Mindful Spending and Streamlining Monthly Expenses

Something that I never really do is take good looks at my finances. Taking the time to access the way I use my money is usually a daunting task. What I know is that when I have needs that need to be met, I just go ahead and solve whatever issues I may have, provided that I have the funds to begin with. But unchecked expenses “fit carry person where him no know.”

I am really looking forward to working really hard to become financially stable and self-sufficient. I may not be able to do that in one year, but achieving it generally requires deliberate action, like tracking your expenses and determining the way forward.

I am such a dexterous cook, but the thing is that it really isn’t my favourite thing to do. My fellow excellent cooks can attest that it really can take a lot of time to prepare certain dishes properly. And the thing is that I am usually too occupied to give that much attention. That’s how I find myself eating out most of the time.

The good thing about eating out is that I instantly get food when I am hungry. That helps me save a lot of time. The downside to it is that it costs a lot of money. That, I know. And the more I do eat out, the more my wallet growls in anger.

I really hope I can achieve it, but I would like to do a lot more cooking on my own and oppress my neighbours with my aromatic delicacies these days. That would sure save a lot of money.

Some other things that I spend money on that I can do without—sort of—are certain subscription services.

The more time passes and technology evolves, people are charging some amount of money for some of their online products. Some of them have free versions, but the best experiences are usually with their paid services.

Currently, I am subscribed to two streaming services: Netflix and Prime Video. I usually only use Netflix to watch the majority of the films I watch, but I went to Prime Video recently for a particular purpose. Streaming services usually have different catalogues of films. A film that you may find on Netflix may not be on Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, or Showmax, and vice versa.

I basically write reviews of the films I watch. These streaming services make it easy for me to find what I am looking for and have a better experience than I would if I were to get films from third-party sites.

Discord Nitro is another thing that I spend money on but can do without. It’s a different experience. I get to have a more aesthetically appealing look in my Discord with the customisation capabilities it offers. But there is more to why I use it.

You see, with Nitro, one can boost a server. Boosting a server comes with certain perks to allow one to have a more exciting server. One of such is the higher bit rate for better audio quality, and that comes in handy in things like the 9ja Show I run fortnightly on the Hive Naija server.

Also, I get to add interesting sounds and stickers to the server. Those and many more are why I keep subscribing to Discord Nitro. But then, I can still manage without it.

Google One. This one is cloud storage. It contains my Google Drive and other things on my Google account. For more storage—way more than the 15GB you get for free—I pay some money. Currently, I have added 100GB and have to keep paying every month to be able to use it well.

Can I do without this one? I am not sure. Right now, it bugs me every day because I didn’t pay last month. And there are some hassles with accessing my storage. So, I am kind of stuck with this one.

Last, but not least, is my internet internet subscription. I mean, I totally need it. I need it every day to do the things I do here on Hive. The thing, however, is that I sometimes spend a little more than I need on it. It’s mostly because I do not manage what I have well sometimes—you know, binge-watching TV series or some YouTube videos—that makes me spend more.

I cannot do without being connected to the internet, but I can curb the excesses if I try a little harder.

All these aren’t even a part of the large chunk of expenses that I have to make monthly, but ensuring that they aren’t taking too much from me is an important thing to do. I would still continue with some of them, but I am more conscious of them hereon.