I don't eat... the end.

Ha! Just kidding.

But on a serious note... please kindly be advised that the following post is just how I've been able to save money given my circumstances. It is in no way financial advice. (Not just saying that to avoid potential legal trouble - I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not a financial advisor.)

Let's start off by acknowledging how thankful I have been and still am to have any savings at all. I know that's not everyone's situation. Heck, it wasn't my situation not that long ago! Recent data suggests that many Americans can't afford a $400 emergency. However, keeping in mind where I came from, I want to make sure that I have enough to live comfortably. This is how I've put some of my recent good luck to get closer to buying a house for myself and my loved ones.

My Spending Habits

While there are a lot of things we can't change, there are always some things we can impact. I believe that habits matter and financial literacy matters a lot. Some of these habits were developed naturally as a result of how I grew up and other things on this list are what I picked up along the way.

Some things - I had to even relearn.

Eating Out Less

One good example of something I was naturally wasn't doing growing up was eating out. That all changed once I moved to Texas, because man - the options!

Food delivery apps count by the way - and those were my kryptonite after a long day. It got really bad, I won't lie. I had to re-learn how to eat out less and uninstalled DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates, and Grubhub from my phone. Again, it was just too easy to rely on food delivery after a long day. After I canceled my DashPass, I ate out less. However, in full transparency - my friend had Dash Pass, and we ended up having so many cheat days. Looking back, that's perfectly okay.

Home-cooked Meals

It won't be a perfect journey - that I can almost guarantee you. For example, we would buy groceries and then not make the food. I think we also tried meal prepping once -- and it just wasn't up our alley. I find that it's better to find 15-minute recipes or have a slow cooker do the job if you're busy.

If it's any consolation, we are eating a lot more home-cooked meals. Not only are home-cooked meals cheaper, but it's also oftentimes healthier.

Time is also money.

Think about how much time it takes to:

• get ready
• get in your car
• drive to the restaurant
• pick something (say a salad)
• wait for the restaurant to make your food
• eat
• pay
• and then drive yourself home.

Suppose you just bought the produce from the store and tossed together the salad at home. Now, you're saving money and time, and making your own food also makes you more mindful of the groceries you're getting - further helping out your wallet.

Grocery Shopping

Speaking of grocery shopping - one of the biggest things I learned is that you need a list - and you need to stick to it.

I have this habit of going to the store when I'm hungry and then buying things that look good at the time since I didn't prepare a list. Once I purchased the goodies, I ended up not using them in a meal.

It's a bad cycle - since any time I waste food - I feel incredibly guilty. However, this didn't stop me from repeating the same mistakes since I went to the store 1) without a list & 2) hungry.

Stick to your list

It's important to write down what you need beforehand. This does a few things:

• Makes you take a look at what you have already and what you actually need.
• Reflect back on what was actually utilized and what you didn't even touch - despite the glorious sale the thing was on when you purchased it.
• Encourages you to look at your meal planning and keeps it real about what's actually feasible for you.

Once you have the list of things you need - stick to it.

Sale items

One final note on groceries - I see a lot of budget gurus say that you should always get things on sale. Listen, I totally understand where they're coming from. Maybe the thing on sale can be incorporated into a meal that you'd love. Not only is that saving you money, but it's providing you with a budget-friendly option for sustenance. However, for me - it's just not realistic.

Ahemm - *cue Nicki Minaj music*
One thing about me...

I don't really use coupons

I am one picky mf. I learned that even if I had a coupon or saw something on sale, I wouldn't actually eat it. Unfortunately, I can't just make myself eat things that don't appeal to me. (More power to you if you can!) My taste buds just don't work that way since I was accustomed to a certain style of food growing up.

Oftentimes, the things I purchased because they were on sale ended up becoming food waste, and that made me feel guilty as all heck. I actually wrote a little bit more on this here: Mistakes I've Made in my Financial Journey.

Now, I just purchase what I need even if it isn't on sale - but I'll do it if I know that I'll use it. If my regular items go on sale, that's fan-freaking-tastic; but no sir. No longer will I just purchase groceries because they're on sale.

Canceling all subscriptions that I don't use.

Mine included:

• Amazon Prime
• Twitch subs
• Peacock
• Netflix
• Paramount
• LinkedIn Premium

If there's something you HAVE to watch/get, see if any of your friends or family members have any of the above subscriptions and let you use their account. For example, I used to always purchase things on behalf of friends on Amazon Prime account. It doesn't cost me anything and it helps out the friend when they need it: a win-win situation.

If you do use a subscription service, see if you can pay in full for the year (if you can afford it - and if it lets you save by paying in full). The other method is to see what canceling can get you. Oftentimes, companies will entice you by giving you perks for not canceling. This works with various utility companies too.

Shop Around

Shop around for different necessities, such as cell phone carriers, internet, etc.

Once you find a company you like, call your utilities/phone carrier, etc., and let them know you want to cancel. These companies will try to keep your business by giving you a lower deal. If you like the service and the offer, you can stay. Otherwise, you already shopped around and have a plan B.

Utilize free services

(Not an ad.)

• Peacock FREE
• YouTube Videos
• Spotify (with ads)
• Pandora (with ads)
• LinkedIn Free Version

Personally, I don't mind the ads. On Hulu, a paid service, you get ads anyway if you select the base service. The news also broke recently that Netflix is coming out with an ad version (which is wild to me by the way - they've never had ads!)

The point is - you don't have to deprive yourself of entertainment and other services if you could put up with a few ads. Throwback to older days before subscriptions such as the above even existed. You would have ads all the time on your television - and that was also a paid service.

Utilizing the services that have ads - it's a decent compromise.

High Yield Savings Accounts

I noticed that my parents were using big banks that had low-interest rates. While low-interest rates are great for credit cards - the same cannot be said for savings accounts.

Growing up, we never had a ton of money so when I'd help my parents track finances, I always saw very tiny yields on the interests in their bank accounts.

Now that I'm a bit older, I can better process that it was twofold.

1. We didn't have a ton of money as it was.
2. The little money that we did have was compounding interest via a VERY tiny rate.

If you can help it, look into savings accounts that give you better bang for your buck. The funds sit there and compound interest without you doing anything. Seeing the number grow a little bit each time is very satisfying. It also promotes further saving to see that number further rise.

I like using Bankrate & NerdWallet as resources since they update their listings frequently.

Invest if you can

I wrote a pretty in-depth post about investing here.

For the purposes of this post - I will just say that investing could be a good way to build wealth. I just make sure that I have enough money after bills to even think about investing.

Streamlining Spending

When I do have to spend money or want to spend money, I try to put it all on one card. This does a few things:

• It's easier to manage.
  • Think about it - one less account for me to log in and check at the end of the week. Whatever your cadence is, streamlining your spending accounts will make looking over finances more time-efficient.
• There is a limit built-in.
• Points are accumulated into one account.
• You're building credit.
  • I don't buy more than what I can afford to pay off in one go each month, and this helps to build my credit without racking up interest rates.

Credit Cards

Going hand-in-hand with streamlining spending, I also try to put all of my necessities and monthly bills on my credit card.

People often advise from going too hard on credit cards. I think that's only partially true. In fact, I reach for my credit card often.

Anything that I could swipe a debit card on, I don't - I use my credit card.

I always bring my debit card as a backup when I head out, but I typically never have to use it. The only times I've had to use it are when check-out terminals don't like American Express (not an ad).

These are all things I am able to put on my credit card:

• phone bill
• garbage collection
• any form of entertainment
• grocery shopping
• fuel costs
• internet, etc.

As mentioned before, this helps me to build credit and earn points on my rewards card. Different cards have different offerings. However, since I'm a frequent traveler and I love exploring new places, I opted for the card with amazing travel benefits. The rewards make up for the annual cost of keeping the card open. If you're not much of a traveler, I would maybe look for a card with good cash-back benefits.

Fin.

All in all, saving is not easy. Buying a home is not easy. A lot of factors play a role in how much you're able to save and when you're able to buy - if ever. However, these have been some of the active choices I've been able to make in order to get to my goal of buying a home for my parents and me.

2021-2022 have been crazy - here's to 2023 and new opportunities!