The nightly ritual that will save you money
Research suggests that you shouldn’t read or watch TV just before bed as it will leave you over-stimulated and interrupt your sleep.
That pretty much cuts all of my nightly activities, so I’m on the search to find myself a nightly ritual for the half an hour before I get some REM action.
Here’s what you’ll find me doing before beddy-byes from now on.
30 minutes before bed
Toting up my day, in financial terms. This means adding all my expenditure into my financial journal (without sparing details about the chocolate purchases or the taxi that I caught due to extreme sloth and wet shoes), and making any necessary alterations to my income in the journal.
I’m a pen and paper kind of girl, but if you like computer versions, maybe check out the Savings Guide Budget Spreadsheet.
If you don’t need bells and whistles (or don’t like giving up passwords to your bank accounts, which is a fair concern) maybe Excel is the simplest way to enter your financial details in your computer.
Make a note of when bills need to be paid. It’s not necessarily a pleasant experience just before bed, but if you haven’t gotten to it earlier in the day, now is the time to pay the bills that are due.
25 minutes before bed
Comparing my expenditure with my budget, and making the necessary alterations. Again, online tools are great in that you can automatically make changes, instead of the scribbling that are required with pen and paper.
Knowing your finances intimately is key to improving them. Making sure you’ve checked your budget reflects your actual day-to-day financial dealings will mean your budget is realistic and there are no lurking nasty surprises.
20 minutes before bed
If you find some savings between what you’ve budgeted and what you’ve spent, save them.
Put spare coins in a piggy bank, a surprise $50 into your savings account or pay off a little bit of your credit card.
This doesn’t have to be a part of every day, but constant reminders that you are making advances will keep you determined and motivated.
15 minutes before bed
Get up and move about. Check that your appliances are off, not on stand by, and save yourself on electricity costs. Turn appliances you don’t use often off at the wall, and disconnect the cord.
Make the preparations for the next day; they may seem trivial now, but will save you having to make emergency purchases. It’s the little things- like bottling and refrigerating your own water. If you never have time to make lunch in the morning, then make it the night before so all you have to do is grab it and run in the morning.
10 minutes before bed
Now is the time to find some Zen. You may scoff, but research about the benefits of ten minutes of mediation a day shows that it reduces your stress and makes you healthier, all of which ups your happiness levels. On top of which, it’s the perfect way to drift into the land of sleep.
What are the benefits for your finances of meditation?
It’s free and it helps you to make decisions, free of the usual distractions of stress and anxiety. If you want more reasons, this is a good list.
And on that note, off to bed I go!
What are you daily money rituals?
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