We’ve all had the occasional nasty surprise when we need to dig deep into our wallets and spend more money than we hoped. Whether it’s to repair a car or replace a boiler, emergency expenditures suck. However, we can lighten the load by planning ahead and saving for these situations. By using some creative cash-saving tips and preserving our electronics, we can make the most of the items we buy and save ourselves thousands a year.
Take Care of Your Home
The first thing you need to do is start taking care of your home. Clear out rubbish, sell unwanted items for some extra cash, and tidy up everything. The more organised you are, the less prone you’ll be to breaking something or losing something. Take for example your laptop. If you leave it around your bed, throw it on the sofa, or stash it with your clothes, then the chances of someone accidentally stepping or sitting on it greatly increase, and you’ll be in for a shock when you find out it’s beyond repair.
Instead of hoarding items, sell them on sites like Craigslist and get some extra income from them. If you have a shelf full of books you’ve not read for years, then consider selling or donating them to a local charity. They’ll be grateful for your donation, and you’ll be happy to clear some space from your home.
Car Troubles
Your car is an extremely useful and expensive tool. Having it break down could bring your daily life to a screeching halt, and that’s the last thing you want to happen especially if you have a busy schedule. However, you should only be using your car when it’s absolutely necessary. If you constantly drive around for five minutes at a time, then consider walking or buying a bike to make short trips instead of driving. You can save hundreds of dollars a year by reducing the amount of petrol you use and switching to alternate methods of transport for shorter distances.
You should also practice road safety. Make sure that you drive carefully and don’t act too aggressively on the road. You don’t want to end up in an accident that could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs, or worse, the lives of you or your passengers. If you ever find yourself needing money to replace your car or carry out repairs to make it work again, then consider taking out secured loans to pay for the brunt of it.
Look After Electronics
Devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops are expensive. Make sure you take care of all those items by purchasing cases, sleeves, and bags to keep them out of harm’s way. Never eat or drink around your laptop unless you’re extremely careful. Spillages can damage the entire computer and might make your data unrecoverable, and you’ll lose all the precious photos and work you’ve done unless you are using cloud storage.
Repairing a phone could take weeks and several hundred dollars. A tablet or laptop could be even more expensive to fix, and if you rely on it for work or study then you’re going to be out of commission for a long time until you gather the funds to repair it.
