It's so easy to spend your money these days with the help of contactless. A tap here, a tap there, it's so easy to subconsciously spend more money t…
It's so easy to spend your money these days with the help of contactless. A tap here, a tap there, it's so easy to subconsciously spend more money than you realise. I would say that since the pandemic in 2020, using contactless has become more common. Bad money habits can easily creep into our lives. Some are wanted, some are unwanted - it's the unwanted money habits that you need to look out for.
Sometimes the unwanted bad money habits aren't the biggest things, it's the smallest ones that are sometimes the issue. I'm not going to lie, I've bought things and signed up for subscriptions that cost me monthly. We've all done it and we'll still continue to do it.
I've made a lot of cutbacks lately and it's been surprising how much money I have saved by making a few changes. These changes have been small, but I've noticed a significant difference in my finances since carrying them out. These bad money habits that I have taken control of are ones that you may think about cutting back on too.
Here are the bad money habits that I have managed to get rid of:
1) Takeaways
Ordering a takeaway is so easy to do, especially when you can't be bothered to cook. It's so easy to hit Just Eat or Deliveroo and order from your favourite fast food place. But, rather than be lazy and order a takeaway, a takeaway is something I consider a luxury now and I will only order one at the most, once a week. Sometimes it can be a couple of weeks without ordering something! To me, that's big progress and I've saved a lot of money by getting off my bum and cooking something, even if it's just a microwave meal!
2) Unsubscribing to unused subscriptions
Let's face it, we're all subscribed to a subscription we either no longer have use for or can't remember why you signed up in the first place! I've taken the time to look at what goes out of my account monthly and whittled down which subscriptions I have no use for and hit the "unsubscribe" button. I haven't saved a huge amount of money a month, but a saving is a saving!
3) Shopping online
Probably my biggest financial recoup is not shopping online from high street retailers. It's been so long since I've ordered something from ASOS (my biggest spend at times). I so much prefer to buy from Vinted at a fraction of the price! The quality of the items I have bought from there has been great and also selling clothes I no longer wear on the website is a great way for me to make a little extra money!
4) Buying a takeaway coffee/tea
Now, this is something I don't really do because 1) I don't drink coffee and 2) It's just a waste of money for me. It's nice as a treat once in a while, but when it's more sustainable to buy your own coffee machine and make it at home, it may save you a little every month.
5) Buying bottled water
Surely it's cheaper and more sustainable to buy a reusable bottle to fill up with water?
6) Doing at-home beauty treatments
Whether you have your nails done, get your lashes done or get yourself a fake tan, these are the types of at-home beauty treatments you can do at home. One thing I have mentioned is getting your hair done. Now, for me, this is my one big treat as I love going to the hairdressers to have mine done. I only have my hair done every 3 months so it's not an extortionate outgoing.
Now, more habits will drain your bank account and there are so many ways to save money. I think if I mention them all, this will be like reading a book, not a blog post. Also, we all spend our money differently, we all like to treat ourselves in different ways and we all like to save money in different ways. This post is just a little bit of advice and things I've picked up from not only myself but others too, I'm not a qualified financial advisor.
There was no way I was going to delve into topics like credit cards, purely because I don't have one and need to gain more knowledge of credit cards and interest.
As I said though, there are so many effective ways to save money by stopping bad money habits.
Let me know your thoughts, do you have money habits you'd like to get rid of?
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Years ago, I read Rosie Walsh's first book "The Man Who Didn't Call - and I absolutely loved it. Years later, I have finally finished reading her second book, "The Love of My Life". I loved Rosie's writing style in her first book - and this one was no different.
Let's set the scene, shall we?
The story centres around Emma and Leo, a couple who seem to have the perfect marriage. Leo is a good husband and father who writes obituaries for a living. Emma, a marine biologist, adores her job exploring coastal areas searching for rare crabs and other marine life. They share a daughter, Ruby and their dog, John Keats.
The story starts with Emma waiting to get her results after she's gone through cancer. It's a nerve-wracking time for the couple, but thankfully, the results came back fine, she's in remission and life seems perfect again - for now.
It's only by accident that Leo stumbles across some paperwork which Emma has hidden away from sight. It states that Emma didn't graduate from the university he thought she went to study. This leads to a whole can of worms opening up and Leo questioning Emma's past and questioning others about it.
As Leo tries to divulge all this information about his wife's past, we also see another subplot of a TV personality's sudden disappearance - does this link in with Emma's past?
I can't tell you much more as it will give the whole story away! But it's an intriguing read!
Would I recommend The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh?
Absolutely! This domestic thriller really leaves you questioning a lot about this couple's marriage and about what happened in Emma's past. The story is quite a sad one as it deals with an awful lot of trauma from Emma's past.
The book is told from the perspectives of Emma and Leo. Each chapter is short in length, which makes it a lot easier to read. Rosie reveals clues to what are believed to be indicators of Emma's post - but the earlier clues are kind of like decoys. Rosie's first initial hints and clues threw me right off track into what I believed happened in Emma's past. Absolutely genius writing on Rosie's part.
As the story progresses, we begin to understand and comprehend Emma's past and admire how she has managed to get her life back on track, despite her heartbreaking past.
There are a few twists and turns near the end, but the book does reach an emotionally satisfying end, which I was pleased with. The Love of My Life questions how well you can really know your spouse. By the end, it questions how much you are willing to forgive the ones you love.
*Trigger warning - this book does deal with mental health and attempted suicide.
A brilliant read and I can only hope that Rosie Walsh writes another book in the future as I adore her writing!
Let me know your thoughts on The Love of My Life!
Years ago, I read Rosie Walsh's first book "The Man Who Didn't Call - and I absolutely loved it. Years later, I have finally finished reading h…
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