We all know how demanding January can be for most of us, when all the Christmas lunch spending and New Years eve celebrations have come and gone. It’s so easy to get “lost up in the sauce” but you don’t have to, especially if you follow these savvy tips on how to keep the money in your pocket.

1. Stop Keeping up with the Khumalos

In the digital era we live in, it’s hard not to be on your phone and come across people living it up in Ibiza, sipping on Mojitos by the beach as they watch the sunset or shaking things up at Shimmy Beach. You know what your pocket allows and it only comes back to bite you if you go beyond your means trying to keep up with what’s hot.

2. Be Grateful

The fastest way to attract the life you want is to be grateful for the one you have right now. If you can’t go out as regularly as you would like, host your friends for game night and have each one bring over a snack. That way you still get to socialize, on a budget. Do the most with what you have, where you are.

3. Set Boundaries

When it seems like everyone is inviting you everywhere or the stores have finally all stocked up those items that you’ve been dying to purchase, pause. You can’t be everywhere all the time, you can’t please everyone and you definitely can’t give into each “must have” item.

4. Have a savings account

Open up a savings account or more than one for different kinds of needs; an emergency one, an entertainment one, a holiday one, etc. If you set them apart, you know which account to tap into, for what needs.

5. Get your priorities straight

If you know what’s important, you avoid the useless stuff. Do you really have to go on holiday if your home isn’t fully furnished yet? Is the new designer bag more important if you have to eat noodles for the rest of the month? Probably not, so learn how to prioritise your spending and avoid any impulsive spending.

We hope these tips help you move through 2019 smoothly.