No matter what age you are, striving to get ahead is important. You can have an emergency fund or be stuck doing plain green loans when you need quick cash when unexpected charges come up. Money is tight as it is, so in order to free up extra money, there has to be sacrifices in some areas. By making a few smart purchases, you can help your finances now so that you can free up extra money to pay off debt, save for retirement, and more importantly, get ahead and stay ahead.
Programmable Coffee Pot
Now you may be wondering how a coffee pot will help your finances, but let’s start small in freeing up a few extra bucks. By investing $25 in a programmable coffee pot you can have your coffee brewed and ready for your travel mug by the time you are ready to walk out the door for work. This will save you $3 that morning stopping for coffee, and potentially $60 a month if you stop every day, and even more if you stop multiple times a day or on weekends. Pack yourself breakfast for the road and a lunch and you are on your way savings a couple hundred dollars a month.
New Laptop
With the amount of companies that are approving staff to work from home these days, now is the time to show you can be just as productive at home by investing in a new laptop to replace your outdated one, even if it’s only a couple years old. Much like TV’s improving in quality but decreasing in price, laptops are continuing to be faster, slimmer, and easier on the wallet. Being able to multitask also lets you take care of personal items and maybe even a side job during work hours, but let’s keep that a secret.
Comfortable Furniture
In order to keep your mind fresh and body relaxed, now is the time to get rid of the hand me down furniture that you are continuing to use on a daily basis, or the mattress you still have from when you moved out that is giving you back trouble and invest in quality furniture. A couch that you can relax on when you are watching Netflix, and a bed that you can drift off to sleep right away and sleep through the night, getting a full eight hours so you can be on top of your game the next day.
Airline Tickets
Now while airline tickets may not be good for you bank account, or the trip even more as those costs add up quickly, but it’s important to enjoy life experiences while you are working hard at your day job, not to mention handling the household finances, budgeting and saving. There is nothing wrong with taking a trip every now and again, as long as continuous trips do not put you in debt. A getaway can be therapy for the day to day grind, and it’s something to look forward to, instead of being trapped in the house.