If you’ve come over from my Instagram post you’ll know that I recently took a step in both finances and technology by investing in a percentage of Bitcoin with Luno, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but previously felt daunted by.
It got me thinking about the realities of managing finance in the modern world and, how important it is to move with the times and always keep our personal finances at the forefront when making day-to-day decisions… so, I decided to write a post around some of the best things I’ve learnt over the last 2 years about living on a modest budget in the modern world.
I don’t think I’ve made any secret of the fact that I don’t live on a large budget, I earn enough to live and, consider myself lucky to earn that doing what I love. I’ve previously chatted on Instagram about how I ‘accidentally’ became self-employed; I left my nursing job due to safety concerns with the intention to go back into nursing after taking a few weeks to get my head together after a stressful professional experience.
As it wasn’t my intention to enter the world of full-time blogging I had little saving to fall back on but in hindsight, perhaps it was this lack of nest egg that really motivated me to give it my all… a motivation that I’ve proudly maintained to this day. Unfortunately however, I cannot foot my bills with motivation, my landlord won’t accept a strong work ethic as payment and, my food shop can’t be funded with enthusiasm so, how have I managed to live a good life (well, I certainly consider myself to have a good life!) on a modest budget?
I know this may seem like unlikely advice coming from an ‘influencer’ (yes, I hate that word) but, it’s so damaging to convince yourself that you need expensive things to be valued by others. You don’t. Try buying muted tone clothes you can mix & match rather than buying trend-led pieces. If you can’t afford your car, sell it and get a bike (perk: you’ll have a great bum from all that cycling!) and, if you find yourself even joking about ‘doin it for the gram’ when it comes to purchases/life choices take a step back and reconsider!
If people like you, you don’t need to impress then with material thing and if they don’t, I can promise you a designer belt won’t change their mind. The capacity to get yourself neck-deep in debt buying things you don’t need to impress people you don’t like it endless so, step off that train right now and give it a sassy wave as it chugs off into the distance.
This can be the most important step you take to gaining control of your finances as it’s often social pressures that lead people to breaking their budget.
If your friends suggest meeting for dinner it’s perfectly okay to say a suggested restaurant is too expensive for you, suggesting somewhere more at your price point instead. Some of my absolute fave restaurant in Dublin are the least expensive so you won’t be compromising in experience and you’ll be helping your friends save money; who doesn’t like that!?
It’s at worst respectable, at best admirable to say outright that you simply cannot afford to do something that your group is suggesting, there’s no shame in earning less than your friends and you’ll be commended for being open rather than crippling yourself to ‘save face’.
I like to experience lots of new things but cannot afford a socialise every night of the week so focus on a mix of inexpensive and free events around Dublin. I like to dine out so I often do that but more often that not will only have one course. I don’t have any interest in cars (unless they’ve vintage) so cannot justify spending a lot of money on one… I drive a car I bought for €600 2 years ago and that gets me from A to B perfectly.
My point is that I try to focus my disposable income on what brings me the most joy and avoid getting sucked into spending just to ‘keep up with the Joneses’.
Want to travel? You can stay almost anywhere in the world using sites that organise house swaps or house sitting. Need yet another dress for yet another wedding? Borrow one-off a friend and open yourself up to the joy of sharing clothes with your fashionable friends. Need your roots topped up? Try a reputable salon’s student training day.
There’s always more than one way to do anything in life so always consider the alternatives… you’ll be well dressed on that holiday with fab hair and have money left over for cocktails.
This isn’t something I’m in a place to be able to do at the moment but I’m very conscious of the importance of making educated investments if you truly want to see your money grow with you. Whether it’s buying a house, delving into the world of shares or, investing surplus savings into Bitcoin via Luno; I’ve been on various apps that friends use for Bitcoin and, can say without doubt that so far, it’s the easiest platform I’ve found for investing.
Luno is ideal if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the concept of Bitcoin but, would love to get into investing it, whether it be small or, larger amounts (you can start investing with as little as €10).
In this day and age almost everyone is chopping and changing jobs/changing career path/starting up businesses. Very few people I know now are working without up-skilling or doing something extra (and usually a little more creative than their 9-5) on the side. There is absolutely no shame in looking to make money from your talents in fact, you’re crazy if you don’t!
If you’d like to earn more than what your job is offering why not use your talents to earn on the side? Whether it’s make up, playing an instrument, photography, cleaning… if you think you have a talent in it, why not earn money from it? Not only is it functional, its wildly empowering.
Disclaimer: This post is a sponsored collaboration with Luno
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