, and now the Western community has returned to Macomb with one problem: We spent all our money during Spring Break.
Those $4 beers at the $15-cover bars in Paradise seemed like an OK idea at the time, but now that reality has set back in, most of us could benefit from a little penny-pinching.
Here are some tips on how to nurse your bank account back to health:
Make a list of expenses. Write down how much you spend per month on food, entertainment, bar nights and anything else you can think of. Then sort everything into one of two categories: Necessary and expendable. If you see that you are spending a lot on things you do not need, adjust your spending accordingly.
Sell things you no longer use. If you were interested enough to buy them at some point, chances are someone else will be willing to buy them, too. Television seasons on DVD are a great example. If you've already watched a season and don't see yourself watching it again, put up a listing and sell it on eBay. Facebook's Marketplace is also an adequate method of giving old things a new home.
Clip coupons. It is surprising how much money can be saved simply by looking at those shopper ads you normally throw away. Even something as small as noticing one store has 12-packs of soda for a lower price than another store saves money.
Go coupon-fishing. Most products have a phone number for a customer satisfaction line printed somewhere on their package. Calling that number and saying you are happy with the product will often result in getting coupons for free items in the mail with absolutely no catch.
Save and splurge. It is always good to save money, but don't let it decrease your quality of life. Cut back on some things, but periodically treat yourself to something nice to make saving seem worthwhile. Instead of going to a movie, staying in and watching something on cable or borrowing a DVD from a friend a couple of times can free up money for a nice night out at Buffalo Wild Wings. Avoiding between-class coffees and bringing snacks from home instead of raiding vending machines can get you a new video game.
Those $4 beers at the $15-cover bars in Paradise seemed like an OK idea at the time, but now that reality has set back in, most of us could benefit from a little penny-pinching.
Here are some tips on how to nurse your bank account back to health:
Make a list of expenses. Write down how much you spend per month on food, entertainment, bar nights and anything else you can think of. Then sort everything into one of two categories: Necessary and expendable. If you see that you are spending a lot on things you do not need, adjust your spending accordingly.
Sell things you no longer use. If you were interested enough to buy them at some point, chances are someone else will be willing to buy them, too. Television seasons on DVD are a great example. If you've already watched a season and don't see yourself watching it again, put up a listing and sell it on eBay. Facebook's Marketplace is also an adequate method of giving old things a new home.
Clip coupons. It is surprising how much money can be saved simply by looking at those shopper ads you normally throw away. Even something as small as noticing one store has 12-packs of soda for a lower price than another store saves money.
Go coupon-fishing. Most products have a phone number for a customer satisfaction line printed somewhere on their package. Calling that number and saying you are happy with the product will often result in getting coupons for free items in the mail with absolutely no catch.
Save and splurge. It is always good to save money, but don't let it decrease your quality of life. Cut back on some things, but periodically treat yourself to something nice to make saving seem worthwhile. Instead of going to a movie, staying in and watching something on cable or borrowing a DVD from a friend a couple of times can free up money for a nice night out at Buffalo Wild Wings. Avoiding between-class coffees and bringing snacks from home instead of raiding vending machines can get you a new video game.
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