MoneyDigest - Personal Finance, Lifestyle, Money Saving Tips

4 Ways To Save Big On School Supplies

I can still remember the time when my mother distributed school supplies to me and my other siblings. It was a rush that I get every time I fill my bag with new stationery items. But, behind that joyful rush is a mother that just spent her hard-earned cash on supplies!

This is why it is important to save as much as you can while shopping. Start by setting aside extra cash each week before the school starts. Then, follow these 4 tips:

1. KIDS MATTER

Children play a huge role on what goes inside your basket. If you have the option to leave your child at home with a family member or a babysitter then, do so. Going on a shopping trip alone will ensure that you do not have to give in to what your kids wants. Furthermore, you would save a lot more in your bill.

2. KNOW WHAT TO BUY

Come prepared to avoid getting overwhelmed with the abundance of school supplies available. Make a shopping list that is in lined with your budget and stick with it. If you are shopping for more than one kid then, organize the list by making a column for each. And, if the school provided a list of mandatory school supplies then, it will give you an opportunity to save money beforehand.

3. SHOP ONLINE

Be patient and purchase online. There are many retailers that offer promotions and clearance sales on their own website. Also, you get to save on gas or transportation fee. Lionstationery.com.sg and Evergreen.com.sg are the two stationery websites you can visit.

4. QUALITY OVER PRICE

If you are only focused with the cost, you will end up replacing a bunch of items in the near future. Save more in the long run by buying quality items that you think your children will overuse for the whole school year such as backpacks and binders. Moreover, some of these excellent quality items can last for the next school year.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (License: CC0 Public Domain)

This is why you must buy supplies that have basic colors to stay on trend!

Sources: 1 & 2

Free Wedding Planner Tools For A Fantastic Wedding

According to Dictionary.com, a wedding planner is the person responsible for conceptualizing and organizing the wedding ceremony, the reception, and perhaps the honeymoon. A busy couple can certainly hire a professional wedding planner to take off the load on their shoulders.

However, if you have too much time on your hands and do not want to cast a hole on your pocket, you can take on the role of the wedding planner and DIY your way to your dream wedding!

1. WEDDING PLANNER CHECKLIST

So, you have a ring on your finger. Now what is next? Wedding Ideas Magazine shares checklists and tips for planning a wedding in 12 months, 6 months, and 1 month. The first sentence speaks volumes: “The secret to a great day is to start planning early!” Thus, planning a wedding 12 months in advance with this concise planner sounds like a good idea.

Available here: weddingideasmag.com/wp-content/uploads/files/downloads/Wedding-Ideas-Planner.pdf

2. BACHELORETTE OR HEN PARTY

Whether you are planning your own bachelorette or hen party or you are bestowing the responsibility to your maid-of-honor, coming up with the whole event can be stressful. To help you with this, you can use a guide or a checklist too for 12-24 months, 2 months, 1 month, and 1-2 days before the party.

Available here: weddingideasmag.com/wp-content/uploads/files/downloads/Wedding-Ideas-Magazine-Planning-Tool-Hen-Party-Checklist.pdf

3. WEDDING PLANNER SOFTWARE

Do you know that there is a no-cost wedding planner software available to support you in:

Designing the Floor Plan,
Managing the Guest List,
Tracking RSVPs,
Assigning Seating Arrangements,
Generating Guest List Reports,
Printing the Floor Plan,
Printing Place Cards,
Sharing event information with others, and so much more?

This wedding planner tool is called Seating Arrangement.

Know more about it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AfmxfzEtekfeatures.htm

4. WEDDING WEBSITE

To take your organizational skills to the next level, you can make a website for your special day. You do not need to have major tech skills or digital knowledge to get started with your own website. Simply use the reliable free website builders such as WordPress.com. Website builders already have the template, plugins, and coding for you.

Inside your website, include the guest lists, RSVP forms, meal requests, gift registry, gift wish list, and anything you want to include. Furthermore, with the help of your website, guests can easily collect and share photos on their Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (License: CC0 Public Domain)

How To Stay Healthy Despite of The Terrible Hazy Conditions

Our air quality worsened on Monday due to the shift in the prevailing winds that brought denser haze from Sumatra. In fact, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the “unhealthy” range last Sunday according to the National Environment Agency.

For your knowledge, a PSI reading of 0-50 is okay, 51-100 is moderate, 101-200 is unhealthy, 201-300 is very unhealthy, and 301 and beyond is hazardous. At the time of writing, the 24-hour PSI readings from 1am-12am today ranges from 148-184. Yes! That is certainly unhealthy.

Short-term exposure to unhealthy haze can cause irritated eyes, runny or stuffy nose, dry or sore throat, headache, and fatigue. In some cases, it can even affect one’s heart and lungs that higher PSI readings can cause breathlessness.

So, how do you stay healthy despite the haze?

You must wear the N95 mask to ensure full coverage when you breathe. But, the best way is to stay indoors (with an air purifier and air conditioner) as much as possible!

While staying inside the walls of your home, you do not have to spend money or sulk in boredom. You can enjoy playing video games, board games, and a bunch of other activities like…

1. LEARNING SOMETHING NEW FOR FREE

Upgrade your knowledge and skills with the quality online resources that are available for free. There are two websites that I am fond of namely: Khan Academy and Code Academy. Khan Academy offers a myriad of courses and exam preparation modules. While, Code Academy offers classes in 6 different programming languages. You can definitely complete the course and be well versed in several programming scripts!

2. EARNING EXTRA MONEY

Use your free time to earn extra money by selling your underused and unwanted items on Gumtree or Carousell. Then, spend more time by cleaning up your closets and drawers in the process.

You may also complete some online surveys and get compensated with cash or redeemable rewards in websites such as My Survey and SurveyCompare.

3. QUALITY TIME WITH THE FAMILY

Lastly, use this valuable time to enjoy the company of your family. Catch up on the lives and the latest projects of every family member and indulge on a great session of cooking, games, or movies. These kind of moments are best spent with the ones you love. 🙂

Image Credits: pixabay.com (License: CC0 Public Domain)

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

The Future Of Money: No Paper Currencies And Plastic Cards

Money is an integral part of our lives. Its birth dates back to the beginning of the civilization. Now, money is viewed as a legal tender generally consisting of paper currency and coins. Time and technology paved a way for money to transform beyond its value. Interacting with money is far different from when we traded thousands of years ago.

In fact, a decade ago, I never thought that digital currency in the form of bitcoins will ever occur. Bitcoins can only be made by mining, which is done by solving complicated mathematical problems. Also, bitcoins are capped so that no one can ever create an unlimited supply of it.

Interestingly, the designers at a global design firm called Method envisioned the future of money in different ways. These are just three of their ideas:

1. MONEY AND PHYSIOLOGY

Method looked at what can happen when you connect your physical well-being to your purchases. They designed a toothbrush that would harvest hormonal data from one’s saliva twice a day. This said data would sync to your spending habits through an App. The App would give you an idea about the items you are buying and why you are buying them. Thus, this can help explain and monitor your spending.

2. MONEY WITH A PERSONALITY

Method took the futuristic concept further by give money a personality. Five employees were assigned with digital personalities such as Mindful, Jealous, Hedonistic, Adventurous, and Frugal. For example, the employee with the Adventurous personality would fork over half of his salary and invest it in cryptocurrencies for a week.

3. MONEY AND PUBLICITY

If your payments were publicize, what would you do? Well, designers at Method were asked to note and broadcast their every purchase! Once an employee buys something, he or she is required to post it on Instagram no matter how embarrassing it may be. Yes! Since it can be very uncomfortable, they started to share their purchases anonymously. But, the effects were still the same. People knew that they are being watched so they modified their behavior to become more interesting and to seem socially acceptable.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (License: CC0 Public Domain)

Aside from these futuristic ideas, how do you envision money…5 or 20 years from now?

Sources: 1 & 2

Must Read: Simple Money Hacks To Improve Your Financial Life Now

You deserve to achieve understanding, awareness, and especially control over your life. Everyone does. And, “Psychology Of Love, Money, & Life” book might just be the answer!

Money is one of the book’s three sections. Adding the Psychological factor, you will be able to realize that money has effects on your well-being and that you can control its effects. You hold your financial present and future!

So, take a peek inside some of the valuable tips you can get from the #PLMLBook…

1. GAIN PLEASURE FROM MONEY THROUGH ANTICIPATION

If you want to gain positive feelings toward your spending then, ensure that you always have something to look forward to. Let us say you get a raise, treat yourself by buying the designer bag you have been wanting for months. The anticipation of purchase, no matter how small the item is, can increase pleasure enormously.

2. SAVE UP FOR TRAVEL FUND

If you are in a Long Distance Relationship, it can be very expensive. Which is why it is essential to follow a strict budget to save up for your travels. Be responsible enough to spend your money only to what is necessary.

3. SHALL YOU BUY IT OR NOT? STOP THINKING! TAKE THE SWIFT TEST INSTEAD.

When you are thinking twice on purchasing an item especially an article of clothing, ask yourself if you are willing to try it on the dressing room swiftly at that particular moment. If there is no sense of immediate excitement, do not bother to buy it.

4. ONE SIZE MAY NOT FIT ALL

Everybody’s financial situation is unique to the person so, be wary of the “one-size-fits-all” investment strategies from media’s financial gurus. Many factors such as your consumer personality, financial goals, age, etc. should be considered. This is why it is best to listen to your personal financial adviser instead.

5. AVOID THE STATUS QUO BIAS

As I was looking for a new laptop online, my choice leaned towards the brand that I’ve been using for 4 years – the MacBook. Although its competitor had touch screen, 360 bendable monitor, and it’s running on the new Windows software that enables you to download countless of Apps. Certainly, for functionality, the latter was the best choice but I still preferred Macintosh.

This cognitive bias is called the status quo bias. It occurs when you are more likely to prefer the product that you know more of even if there are better options available. Changing your buying habits to avoid this cognitive bias start with the awareness!

Image Credits: misspsychobabble.blogspot.com

Psychology of Love, Money, & Life is now available on Google Play Books, Kobo, Amazon (Kindle), Apple IBooks, and M1 Learning Centre. Find the platform and price that suits you best!

This is written by Anna Agoncillo. She graduated under Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK) with Honors. Combining her passion for psychology and writing, she started a successful blog called “Miss Psychobabble” and has contributed to other platforms including Bored Panda, Psychology Matters Asia, Thought Catalog, Money Digest, and so much more.

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