Lifestyle

How To Save Money The Intentional Way

mindbeautysimplicity

My name is B & I used to be a shopaholic. Yes, you’ve got that right, this practicing minimalist & intentional living enthusiast used to spend her money on clothes & makeup like it was water. I filled emotional voids & tried to gain happiness through new purchases. And unfortunately, none of it truly helped. It wasn’t until I learned to reflect on my emotions, honor them & control my spending habits did I finally feel fulfilled. Now, I am a proud outfit repeater & use up my makeup products before I get replacements. I still love shopping but I’ve learned to do it less frequently. The types of things I prefer to buy now are items that can improve my life & experiences that will enrich my soul. Today, I wanted to let you in on the secrets to saving money & being intentional with your purchases.

Create a Wish List

To keep my purchasing less off the cuff, I tend to keep a list of wants in my note section of my phone. A lot of the time, I’ll remember I need something or have a want in mind throughout the day. By writing it down as soon as I think of it, I’m less likely to forget. Not only this, but having a list is a way for me to take a pause & reflect on it for a second.

Don’t Purchase From The Wish List Right Away

Impulse purchasing is where I have wasted the most amount of money. Ideally, you want to wait a few days until you purchase items on this wish list so you give yourself time to think about it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve quickly bought something & completely regretting it later. The worst part is when it’s too late to even return it. Unless it’s something you truly need like groceries, it’s healthier to wait it out a bit. A way to combat impulse buys is to make your lists ahead of time before your usual shopping day. You can even create a spread sheet & budget out the estimated expenses.

Consider A Low Buy Challenge

Challenge yourself to making less purchases all together. Keep it down to the essentials like food, water, monthly bills, & gas. You can even just limit yourself to specific types of purchases like not buying new makeup for a month. I did this with makeup & new clothing where I didn’t buy new items for a few months & I seriously saved hundreds of dollars. This also teaches you to prioritize your spending & always focus on the important expenses first. I know treating ourself can be nice, but it can also get out of hand. Control those spending urges with these low buy or no buy rules.

Ask Yourself Why

Why do I want this new makeup product? Why do I feel like I need this new dress? What will I wear it to & how often will I wear it? These are such important questions to reflect on before making any type of purchases no matter how much it may be. Money no matter how small adds up. So really dive deep into those questions.

Save Your Coins

I am a hoarder – when it comes to coin collecting. We have a large glass jar by our front door that holds all our loose change. Every few months or so I’ll go & cash it in. Can you believe I’ve gotten a few hundred dollars out of just our loose change?! We’ve used it for bills, groceries or even weekend getaways to the beach.

Being intentional with your spending habits simply takes willpower. And when you start to think more frugally, like any habit, it starts to become second nature. Now, when I walk into a store, I can easily just window shop & most days not buy a damn thing. Old me would be shocked. Are you trying to save your money & create smarter spending habits? Let me know in the comments your secrets.

-B

Published by mindbeautysimplicity

52 thoughts on “How To Save Money The Intentional Way”

  1. I have a large debt I’ve committed to pay off, which means no frivolous spending for me! I was just reflecting the other day how, a couple years ago, it was rare for me to go a day without spending money on something. Today, it is rare for me to spend. And the more I try to use up what I already have, the more I realize how much I already have (make up, office supplies, craft supplies, etc)! It is true that spending habits are completely changeable.

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  3. Love the idea of your money jar! I tend to use my card instead of cash, a habit from covid I guess. I have a wishlist on Etsy and Amazon but rarely buy from it – maybe if I’m close to free delivery or something like that x

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  6. I’m very frugal thank God and yes saving coins is such a great tip. I started saving the coins I have at the end of each day, and I surprisingly saved up an amount where I can buy new sneakers. 😄

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  7. I need to check out these low-buy or no-buy challenges. I don’t buy a lot of frivolous things, so maybe I’m nearly following the rules already? I’m always looking for ways to make the most of our budget and reduce the clutter and ‘stuff’ that can takeover our lives

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  8. Great tips! I use the ‘don’t buy from wishlist straight away’ one all the time. I keep things in my Amazon cart and find that when I go back in, I don’t have the need for them anymore (or never did!). Thanks for the ideas – I’m going to start the coin jar now too!

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  13. As someone on my debt free journey I can confirm that using a wish list is super productive. For me it’s like the next level up from adding to the basket and then closing the page. I add to my wish list and I either delete it on my next list review because I no longer want it or I use it to motivate me to save for it over a period of time. To be honest by the time I make a decision it either cheaper or sold out. Win win.

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  14. I’m relieved I don’t find it hard not to spend money. I’ve always lived frugally (something taught to me by my parents at a young age). You have great tips in your list to save money! Make a list with what you want to buy and stick to it haha. Another great tip is also to eat before buying groceries. It makes you want to buy more because you’re full. Thanks for sharing, Brittany! A lovely read x

    http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com

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  15. Great post! I agree wholeheartedly with WAITING before you actually spend the money on something. Most purchases, maybe about 90%, are fueled by EMOTION. We buy because we are sad and want to fill a hole in our hearts, or we buy because we are jealous and want to keep up with our peers and family and friends, or we buy simply because we CAN (because there is money in our bank account or a huge credit limit on our credit cards, and it is easy to swipe that card.
    because of this, it is ALWAYS best to wait, put the item on your wishlist, giving you time to think and see if you really NEED it. Chances are you can live WITHOUT the item. And by waiting, you may even score a better deal as prices tend to fluctuate in the retail business. If you feel that you still need it after waiting for a day, a week, a month, then by all means get it. as it must be essential by that point. And by that point you probably won’t be fueled by emotion.

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    1. exactly! emotion is such a powerful thing and it’s hard to tell where that energy is going at first. but yes, purchases are a huge culprit. yes, most the time you can live without an item you so desperately wanted. thanks for reading!

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  16. Great post and tips to help you save money. To be honest since lockdown I’ve realised how little I actually need and so don’t tend to buy as much only when I’ve made the space by giving up something old will I allow myself to buy something new.

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  17. I can personally relate to this post, I used to love spending but I have started to limit my spending by asking myself what am I going to do with that specific product. Asking yourself these type of questions does help so I can agree with that tip of yours and omg I love that jar tip! I should do that :0 That is pretty smart haha

    Thank you for these wonderful tips, I need to become a minimalist fully (I have only started but it is hard for me to keeping it up) Your blog legit gives me all the hope in achieving my goal haha

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  19. That is my go-to method for saving too. Have it sit forever in your cart and stare at it once in a while. Research all reviews, look up youtube videos on that product, and after like a week or two (or even a month) do you still want it? If you REALLY still want it, then consider saving up as your next savings treat. Great post with great tips!

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  21. Great tips! I need to work on not impulse buying, but I love shopping so much. We are cutting back a little, though, so I will be making more coffee at home and eating out less. It’s amazing how much I spend on those things!

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  23. These are really great tips. I used to be a big over spender but once my son was born i began a journey of cutting costs and finding ways to save more money, especially for our futures. I always save coins and change, any goes straight into a bank.

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  24. I have lived long periods of my life with money just for the basic and sometimes not even those and it was then when I was most aware of what is important and necessary and what it is not. However, after that, I spend a big period of wasting money just because I could, buying lots of clothes or shoes I never even wore once, buying new make up products just to have them available in case I needed it.
    Now that I decided to start over with my life I will have to get back to spend and save money more intentionally, so this post worked to me as a great reminder of what I should be doing from now on!
    Thank you for sharing!

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