It’s time to get in tune with your finances. Being mindful banishes money fears and eliminates confusion, says financial expert Sylvia Walker.
Money saving tips:
THE FAST & THE FURIOUS
We live in an era of fast fashion. We buy, wear, discard and buy again. In fact, we’re buying about 60% more clothing, but discarding them twice as fast, compared to the year 2000. This has a serious impact on the planet: It takes an astronomical 2 700 litres of water to make one cotton shirt – enough water for one person to drink for two and a half years. Pre-loved and vintage fashion trends have been gaining momentum in recent years and is definitely worth exploring. There may be local pre-loved clothing stores in your area, and there are some great online options, such as encoreclothing.co.za and loveitagain.co.za. You can even make some cash on the side with the Yaga app, where you can set up our own e-shop to sell your pre-loved garments. Whether you’re side hustling or shopping for bargains, looking like a million bucks can cost a fraction of the price.
BRICKS & MORTAR
Buying a property is very exciting, but can also be hugely stressful. It’s a serious financial commitment to paying back a massive chunk of debt, so making a mistake is not on the cards! Before you hit the road and start shopping for that perfect property, why not get yourself pre-approved, so you know what you can afford, and how likely you are to qualify for a bond. It’s dead easy to do online with the 100% secure ooba Bond Indicator. Go to ooba.co.za and click on ‘Get pre-approved’ on the top menu. This thorough process includes checking your credit score and doing a comprehensive affordability assessment. It’s like having a bank assess you for a bond before you apply, so you seriously reduce the chances of any nasty surprises. It takes about 30 minutes – and can save you a huge amount of time and headaches!
SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
‘Penny wise and pound foolish’, our grandmothers used to say. But keeping track of your expenses can be a challenge, particularly the small ones, like that morning cappuccino or parking ticket. How many times have you drawn cash and when you look again, it’s gone? The Monefy app makes tracking all your expenses a breeze, no matter how small they may be. It’s simple and easy to use – you can add income from different sources and then just enter expenses, tap a category and all balances are automatically updated. The app allows you to change currencies, and you can share expense tracking between other people if you are sharing
a budget.
TRAVEL BUG BITING?
Looking forward to some downtime or a change of scenery? Make life easy with the Flapp app from Travelstart. It’s a personal travelagent in your pocket and includes all the latest COVID-19 domestic and international travel regulations. It’s a one- stop shop where you can plan everything in one go, such as flights, buses, hotelsand car rentals. There are also great app-only discounts and deals, so the more money you save on travel arrangements, the more cash you have to spend
https://www.womanandhomemagazine.co.za/today-on-woman-and-home/smart-money-saving-tips/
