Saving money as a family is difficult; no one will ever tell you otherwise. It’s easy to feel confused about budgeting as a family, especially if you’ve never tried to do it. Budgeting as a family is much different than budgeting as a single person or as a couple, making it definitely very complicated. It’s often even more complicated because there are many counterintuitive concepts that can actually help you save more money as a family. Here are four of Counterintuitive Ideas .
1. Maintain a “Fun Expenses” Category in Budgeting
When you’re going into budgeting, you may think that you should cut off all your “non-essential” purchases immediately. As a matter of fact, this isn’t usually a good idea. It would be like deciding that you want to work out, then spending four hours at the gym every day. You need some fun in your life to balance out the budgeting, and a “fun expenses” category can help you avoid losing steam.
2. Invest in a Budget Expert
The concept of paying money to someone so they can teach you how to save money is often confusing. Why would you want to spend money on that? If you’ve never budgeted before, however, you may not understand how to do it in the most effective way. A budget expert can help you do that. Investing money into a budget expert is investing money into your future, and a good expert can help a lot.
3. Don’t Just Look for the Cheapest Products
When you think of “saving money,” one of the first things you probably think about is choosing lower-priced products when you make purchases. However, this can be a misleading way of thinking. Many lower-priced products are also lower-quality. You need to think about both the quality of the item you’re purchasing as well as the price. Sometimes, spending a little bit more money can be a good way to avoid spending more money over a period of time.
4. Consider a Credit Card
Most people automatically avoid credit cards when they’re trying to save money. Credit cards understandably have a bad reputation, typically as something that will more frequently make you lose money than save money. However, when you use them effectively, a good credit card like the Chase Freedom Flex will actually help you save money. The benefits of good credit cards, which can include cash-back, special partner benefits, and more, will often make it a good idea to apply for these cards.
Conclusion
It’s much more complex and difficult than many people realize to budget as a family. Many of the best options for saving money as a family are completely counterintuitive, and not remotely as easy as simply “spend less money.” On top of doing things like trying to avoid spending money unnecessarily, you can use these tips or Counterintuitive Ideas to save money more effectively. That way, you can save money in unique ways while you also save your money in the more obvious ways.
