Depending on your career, your salary can fall short of your needs due to rent, groceries, fuel prices, and more.
With rising inflation, interest rate hikes, and an impending recession, being a wise consumer and spender is more important.
“Looking after your money and your future is not difficult. But you need to plan and stick to that plan,” says Craig Newborn, chief executive of PayJustNow.
Two financial experts offered their advice on how to make your salaries go further. Newborn gives the four three tips. Mduduzi Luthuli, investment manager at Luthuli Capital, provides the final three recommendations.
1. Increase your financial knowledge
Online courses are available for financial education, and banks and other financial institutions offer financial literacy classes. These courses can teach consumers about topics such as budgeting, investing, and saving for retirement.
2. Keep to your budget
Create a budget that accounts for your current and future income and expenses. A budget will help you keep track of your spending and ensure that you have a healthy amount of savings.
If you are unsure about creating your own budget, there are numerous online templates available to assist you.
Remember that creating a budget is the first step, but you must also stick to it.
3. Investigate alternative financing options
With high interest rates, you may end up paying far more than the asking price for an item.
As a result, it is critical that you consider other credit alternatives, such as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products. You can still make purchases with BNPL products, but there is no credit interest.
BNPL allows you to make a large purchase up front but pay it off over a set period of time interest-free.
4. Conduct your shopping research
Check prices, keep an eye out for specials, and buy in bulk if possible. Be aware of loyalty and rewards programmes, as well as the online options provided by retailers; you may save money with.
5. Spending barriers
According to Luthuli, the simplest way to make your salary last longer is to make it more difficult to waste it. You can accomplish this, according to the financial expert, by putting up spending barriers.
“Spending barriers act as nudges for improving your financial behaviour and thus are easy to implement and sustain. A ‘nudge’ is a small aid that leads people to adopt a desired behaviour. The underlying idea is that small cues or changes in our environment can have a major impact on our choices and behaviour.”
6. Make a cash diet
The cash diet concept is fairly simple: instead of using credit cards or payment apps to make purchases, use cash.
Swiping your debit or credit card is simple; however, because you cannot see what you are spending, it can feel as if you are not spending your own money.
7. Be cautious of digital transactions
Some purchases, such as online shopping, necessitate the use of digital transactions rather than cash. This is fine, as long as you remain mindful of those expenses, and track them like you would a cash transaction.
“It Is easy in our digital world to get caught up in swiping the card and not even realise what you’re spending. Even with a budget, there can be a disconnect between seeing the numbers on a spreadsheet getting smaller versus watching the actual cash disappear.”
IOL Business