When it’s just you and your better half, it can be easy to get into the habit of spending too much. All those evenings out at the movies, date nights, drinks with friends, and dinner – it all starts to add up after a while.
As a couple with no kids, there’s not as much incentive to save and prepare for the future so that it can be challenging cutting down on your weekly expenditures. However, if you want to feel a little bit more financially stable, try these five tips for cutting down on couples spending.
1. Put That Bonus Away
What better way to celebrate getting a bonus than by going out for dinner and drinks? There’s nothing like it. However, if you’re hoping to start cutting down on your couple’s spending, you may want to do the complete opposite, and put it away for a rainy day.
You never know what’s around the corner, and having the majority of that bonus in the savings account for when you need it can make all the difference.
2. Cut Out the Bad Debt
If you’ve been extra impulsive lately, you may have accumulated a bit of credit card debt from all the overspending. A lot of the time, it’s easy to spend now and think about it later. However, it won’t be long before those credit cards begin to put the pressure on, and you’ll find yourself wondering how to pay them.
The best way to tackle that credit card debt is to pay the bad debt first. If you want to get rid of it straight away, consider a short term loan. There are options like title loans online and personal loans available that can offer easy application and long-term repayment packages.
3. Eat at Home
There’s nothing like a romantic dinner out for two – or is there? Instead of going out to eat every time you want to do date night, try transforming the atmosphere at home to emulate the mood of a cozy, trendy restaurant.
All it takes is looking up a recipe online that you’ve never tried before and getting the candles out, and you’ve got a mood set for two. Eating at home on date night instead of going out is going to save you more money than you realize because every little bit counts – and it adds up.
4. Set Yourselves a Limit
There’s nothing wrong with planning a day out with your loved one where you both get to ‘shop until you drop.’ However, instead of going all out, set each other a limit before you leave, so you know what you’ve got to spend, and when you need to reign it in.
5. Get Rid of Memberships You Don’t Use
When was the last time you went to the gym? What about that cable bill? How many of your monthly memberships are lying in the drawer, gathering dust? Cutting down on spending includes getting rid of those subscriptions that you hardly ever use. Again, you’d be surprised at how small payments like this can add up.
Cutting down on spending as a couple isn’t as easy as it sounds, but if you can hack it, you’ll end up saving more than you thought.