Tips & Tricks For Saving Money In Your 20’s

It is not the easiest saving money in your 20’s. You graduate college & you start working full time. It’s great seeing that number in your bank account grow as you get your pay checks, but it can also be tempting to splurge on nights out & other things that are not necessary (my weakness is shoes..). Here are my tips & tricks to saving money in your 20’s.

1. Limit the amount of drinks you order at the bar – $10 for a cranberry vodka? No, thank you. Save your money by drinking before going out & ordering one or two at the bar or having a night in with your best friends.
2. Better yet, find free activities to do with your friends & significant other – Once I graduated college, the main way I was meeting up with my friends was grabbing dinner or doing happy hour after work. Don’t get me wrong, I love eating food with my best friends & trying new fun drinks, but each dinner was not cheap. There are plenty of fun, free activities to do. Go for a walk, volunteer at your local animal shelter, or just stop by each other’s houses & catch up. Your soul & your bank account will be happy.
3. Try a capsule wardrobe – Although I love fast fashion, these clothing items are not the best clothing items to be purchased if you are trying to save money. Buy timeless pieces like a nice white shirt, jeans, or a cute scarf. Capsule wardrobes have clothing items that do not go out of style so you don’t have to buy new clothing items every single season. If you are looking for more ideas on what to purchase for a capsule wardrobe, leave a comment below & I can write up a blog post.
4. Cancel your gym membership (if you aren’t going to the gym) – I’ve seen this plenty of times before. People have a gym membership, but they don’t want to work out so they don’t use it. If you don’t go to the gym, cancel your membership. If you do start wanting to exercise more, go for a run or do some exercises in your house. There are plenty of YouTube videos of workouts that you can do from the comfort of your home.
5. Meal prep – Eating out for lunch & dinner can add up really quickly. I work in New York City so a salad can cost $10! I like to prepare my lunches (a hummus veggie wrap with some nuts & fruit) & sit outside & eat. You can still have your lunch break & get out of the office, but you are able to save money at the same time.
6. Cut the cable chord – Let’s be real, how many channels do you really watch? Also, do you find yourself watching YouTube instead of watching tv? Cut the chord. Netflix & Hulu are great alternatives to cable. There are also many short series on YouTube.

What are your tips for saving money in your 20’s? Let me know in the comments below.