My boyfriend and I were having a conversation over dinner the other night about saving money and different savings goals we have in our mid-twenties. Something we’ve both realized in the past few years is how much all of the little things can add up. Sometimes it seems like a never ending cycle of consuming – new shirt for a concert, that Amazon gadget TikTok told me I ‘need’, a quick coffee run, a $20 workout class…the list goes on and on. As a blogger and social media ‘influencer’ who is constantly on social media partially for work and partially for pleasure- I find it can be draining sometimes to constantly feel the need to buy something new. Don’t get me wrong- as a blogger I totally have a hand in this and am always sharing the new items I’m wearing but in todays post I wanted to talk a little bit more about thoughtful spending and habits I’ve been working on to help me save more money. I am definitely one to treat myself, but I also find that it’s important to talk about saving first as a priority. The month of July can always be crazy with so many sales being shared, so I though it was the perfect moment to discuss this!

One of my favorite courses to teach (for those of you that don’t know- I’m a high school teacher) is personal finance. It’s really interesting for me to hear from students ranging from young freshman to seniors almost ready to graduate on what their knowledge is about financial topics. I am really hoping personal finance becomes a required course in High School because I find learning about things like repaying student loans and interest rates is just as important as learning standard math, science, etc.

Life as an adult is definitely expensive and I have found it important to make sure I’m covering my needs, then saving as much as possible and of course giving myself a budget for all of the little treats here and there so I am not spending recklessly (which can be so easy to do in todays society). Lately I have been taking a look at my personal habits and trying to figure out where I can make some changes so I’m making sure to spend in a more thoughtful way.

I am by no means trying to give you financial advice in this post, but I wanted to share a few personal changes I’ve been working on making recently to spend more thoughtfully.

• Invest in things that will last. You’re probably reading this like *wait* isn’t this the same girl who shares Amazon finds?? YES I do love a good Amazon find, but I do try to be considerate about what I’m buying on a regular basis especially if it’s a larger purchase. For example, if I’m looking for a new work bag do I want to buy a cheap one that will start tearing after a month or invest in something a little more expensive that will last 10 years with good care? Another part of this is buying second hand. I recently have been wanting a smaller size of the Longchamp Le Pliage and know that these bags last forever since I’ve had my larger size since high school. After a little browsing I found one in pristine condition on Poshmark for over 60% off the retail price!

 

• Eating at home more often. This is a hard one for me because I tend to be a very social person always willing to grab a coffee, drink, dinner with friends. I’m very excited to move into my new house and host more, but until then I’ve been working on eating home more often. Lately I set the goal for myself to try to eat at home during the week and save dining out for the weekends / special occasions. I have definitely not been perfect with this, but I do find my habits have changed a lot. Not only am I saving money, BUT I’m also enjoying cooking more and not feeling guilty when I spend money on a nice dinner on the weekend.

 

• Find free entertainment. There are SO many free activities to do, you just have to put a little more effort into finding them. We’ve been loving playing pickle ball lately which is a great way to get friends together! A few other free/ donation based things on my list this summer in Buffalo include Shakespeare in the Park, M&T First Fridays at the newly renovated Albright Knox, pack a picnic for Knox Park in East Aurora, make a snackle box for a beach day on Lake Erie. These are just a few of my ideas, but be sure to search free things to do in your city! Especially if you live in a bigger city, there will be so many things you can find.

 

• Only getting my nails done for special occasions. Getting my nails done all of the time was definitely adding up. Recently I have been trying to save nail appointments for special occasions or trips and painting them myself in between. I really love Olive & Junes polish and have been eyeing their at home mani kit! I do love a good mani pedi, but I don’t find it necessary to have this done every few weeks.

 

• Outdoor workouts / a more affordable monthly gym. For a while I went to a class based gym that was pretty pricy. Recently I switched to a gym that’s under $20 a month and I’ve been mixing in outdoor workouts and only treat myself to more expensive classes on special occasions. Don’t get me wrong I loved my gym before, but this has been a great way for me to save money and try new things.

 

• Saying no. This is something I don’t think I will ever be good at. There are so many times I have FOMO and  do things because I feel like I am missing out. Truthfully it is so nice to say no sometimes and just go for a walk on the beach with my mom or have a movie night in with Jax. I find that a lot of our spending can sometimes be influenced by the people around us, so saying no can be really helpful with this.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and a wonderful rest of your summer!