Everyone wants to live just a bit better. In fact, working on improving one’s lifestyle is the motivation most people have in mind when they wake up in the morning and head to their nine to five (six? eight?) office job.
The material things in your life are directly influenced by the amount of money in your pocket. Except that it’s not always true. Plenty of exceptions that you can use do exist.
So if you’re adamant about making the most of your life but without all the hard work and worrying about money, there are certain prospects that you could pursue.
So here are some of the most useful things you can do to improve your lifestyle.
Decide on What’s Expensive Living for You
While in most cases, there are no limits to perfection, understanding where the ceiling is for you would be a nice place to start.
Realistically speaking, you probably won’t be able to live in a palace with an empty wallet for a very long time. So the first thing you want to do is determine what you are aiming at. How expensive is expensive enough for you?
By figuring out what you want from life and setting realistic goals, you put yourself halfway to success. Your expectations should probably be kept roughly around your current situation.
Sure, you can dream of supercars. But ultimately, you’ll have to change a lot about your life to ever get to the point of driving one.
So if you’re a student that’s swamped with deadlines – start with something small. Finding a cozy spot under the sun requires a lot of time and effort. And if you’re busy finishing your assignments all the time, it’s very unlikely you’ll be able to spare hours needed to work towards riches and glory.
On the other hand, if you find yourself completely surrounded by work that needs to be done – clearing it up with the help of online writing services like https://essaypro.com/college-essay-writing-service.html will definitely help you. This way, you’ll have some breathing space to start getting your life in order.
Cut the Extra Things
Now that you know the outline of what you’re looking for, you can try to shape your life accordingly. And saving money on non-essential stuff is probably the most useful financial advice that you’ll ever find.
Make two lists – the things you absolutely want but don’t have, and the things that you have but absolutely don’t need. That’s your road map for the future.
Start cutting money on the latter and transferring them to fuel the former. There are many things that you are simply used to that can eat up your cash.
- Smokes;
- Certain types of snacks;
- Restaurants instead of home cooking;
- Taxi instead of walking.
While there are certain moments where you’ll have to spend some extra to make yourself feel better, try to turn it down as much as you can.
You don’t have to walk to the other side of town on foot, but you absolutely don’t need a taxi to get you two blocks down the street. Small things like that can help you find the resources you previously lacked.
Look for Opportunities
The products and services we purchase are, most of the time, more expensive than they really are. And while to most people, it’s not a secret, very few take advantage of that knowledge.
Taking your time to find a better offer or wait for a sale can be bothersome. But if you are willing to make this sacrifice, you’ll definitely be able to save a fair amount of money on your living expenses.
Almost anything can be purchased with a discount, provided the circumstances are right. You have probably encountered at least some sort of promo-code or loyalty program throughout your life.
The truth is, there are hundreds of thousands of such ‘limited offers’ out there at any given time that you can take advantage of. Looking for these yourself or using online tools can land you with some pretty sweet deals.
Use Your Charisma
One of the most effective tricks to get stuff free of charge is using your charisma. This method is old as the hills, but it has worked wonders for masters of persuasion for ages.
Making good use of your personality can get you farther than you might imagine. Smart use of your allure can get you anything from complimentary coffee to an invitation to a closed afterparty.
It doesn’t really matter if you’re shy or awkward. An outgoing personality is a developed trait, not an innate one. Even if you’re not feeling comfortable talking to people – you can still play an extravert for a couple of hours to get what you want.
Later on, you can safely return to your usual introverted self. Remember that making friends is not only fun but also useful.
Just remember that favors you are offered will eventually make a full circle. Of course, you can do a bad thing and just ignore them when they come back to you. But, as the saying goes, the real free dinner was the friends we made along the way.
So be a good person and help your friends just as they help you.
Final Words
Living an expensive life free of charge doesn’t really have a reliable recipe. After all, nothing can beat hard work. But if you are quick on your feet and creative, you can get away with paying less for more in most circumstances.