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Ways to help me save money?

tomthedude

tomthedude

macrumors member
Original poster
May 18, 2008
70
0
Brighton
I am starting to save money for an iMac. I have worked out that I will have about 600 from my paper round by October but just in case I would like a little more. How can I save money? I.e. get it and not spend it?
-Tom-
 
Carry minimal money around with you.

Post a big picture of what you are saving for in your living/work space

Organize/schedule your free time so that you have less empty time, in which you are able or tempted to spend money.

Work additional jobs

Sell old stuff on ebay
 
OP, thanks for this thread - it's one of the best ones I've seen started here. We all see too many threads where someone is looking for some kind of shortcut to what they want, or how to talk their parents/uncle/grandparents into buying them something. So this is definitely a breath of fresh air.

As for how to actually save money - it's always helped me to think of expenditures in terms of work and time, for example if I'm trying to save money for a new iMac and in the meantime I decide I want to buy some other, smaller toy - I remind myself that I would have to work X hours to save enough money to buy that smaller toy, and it will postpone my buying of the iMac by Y days.

Depending on your skills, you might try offering your services for tutoring, computer tech support (many people are willing to pay for one-on-one help), things like that.
 
If your an adult get rid of your landline and stay with cellphone but if your a teen then just do some hard work.

ChrisN
 
Do What I do

tomthedude said:
I am starting to save money for an iMac. I have worked out that I will have about 600 from my paper round by October but just in case I would like a little more. How can I save money? I.e. get it and not spend it?
-Tom-
Click to expand...


If you live near an Apple Store, buy a gift card for yourself. Every week, take all the money you saved, go to The Apple Store with money and gift card in hand, and "re-charge" your card.

In the old days, this was lay away of sorts. The beauty of this is that you put the money into the card before you fritter it away on little things that will not not help you reach your goal. By saving even small amounts and not wasting money, you will reach your goal quickly. Just keep putting money in.
 
Ask your parents to open up a savings account at your local bank. As soon as you get paid, deposit your money into your account. That way you don't feel as if you have money burning a hole in your pocket, waiting to be spent. Plus, if you have to go to the bank (or ATM) to withdraw money rather than easily pulling it out of your pocket or sock drawer, it might make you stop and question if you really want what you plan to spend it on.

Also, if you see something you think you want, wait a week and see if you still want it. After a few days, you might decide that you can live without it after all. This usually works for me. Good luck!
 
Join websites that pay you through PayPal, gift cards or checks. I've easily gotten $4,000 in less than a year from one site (it shut down about a month ago because of the poor US economy and the advertisers wouldn't pay the company so they can pay us), and I'm only 14. :)
 
Another round?

If the paper round you do at the moment is a morning one, ask about an afternoon round. They don't tend to pay as well, but it'd get you more cash. I used to do two, no idea where all my money went though!

The law is a bit of a pain when it comes to working at 15 in England, so paper rounds are about as good as it gets I think. Lawn mowing/car washing could be an option when it warms up a bit.
 
I think he means you do the evening one as well as the morning one so that you are getting paid 2 wages.

You should be allowed to as far as the law os concerned (as long as you don't have some crazily long paper round :))
 
I'd shake down the weaker kids for their lunch money at school. You'll have anew iMac in no time. ;)

Seriously, I applaud your not looking for some shortcut. Hang in there, you'll get there. Some good advice so far.
 
Put your money in a savings account, and make plans to put X amount of your paycheck in the account EACH paycheck, and even squirrel away a little bit here and there. This way you're not tempted to spend your money, and you can get a concrete idea of how much you have and how much more you need.

I would go against the gift cards. While creative, they're too much of a risk. If you lose it or if it gets stolen, it isn't insured and you lose your money.

Try doing odd jobs and just get the word out about what you can do (computers, handy work, lawn care, etc) through parents, friends, neighbors, etc.
 
Armoguy

armoguy94 said:
Join websites that pay you through PayPal, gift cards or checks. I've easily gotten $4,000 in less than a year from one site (it shut down about a month ago because of the poor US economy and the advertisers wouldn't pay the company so they can pay us), and I'm only 14. :)
Click to expand...

wow! could u link some of the pages where u make money?
 
You could put your money into an account that has higher interest but isn't available to withdraw immediately. I know there are savings accounts with a 30 day access rule which basically means you can't spend it on a whim and have to plan ahead which is useful if you are saving for one specific purchase. I know this won't get you a lot more money but the interest is usually slightly better.

Don't tire yourself out working more jobs than you should though, the iMac isn't going anywhere!
 
dukebound85 said:
you could always cha cha and get paid to answer questions!

more specifically
http://becomeaguide.chacha.com/

ive done it, pretty cool
Click to expand...

The problem with that is the site is US based and the OP is UK based. This means that he would have to submit all the relevant IRS papers before he could get a cent in pay. This is exactly the same for all of us who use Google AdSense to get any kind of modest on-the-side revenue flow here in the UK. Google still owe me like $50, I just don't think filling in forms is worth claiming the $50 though.

To the OP: Keep at it man, it won't be easy, but it will be worth it once you have that awesome glossy screen staring back at you :D
 
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