New Year, More Money

I didn't want to go the "New Year, New Me" route for 2017, but I love the idea of a fresh start.
I mostly wanted to make this year a turning point in my finances.
I've never been super great at saving, mostly because I was living paycheck to paycheck with the majority of my past jobs.
Now that I'm working two jobs and not paying rent {thanks mom and dad!} I figured this was the prime time for making bigger payments on my student loans and car, paying off my credit cards, and building up a savings.
I've been doing a pretty good job these past few months and wanted to share some tips that have really helped me recently!

1. Set up a budget.
This seems like a "duh" tip, but when I realized that I spent almost $200 in one month at Starbucks I realized I really needed to slow my roll with expensive coffee and breakfast sandwiches. I'm not a strict budgeter, but I set up a rough estimate each month and put the leftover money into my savings account.

2. Use technology.
One of the easiest things I've done is download apps that are money saving tools. Ibotta is a really cool app that has refunded me $35 in the past few months that I've had it. All I do is check the app for products I've purchased, if they're on the app, I download my receipt and get money back. Here is a referral link if you're interested! https://ibotta.com/r/vguhlij. Checkout51 is similar and also has completely different items on their app. It's worth checking out!

3. Stop unnecessary spending.
I'm about to show you something terrifying.

Yes, I am super embarrassed to admit that this is my bathroom.

This is what happens when you work at Sephora and you don't have enough organizational containers. I decided to not buy any products unless I was completely out of all similar products. For instance, I normally use this Nars concealer in Vanilla, but when I ran out of it I looked through my drawers and found this and this that I have been mixing instead. I can't stress enough how much money this method has saved me already and will continue to save me all year long. Whatever your vice is, ask yourself if it's truly necessary or if you can find a cheaper way of getting what you want {i.e. making coffee and most of your meals at home, shopping at consignment stores, saving up for a specific eye shadow palette instead of impulse buying 3 in a row...oops!}

4. Consolidate debt.
I had a credit card that I barely used, but I had been paying pretty much the minimum amount each month for a couple years. With the super high APR, I was paying an obscene amount of interest. Last Fall, I put that card on a Chase card with 0% financing and I'm close to paying it off. I promise this isn't an #ad...but if you want it to be, Chase, I'm here!

These are just some tips I thought I'd pass along. Especially when it's as easy as downloading an app and getting money back on items you would buy anyway. I'd love to hear any of your tips you have for saving money. Hopefully this topic will be recurring as I discover new ways to save!

XO Lindsey