As one gets older, tips and tricks are delightful little treasures learned and collected through conversations with good friends, acquaintances and colleagues at work.
These little gems of advise can pop up unexpectedly even through topics as simple as recipe sharing.
And if ever there any gems worth collecting, the ones worth remembering are always the ones that will help you save some money. Regardless of your station in life, we always appreciate a few tips and tricks when it comes to saving money!
DO YOUR OWN HAIRCOLOUR
Those in the grey would know that to cover up years of wisdom can be costly. A visit to the salon would average about BND50 to BND100 per trip every five weeks for a simple hair colour job. Add on the latest trends in terms of highlights and lowlights and that would set you back another BND50.
Then eventually you get talked into having a colour treatment which could be another BND45 and before you know it, you will have some great self-esteem walking out the door but your credit card is feeling the heat of your hot new hairdo. For as little as BND9 worth of magic in a box, you can save all this money (average BND50 to BND150 per trip) and get it done yourself at home for times when luxury is not an option.
Hair dye in a box can be found in any supermarket and if you decide to spend a little more, say an extra BND10, you can have the fancier home dyeing kits that also allow you to put in highlights, etc.
You could be saving an average of BND100 every five weeks just by doing your own hair colour. Save the hair salon colour job for when you really need a serious facelift for your hair.
PRINT DOUBLE SIDED
For those of you who do printing at home, save paper (and the environment!) by printing double sided. While it’s understandable that sometimes it’s easier for some to read hardcopy, instead of on screen, it will help to save paper and money in the long run by printing double sided. If you have decent eyesight, print two pages to one sheet and save even more paper and money. For papers that have been used but still have a clean side, use those to print drafts.
GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES
While this may sound a bit extreme, there is some savings to growing your own vegetables. Not only that, you also get to enjoy the satisfaction of eating something you actually grew yourself in your own garden. Things like ladies fingers, tomatoes, mangoes, gourds; all these can be grown in your own garden.
If however you are sure that nothing you grow will ever come to fruition then consider buying your local vegetables wholesale.
Buying wholesale will mean large quantities though so if you have a small family or do not want to be eating kangkong three days in a row, share your whole sale purchases with family or friends living near you.
That way when the cost is split, it will be even cheaper and you still get variety.
Of course, sometimes we always think that the more expensive the present, the more it will be appreciated and of course, we’ve all heard that old adage, “it’s the thought that counts”. But if you have ever received a blender for your birthday from your husband and couldn’t get past the fact that it was the thought that counted, then we wouldn’t blame you for that. After all, gifts should be delightful but they needn’t be expensive, especially when you can’t afford the expensive kind.
BE CREATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO PRESENTS
Creating a mini hamper of small but meaningful gifts show how much thought you put into the gift as well as how well you know that person. For a girl who likes to pamper herself, a mini hamper of fun and inexpensive nail polish, a drugstore face mask and a small bottle of branded shower gel could do the trick.
While you are exploring creativity on a budget, consider also cost free wrapping by using pretty magazine paper and also recycling ribbons from previous presents. You could also present the gift in a recyclable bag and help the recipient get into the knack of using reusable bags, thereby saving the environment. – Standard Chartered Bank
