People have to deal with all kinds of expenses throughout their lives. A few examples include an initial investment for a career, paying off loans, and buying property. Many people also spend money on vacations each year, which can be expensive depending on where they go.
Some high expenses you can avoid in one or another, but many of life’s biggest expenses you will have to deal with. There are some ways you can reduce the amount of money you spend on some of them, though.
Here are some of the biggest expenses people have to deal with.
Housing
We all need a place to call home or risk being homeless. Housing is one, if not the most, essential expense anyone has to deal with. However, it will vary as to how much you spend on it, depending on your circumstances.
Paying for housing will generally be the highest part of your budget. Most people recommend that housing does not take up more than a third of your monthly income, but there are exceptions. Still, it’s the general guideline you should follow.
There’s also the matter of renting vs. leasing a property. The rate of renting and leasing a property might be similar, but the time length tends to be different. A lease agreement will generally last longer than a rental agreement.
You’ll also have to factor in the bills that come with living in a home. Some common ones include water and electricity bills. These are generally unavoidable, but you can minimize how much you spend on them by limiting your water use and turning off your lights when not in use.
Finally, there’s owning a property to take account of. Owning a property can be costlier than renting or leasing, but on the positive side, you do own an asset that can appreciate over time. One thing to note is that you must consider the cost of maintenance for your property, which can be expensive.
Food
Now, individual food items are probably not super expensive on their own. However, food expenses add up and can be some of the highest amounts of spending you can do within any given year.
Spending money on food is unavoidable. You need to eat to stay healthy and to stay alive. It’s a simple principle to understand, but things can easily get complicated. For instance, if you have a family that depends on you, then food can be even more costly.
There are some ways to minimize the amount of money you spend on food. One is to eat out at restaurants and do takeout less. You can save a lot of money if you eat meals at your home or prepare food ahead of time for work.
You can also save money by buying certain foods in bulk. What tends to happen is when we go to the grocery store, we end spending more time and money buying foods we don’t particularly need, or we will probably never eat. When you buy certain foods, like meats or dairy products, in bulk, you don’t have to go to the grocery stuff as often and can save money. This approach is especially helpful if you have a family to support.
Another is to avoid foods and beverages that are unhealthy for you. Junk food like chips, cookies, and candy can be a nice treat every now and then, but they do more harm to your health in the long run and can lead to costly medical issues. Same applies to sugary beverages and alcohol, and the latter has seen an alarming rise in use during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s best to avoid these and spend your money on healthy alternatives.
You’ll also want to use all the food you buy and avoid having to throw it out. The better you’re able to use all the food you buy, the less you’ll have to go out to the grocery store.
Automobiles
Another big expense people have is automobiles. You need to find a way to transport yourself from point A to point B, so it’s only natural you would need an automobile of sorts. But they are not cheap, especially if you go for brand new models.
Automobiles can be pricey for a multitude of reasons. The initial payment you make on an automobile is a huge expense. If you do decide to take out a loan, you’ll have to spend a fair amount of money for several years to pay it back. You’ll also have to factor in maintenance costs and paying for gasoline.
One way you can keep automobile costs down is by opting to buy a used automobile, which tends to be cheaper than a new automobile. You can also opt to save up enough money until you’re able to buy an automobile in full, so you can avoid having to take out a loan.
It also helps to go in for regular maintenance checks for your automobile. When you go in often to service your automobile, you can save a lot of money in the long term by catching any maintenance issues before they become a bigger problem.
Entertainment and vacation
Another core part of people’s budget is entertainment and vacations. These two can be lumped together because they tend to be things we can live without, but we end up spending money on anyway.
Taking a vacation or entertaining yourself aren’t bad things. In fact, more people could benefit from taking a vacation or going out to watch a movie every now and then. However, you shouldn’t spend a ton of money on these things.
When it comes to entertainment, there’s a wide variety of things you could purchase like videogames, streaming services, books, board games, etc. The list is endless.
What you need to do is keep these expenses to a minimum. For instance, instead of buying a new video game every week, buy one every two months. Additionally, if you want to save money, you should look for deals when it comes to entertainment. If you like video games, maybe wait until a video game you want goes down in price before you purchase it.
For vacations, it’s a similar approach. Vacations can be costly due to spending money on hotels, airfare, transportation, food, etc. These expenses can add up quickly. You don’t want to spend a ton of money going on vacation or do it too often. You should try to limit yourself to two or three vacations a year and only go international for one of them.
Your highest expenses can be tough to manage. It’s not fun having to spend lots of money, but the expenses mentioned are generally unavoidable.
The best you can do is to try to reduce your expenses. With proper budgeting and discipline, you can manage your expenses, so they don’t feel overwhelming.