Tips for saving money

Storytime!

I went with my friend Pooja for a casual lunch to a restaurant. We sat down and we spoke about what is going on with our lives. We ordered food. The food was little on the spicer side, so Pooja ordered a bottle of mineral water. When the bill arrived we saw that the restaurant had charge Rs 40 rupees for the bottle of mineral water which had MRP of Rs 10. The restaurant owner explain the extra charges for the maintenance and storage. In my opinion, Pooja could have easily saved those rs 40 by a simple habit. No, it is not avoiding to drink water.

Now how is the story relevant to saving money? I have a simple tip: carry your own water wherever you go.

This sound like a very simple, practical, and easy to apply tip however a very few people apply it in the real life. Ask this question yourself: do I carry my own what about whenever I go? If the answer is yes - congratulations you are already on the right path. If the answer is no then ask yourself one more question - is it possible for me to carry my own water bottle whenever I go?

This is not only about Pooja. I know a lot of people who are hesitant to carry a water bottle when they go out (looks weird, stingy, old fashioned etc) and then order mineral water outside (looks cool). By this we are unnecessarily spending money on the water (note: you are already paying water charges to the government, so water from home is not exactly free). Apart from that are you willing to pay extra money on water? If that charity you want to proceed with, then I do not have any further suggestion for you.

Moving on to another question what am I going to do by saving rs 10? Go ahead and calculate how many times in a month you are buying the bottle of mineral water and the expense would be right in front of you. This is the amount that good easily have been saved.

Another excuse that a lot of people had given me is that carrying the water bottle is heavy. I agree it is uncomfortable. However for ask another question to yourself - the mineral water that you buy outside is any lighter? It is neither lighter in the weight nor it is lighter on your pocket. If you do not finish the bottle of mineral water at the restaurant you will need to carry it around so definitely weight wise it is not forgiving.

The charity begins at home. I never was fond of mineral water. I never found it stylish to buy mineral water and carry it around. I would always carry a bottle of water from home. People laugh at me or call me stingy, but still I would carry it around. That time my thought was that I trusted only the water from at trustable source and not the mineral water. However unknowingly now I have realised that I have saved a good amount of money by not spending it on mineral water. From my own experience I can say that this is practical and it is easy to apply in our lives. It is still uncomfortable however it can save money in the long run.

In the current economy every rupee matters. When we cannot save money on a lot of things sleeping money on water is easy and doable. I want you to give a thought abd start to implement this small change in your life for your own better future.

It started in Mumbai proximately 10 years ago. All the shops stopped providing the bags free of cost. If you have purchased something and you want the bag, then you will need to pay certain amount for the bag. In short the bag was not free of cost but it had to be purchased. Also some shops had declared BYOB (bring your own bag).

This system even continued today in Mumbai. If you go to a shopping mall and buy something, then the bag would not be given to you. You would need to purchase the bag so that you can do the free marketing for that retailer from the money that you have paid. The size of the bags is based on the amount you pay - more money bigger bag. The bags would be priced at rs 15, rs 30, rs 50 et cetera. At the cash counter the cashier would shamelessly ask you if they should add a back to your cart. Buying the storesbag is just the waste of money. This bag would be made out of thinnest paper which would not even hold its shape till you exit the store. And still this bag would be charged to the customer. This feels like another cash grab.

To avoid this unnecessary expense the solution is simple - carry your own bags. If you carry your own bag you would not need to buy the delicate and cheap bag from the store. Since you have brought the bag from your home you know that it is sturdy. It is not going to break. Additionally you can decide which bag you want to carry. You do not have to rely on the store to provide you with the bag.

Now again coming to the question that would be asked. How much will I save by not using the back that I purchase at the store? If the bag cost rs 15, 30, or 50 then that is the direct cost that you are going to save by carrying your own bag. The bags that would be provided by the store would be made out of paper so if it that's raining it is not going to be safe. The paper bags are known to get damaged very easily, so despite purchasing a bag you may end up carrying your new clothes or other items in your bare hands. If you had your own bag this problem would not arise.

When you plan not to carry your own bag then just think about this - are you willing to be extra money for something that would last only for a few minutes? Is it worth investing in the store's bag that has no strength? If the answer is yes go ahead and do not carrying the bag. If the answer is no then definitely carry your own bag while going on any shopping trip. This will cut unnecessary expenditure on the things that are not going to last for more than few minutes.

This tip is not going to save a lot of money but definitely it would help you to reduce unnecessary expenses. Try to implement it and you will see that how useless it was to buy store owned bags.

Simple ways would definitely lead to more saving. Remember this aspect before you go on your next shopping trip. Your pocket will definitely thank you in the future.