Slogan: Maintain open-source savings, uphold the banner of "wastefulness is shameful" without compromising the quality of life. Over years of accumulated life experience, we have developed our own financial management plan. Let's first talk about the money saved through frugality.
1. The 520 Petty Cash Method
My husband and I agreed to use the interesting number 520 to save money. The specific method is to clean out the wallet every day and if there are 5 yuan or 20 yuan bills, put them all into a designated piggy bank (a chocolate tin my husband gave me that has been repurposed, both beautiful and practical). The reason we chose 520 is not only for its beautiful meaning but also because 5 yuan or 20 yuan notes do not appear frequently, so the slight reduction in living expenses does not feel too significant. To our surprise, after calculating, we actually save more than 400 yuan per month without feeling any impact on the quality of life. Once the small jar accumulates up to 1000 yuan, we buy stock market funds (our family belongs to the risk-averse type), and over the years, this adds up to a considerable income.
2. Credit Card Interest-Free Earning Method
Our salaries are paid at the beginning of the month, with credit card repayment dates at the end of the month. Every time the salary is issued, we keep around 2000 yuan for daily cash spending and immediately go to the bank to buy stock funds with the rest. For other supermarket spending, meeting friends, etc., we use the credit card wherever possible. At the end of the month, when it's time to repay the credit card loan, we redeem the fund four days in advance and transfer it to the credit card account. This year, with good stock market conditions, sometimes within less than a month, the fund increases by 10%, which covers any unexpected monthly expenses.
3. Carpooling Method
Hating the overcrowded buses, I used to take taxis to work. (Definitely not buying a private car during the accumulation phase; the money should be used to buy property, stocks, and funds.) However, taking taxis was indeed extravagant, so I started looking for people to carpool with online. It didn't take long to find someone who drives a private car to work. Including me, there were four of us in one car, hey, the original taxi fare of more than 20 yuan dropped straight to about 8 yuan after splitting, truly economical. Unknowingly, the money saved is even more than my 520 method.
4. Idle Goods Utilization Method
The reason I say idle goods rather than finished goods is because I believe all things are useful; they just have different values to different people. A year ago, I formed the habit of clearing out unused items or leftovers every three months, selling what can be sold and giving away what can be given.
This not only increases income but also keeps the house clean and fresh. For example, when going out, you inevitably get thirsty and buy water, plus my husband likes to buy large cans of mineral water (he says tap water has no nutrients?!), so there are always leftover bottles and cans at home (I heard colleagues usually throw them away). We collect them and store them in the kitchen cabinet, not affecting the housekeeping at all. Also, we subscribe to the First Financial Daily, which is very informative and quite useful, but it becomes outdated quickly. So after reading, we cut out useful news and paste it, stacking the rest inconspicuously on the balcony. Just from these two items, we earn about 40 yuan every three months when selling idle goods, enough for a good meal. Not to mention some clothes that are no longer worn can be sold online or exchanged with friends of similar body types. Even black-screened phones can be sold at the second-hand market (and they sold for 200 yuan, happiness!). And so on.
5. Card Alliance Method
After years of eating, drinking, playing, and enjoying, we inevitably accumulate some discount cards. After tidying up recently, I found there was a whole book of them. So now before every outing, I check if we have a VIP card for the place. Of course, individual power is limited, and mobilizing the public's strength is needed to achieve maximum benefits. Therefore, I utilized the office women's specialty, creating a decent Excel table in a few minutes, setting up sharing, and placing it on the company's public drive. Then I sent an email to notify everyone, and thus the card alliance was formed. Before each outing, we check online which card offers discounts, then look at the shared information, borrow cards happily, and enjoy discounted consumption. Our company also has a cinema alliance, and all purchased DVDs are registered on another table, avoiding duplicates and allowing us to enjoy new releases as soon as possible. I am thinking that establishing a coupon sharing system would also be good, as often a pile of coupons can only be used next time, and exchanging them allows us to try new things frequently.
6. First-tier City Earning, Second-tier City Property Investment Method
Both my husband and I came to Shanghai from second-tier cities to work. When we graduated from university, we did have opportunities to stay in our hometowns, but realizing that only in the fastest-growing cities could we grow faster, we came to Shanghai. In the blink of an eye, several years have passed, and we discovered that not only have we accumulated some capital in Shanghai, but more importantly, we have learned a lot of invaluable knowledge (thinking methods). One of the most important realizations is that one should earn money in first-tier cities and spend it in second-tier cities. Now, our salaries in Shanghai are more than what we could earn in five additional years in our hometowns. Therefore, during the current rapid rise in Shanghai housing prices, instead of buying properties in Shanghai, we successively bought two small apartments in our relatively cheaper hometown. Calculating the investment return rate based on rent, Shanghai's properties generally yield no more than 5% annually, and buying a simple two-bedroom apartment requires a 1 million yuan mortgage, essentially tying our lives to houses [1] [2] Next page This article comes from: Glory, Dreams, Sadness - Reflections on Dabeiju_7786 China Unicom "Wo" brand positioning unclear - timely but lacking in business_2176 Ford's design premise is to establish distinct Ford brand characteristics_2268