It’s the second week of the month, and we know a lot of people have already exhausted their salaries. It is very easy to get carried away and settle all your wants and needs without a second thought immediately you see an alert. But you really should NOT be overspending.
We’re not here to shame you (although you should already feel ashamed). Instead, we’re here to give you the one tip that will keep you from overspending.
DO THE MATH!!!
Before you overspend on something that is not in your budget, take a notebook, pen, and a calculator (or your phone, duh) because we are going to calculate.
- Write out what you earn every month. (This is strictly what you earn after you’ve removed all necessary deductions like tax.)
- Divide it by how many days you spend working in a month. This lets you know how much you earn per day.
- Then, divide it by how many hours you work a day. This lets you know how much you earn per hour.
- Now, divide the cost of the item you want to buy by the amount you earn per hour. This shows you how many hours of your life that product is worth.
It is now up to you to decide whether this off-budget product is actually worth it. To tell you the truth, it usually isn’t.
Now, you may not always have time to sit down and calculate how much of your time an item is worth. However, it would be helpful to keep your per-hour earnings in your mind to inform your purchasing decisions and keep you from overspending.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this tip and will put it to use. Good luck with making better financial decisions.
