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11 Ways You're Wasting Time And How To Change It

11 Ways You're Wasting Time And How To Change It

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. What you do with it is up to you, but you may be wasting time each day which can hold you back from reaching your goals.

If you are able to figure out where in your day you are wasting time, you may be able to:

  • Start a side hustle
  • Make more money
  • Pay off debt
  • Spend more time with your loved ones
  • Learn a new skill
  • Have more fun in life
  • Travel more
  • Reach a dream of yours, and more!

Just think about it: What do you think you could do with an extra 5-10 hours, or even more, each week?

You might even be wasting time without knowing it. You might not realize how this wasted time easily adds up to a huge number of hours.

Hopefully today’s topic will help you find hours in your week, no matter how they are lost.

Here are 11 ways you’re wasting time and how to change that.

Related reads:

1. Checking your email over and over

I’m guilty of checking my email numerous times throughout the day. It’s a problem I have, but I am slowly getting better with lots of room for improvement.

Checking your email can waste a lot of time. By dedicating your time and focus towards checking your email, you may be losing your train of thought when you should actually be doing something else.

I recommend checking your email just a few times a day, or even (EEEK!!!) once a day.

2. Being unorganized

Being unorganized can waste a significant amount of your time and leads to late fees, stress, lost items, and more.

Here are some surprising statistics I found from Simply Orderly about being unorganized:

  • The average person spends 12 days per year looking for things they can’t find.
  • Every day the average office worker spends 1.5 hours looking for things.
  • In a recent survey, 55% of consumers stated they would save anywhere from 16 to 60 minutes a day if they were organized.
  • 23% of people pay bills late and have to pay late fees because they are unable to find their bills.

3. Watching TV

I love a good TV show, but I can honestly say that I watch too much TV. The average person watches TV for over 35 hours per week!

Can you imagine what you could do by reclaiming just half of those hours each week?

Related: Cut the cable cord and start saving thousands of dollars!

4. Gossipping

Whether you spend too much time reading celebrity tabloids or if you talk about people a lot, spreading gossip can be a huge waste of time.

Just think about the amazing things you could do if you focused on yourself instead of wasting so much time gossiping about others.

5. Taking forever to get ready

Many people spend way too much time getting ready and picking out their outfit. By having less clothing options and/or choosing your outfit the night before, you can save valuable minutes each day.

For more information I recommend checking out Becoming Minimalist’s blog post, 8 Reasons Successful People Are Choosing to Wear the Same Thing Every Day.

6. Not having a to do list

I have a constant to do list.

Without it, I would feel lost, unorganized, and probably even confused about what to do! Yes, I rely heavily on my to do list, but putting a to do list together doesn’t have to be hard. I keep my to do list on my phone, and it’s just a simple list of things I need to do. Others find planners work for well for them.

Your to do list will keep you on track so you don’t forget what needs to be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, which in turns keeps you motivated towards your goals.

7. Procrastinating

Procrastination can waste time as you may find anything else you can possibly do before completing a certain task.

Then, you might do things that waste even more time, such as just standing around, watching TV, cleaning the same area you’ve already cleaned 10 times that day, and more.

It’s much better to understand why you are procrastinating and how to create an action plan to stop this time wasting behavior. By focusing on what you need to do, you will stop wasting time!

8. Spending too much time on social media

The average person spends many, many hours on social media each week. Between Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and many others it can be quite easy to waste your entire day away.

If you find that you are spending too much time on social media and that it is negatively impacting you, you may want to close the accounts you are spending too much time on. You can even create a time block so you cannot access your accounts during certain periods of the day, and so on.

9. Being negative

You are wasting time when you are being negative.

Instead of focusing on negatives like regret and being mean, you can be more productive by using this time for things that actually matter.

Related: How To Be More Productive: 17 Tips To Help You Live A Better Life

10. Multitasking

Some people can multitask successfully, but many people cannot with the large amount of time it takes to refocus on a new task. So, if you are constantly switching back and forth, you will have to spend time refocusing every single time.

It’s best to realize your strengths and weaknesses to know whether or not multitasking actually helps you save time.

11. Hitting the snooze button

Sleeping for those two minutes after your alarm goes off isn’t going to change your life. There are many scientific studies proving that hitting the snooze button does nothing good for you.

I know many people who set their alarms to go off anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before they actually want to wake up.

I’m not going to lie. I used to do this as well and thought it was the only way I could get up. It definitely did not work, as I always felt extremely groggy and sometimes even more tired!

Instead, you should wake up when your alarm first goes off to use those minutes valuably. You should either start going to sleep earlier, or setting your alarm for when you actually get out of bed.

How are you wasting time? How much time do you waste each day?

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Source: makingsenseofcents.com

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Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

Source: makingsenseofcents.com

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Buying things and adding debt to your life won't make you happy. Instead, you should do what makes YOU happy and think carefully about your spending.

Buying things and adding debt to your life won't make you happy. Instead, you should do what makes YOU happy and think carefully about your spending.Some people buy things because they think it will make them happier. They may buy a new pair of shoes to feel better about themselves or a new car to impress someone.

Well, I want to tell you something: Buying things won’t make you a happier person. Instead, you should focus on what makes YOU happy.

However, that doesn’t stop some people from spending much more than they have, especially because it’s easy to think that buying things will make them a happier person.

Considering that 68% of people live paycheck to paycheck, 26% have no savings whatsoever, the median amount saved for retirement is less than $60,000, and the average household has $7,283 in credit card debt- I’m going to assume that the average person is feeling more stress than happiness due to the things that they buy.

Sure, you may get a little bit of excitement as you purchase that new pair of shoes or new car (occasionally), but for the most part, you won’t still have that same feeling years later.

You probably won’t even be happy with that purchase just a month later!

Usually, you’ll regret it or feel some other negative feeling, and in today’s post we’ll talk about why that spending won’t make you happy.

Now, I’m not saying that all spending is bad. Spending is fine, as long as it’s budgeted for, you can afford it, and it actually makes you happy! In this blog post, I’m referring to the opposite type of spending- the type where you’re trying to impress someone, emotional spending, and so on.

Related:

Buying things won’t make you happy for many reasons. Continue reading below to learn more.

Your stuff doesn’t define who you are.

Having more stuff doesn’t make you happier and your stuff doesn’t define who you are.

You’re not that pair of pants…

You’re not your car…

You should only purchase things that you want and/or need, and not if you are trying to pretend to be someone else. You should only own something if you truly want it. Who cares about what everyone else has!

Your emotions can lead to spending disasters.

Some people spend money and buy things because they believe that it will make them happy. This is known as emotional spending.

According to NerdWallet, the average U.S. household (who has debt) has an average credit card debt of $15,611, and I’m sure some of that is due to emotional spending.

Emotional spending occurs for many different reasons. You may have had a bad day at work, a fight with your loved one, and so on. You might even be spending because you are stressed out about the amount of spending you have done.

However, emotional spending usually just leads to more problems and most often, never cures anything.

To end your emotional spending habit, I recommend:

  • Figuring out how much debt you have. You’ll most likely be shocked, and hopefully this will persuade you to change your spending habits and the way you deal with stress.
  • Understanding why you spend when you’re stressed. In order to stop stress spending, you need to really think about why you have this problem. Without understanding your problem, you may continue to fall into the same cycle over and over again.
  • Thinking about your financial goals, so that you can stay motivated.
  • Finding different ways to deal with stress.
  • Sticking to a budget.

Buying things can prevent you from reaching your goal.

You may be preventing yourself from reaching a financial goal by purchasing more and more. This can lead to additional stress, sadness, a feeling of defeat, and more.

The next time you are going to purchase something that is just a “want,” you may want to think about whether or not it will hold you back from your goal.

More stuff means more to maintain.

With every item you add to your life, there will be more and more that you’ll have to spend extra time and money to maintain. Things may get broken, lost, stolen, dirty, etc. They may need to be repaired or even replaced.

Who wants all of that stress?

That purchase may cost you more in the long run.

To build on the previous point, the initial cost of purchasing an item may not be the only cost. You may also need to pay to store the item, organize it, interest charges, and so on.

This can lead to more stress, more time spent on the item, and so on.

There’s always something else to buy.

I know people who are always buying the latest and greatest items. Every year they will buy the newest iPhone, they’ll upgrade their laptop, and more. Most of these people are in debt and live a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.

Are these people happy?

I don’t know, but I don’t see how upgrading every single year could make you a happier person if you can’t afford it.

The thing is, there will always be something newer to buy. If you want the latest and greatest thing, you may be disappointed because there will always be something else.

What makes one person happy won’t necessarily be the same for you.

I’m sure almost everyone, at one point in their life, has felt the need to keep up with someone else.

You may want the same car, the same house, the same designer clothing, and so on.

The problem with this is that it can make you broke.

When trying to keep up with someone else, you might spend money you do not have. You might put expenses on credit cards to (in a pretend world) “afford” things. You might buy things that you do not care about. The problems can go on and on.

This can lead to a significant amount of debt.

Trying to the same things as someone else is not worth it because:

  • You will never be happy, no matter how much money you spend.
  • You will constantly compare yourself to everyone.
  • You will go into debt because that’s the only way you feel like you can keep up.
  • You will have a loan payment for everything because that’s the only way you can “afford” things.
  • You won’t have any money leftover for retirement, an emergency fund, etc. because you’re spending it all on things you do not need.

Instead, you should figure out why you want to keep up with someone else, think about your own life and your own goals, realize that jealousy won’t get you anywhere, and try your best to live within your means.

You’re not impressing anyone.

If you’re purchasing things just to impress others, well- you will be disappointed. For the most part, no one cares or will even know that you bought something new.

You should do what makes you happy and only buy things for yourself- not to impress anyone else.

Money problems may lead to stress and other problems.

If you buy things that you cannot afford, this can lead to significant amounts of stress and other financial problems.

You may find yourself with more credit card debt than you can handle, personal loans, high interest charges, stuck in a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle, and more.

Who wants all of that?

Do you think that buying things makes you happy? Why or why not?

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Source: makingsenseofcents.com

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Bad money habits can lead to debt, living paycheck to paycheck, unhappiness, and more. Here are several bad money habits that may be making you broke.

Bad money habits can lead to debt, living paycheck to paycheck, unhappiness, and more. Here are several bad money habits that may be making you broke.There has probably been at least one point in everyone’s life when they have engaged in a bad money habit. However, it’s best to realize your bad money habit now rather than later!

I believe it’s much better to realize your problem as soon as you can so that you can take action towards changing for the better. Doing so can help you improve your financial situation for years to come.

Understanding your bad money habits and making a change can help you stop living paycheck to paycheck, eliminate debt, pursue your passion, save for your goals, reach retirement, and more.

Here are several bad money habits that may be making you broke.

Keeping up with the Joneses – what a bad money habit!

I’m sure almost everyone, at one point in their life, has felt the need to keep up with the Joneses.

Whether you are five years old and want that new toy everyone is playing with, or if you are 40 years old and are feeling the need to upgrade your house, car, etc., everyone has experienced it.

The problem with this is that keeping up with the Joneses can make you broke.

VERY broke.

When trying to keep up with the Joneses, you might spend money you do not have. You might put expenses on credit cards to (in a pretend world) “afford” things. You might buy things that you do not care about. The problems can go on and on.

This can lead to a significant amount of debt.

Keeping up with the Joneses is not worth it because:

  • You will never be happy, no matter how much money you spend.
  • You will constantly compare yourself to EVERYONE.
  • You will go into debt because that’s the only way you feel like you can keep up.
  • You will have a loan payment for everything because that’s the only way you can “afford” everything.
  • You won’t have any money leftover for retirement, an emergency fund, etc. because you’re spending it all on things you do not need.

Instead, you should figure out why you want to keep up with the Joneses, think about your own life and your own goals, realize that jealousy won’t get you anywhere, and try your best to live within your means.

Related:

Letting your emotions take control of your spending.

Emotional spending is a bad money habit that many people take part in. It’s one you should stop, because it doesn’t cure any problems.

According to NerdWallet, the average US household (who has debt) has an average credit card debt of $15,611, and I’m sure some of that is due to emotional spending.

Emotional spending occurs for many different reasons. You may have had a bad day at work, a fight with your loved one, and so on. You might even be spending because you are so stressed out about the amount of spending you have done.

To end your emotion spending habit, I recommend:

  • Figuring out the amount of debt you have. You’ll most likely be shocked, and hopefully this will persuade you to change your spending habits and the way you deal with stress.
  • Understanding why you spend when you’re stressed. In order to stop stress spending, you need to really think about why you have this problem. Without understanding your problem, you might just keep falling into the same cycle over and over again.
  • Thinking about your financial goals, so that you can stay motivated.
  • Finding different ways to deal with stress.
  • Sticking to a budget.

Not facing your debt.

Too many people never face their debt and don’t even know how much debt they have.

By not thinking about your total debt figure, it may seem less real and a way to run away from it. However, that will catch up to you in many ways, such as high interest charges, a bad credit score, numerous phone calls from debt collectors, possible paycheck garnishments, and more.

The first step to paying off your debt is to face it. You should add up your total debt, learn more about the debt you have, and create a plan to eliminate it.

Ignoring the importance of financial education.

Many people do not fully understand how credit cards work, how to improve their credit score, and more. However, if more people were educated on financial issues, this could lead to less debt, better managed budgets, and more.

I recommend diving into a good personal finance book, bookmarking your favorite financial blogs, staying up-to-date on the latest things going on in personal finance, and more.

Thinking you don’t need a budget.

Too many people go without a budget, because they believe they don’t need one. Sadly, many people believe that budgets are only for “poor” people, people who are horrible with money, and so on.

But, that just isn’t the case, at all. Nearly everyone needs some form of budget, even if that means just comparing your income and your expenses each month.

Budgets are great, because they keep you mindful of your income and expenses. With a budget, you will know exactly how much you can spend in a category each month, how much you have to work with, what spending areas need to be evaluated, among other things.

Budgets have helped people reach their goals, pay off debt, make more money, retire, and more.

Believing you’re invincible.

While I always try to stay positive and am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking, I do believe that everyone should have an emergency fund. However, many people have no emergency fund whatsoever, and this is a bad money habit.

There are many reasons to have an emergency fund:

  • An emergency fund can help you if you lose your job. No matter how stable you think your job is, there is always a chance that something could happen.
  • An emergency fund is wise if you do not have great health insurance or have a large annual deductible.
  • An emergency fund is a good idea if you have a car and need repairs.
  • An emergency fund is a need if you own a home. One of the lucky things that homeowners often get to deal with is an unexpected home repair. Having an emergency fund can help you if your basement floods, if a hole forms in your roof, and more.

Emergency funds are always good to have, because they give you peace of mind when something costly happens in your life. Instead of building onto your stress, you will know you can still afford to pay your bills and worry about more important things.

Being afraid of investing.

One of the biggest bad money habits is that far too many people are afraid of investing and never start.

Here are some reason to invest:

  • You can retire one day.
  • You never know what may happen in the future, so preparing now is important.
  • You can allow your money to grow over time.

I always say, the first thing you need to do if you want to start investing is to just jump in. You’ll never learn unless you make an attempt.

Read more at The 6 Steps To Take To Invest Your First Dollar – Yes, It’s Really This Easy!

If you are new to my blog, I am all about finding ways to make and save more money. Here are some of my favorite sites and products that may help you out:

  • Start a blog. Blogging is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I earn over $70,000 a month online through my blog and you can read more about this in my monthly online income reports. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
  • Sign up for a website like Ebates where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free $10 gift card bonus to Macys, Walmart, Target, or Kohls!
  • Answer surveys. Survey companies I recommend include Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, Pinecone Research, and Harris Poll Online. They’re free to join and free to use! You get paid to answer surveys and to test products. It’s best to sign up for as many as you can as that way you can receive the most surveys and make the most money.
  • Save money on food. I recently joined $5 Meal Plan in order to help me eat at home more and cut my food spending. It’s only $5 a month (the first two weeks are free too) and you get meal plans sent straight to you along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well!
  • I highly recommend Credible for student loan refinancing. You can lower the interest rate on your student loans significantly by using Credible which may help you shave thousands off your student loan bill over time.
  • Cut your TV bill. Cut your cable, satellite, etc. Even go as far to go without Netflix or Hulu as well. Buy a digital antenna (this is the one we have) and enjoy free TV for life.
  • Try InboxDollars. InboxDollars is an online rewards website I recommend. You can earn cash by taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, searching the web, redeeming grocery coupons, and more. Also, by signing up through my link, you will receive $5.00 for free just for signing up!
  • Find a part-time job. There are many part-time jobs that you may be able to find. You can find a job on sites such as Snagajob, Craigslist (yes, I’ve found a legitimate job through there before), Monster, and so on.
  • Lower your cell phone bill. Instead of paying the $150 or more that you spend on your cell phone bill, there are companies out there like Republic Wireless that offer cell phone service starting at $10. YES, I SAID $10! If you use my Republic Wireless affiliate link, you can change your life and start saving thousands of dollars a year on your cell phone service. I created a full review on Republic Wireless as well if you are interested in hearing more. I’ve been using them for over a year and they are great.

What bad money habits are making you broke?

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This advertisement is powered by Coverage.com, LLC, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate. The offers and links that appear on this advertisement are from companies that compensate Coverage.com in different ways. The compensation received and other factors, such as your location, may impact what offers and links appear, and how, where and in what order they appear. While we seek to provide a wide range of offers, we do not include every product or service that may be available. Our goal is to keep information accurate and timely, but some information may not be current. Your actual offer from an advertiser may be different from the offer on this advertisement. All offers are subject to additional terms and conditions.

Source: thesimpledollar.com

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Almost everyone wants to find a way to make more money. Making more money may allow you to pay off debt, travel more, retire earlier, and more.

Almost everyone wants to find a way to make more money. Making more money may allow you to pay off debt, travel more, retire earlier, and more.Almost everyone wants to find ways to make more money. It’s only natural, as making more money may allow you to:

  • Pay off debt
  • Travel more
  • Retire early
  • Stop living paycheck to paycheck
  • Afford the things you want in life
  • And more!

One of the things that usually stops people from making more money is a lack of time. However, making more money and managing side hustles all depends on how badly you want it.

Some people may not want it as badly, and that’s fine. However, excuses won’t help you, so if you really want to make more money, then you will have to find more time in your day.

Just think about it: What do you think you could do with an extra 5-10 hours, or even more, each week?

Whether you want to transform your side hustle into your full-time career, want to make more money to tackle a financial goal, or something else, finding ways to make more money can completely change your life.

While I don’t side hustle any more, I am always looking for ways to increase my income. Before, I used to side hustle, work a full-time job, attend college, volunteer, and more. Now I mainly just focus on my business and managing a comfortable work-life balance.

Related:

Whatever it is that you are trying to balance, below are my tips for finding time to make more money.

Be realistic about how much time you have

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but others may be more limited than others. I understand that different situations can make a person quite busy. In the end you always need to be honest with yourself about how much available time you have to make more money.

You don’t want to run yourself ragged, forget about the things that truly matter in life, hurt your work performance, and more.

However, many people do have extra time in their days but just don’t realize it. For one week, I recommend keeping track of the time you spend on various tasks and see how much time you waste.

You’ll most likely be very surprised and learn how to find extra time to make money.

Wake up earlier

When I had my day job, I would usually wake up around one to two hours before I had to start getting ready for work. I would use this time to work on my side hustles, which included replying to emails, brainstorming ideas, managing my blog, finding mystery shops, and more.

Sometimes, waking up early was rough, but it was nice to get everything done before I went to work.

If you’re not a morning person, you can always try to fit in time before you go to bed. Often I would even work on my side hustles for a few hours before I went to bed.

If you spent two hours every day before you went to work, you could put 10 hours each week towards your side hustle ideas.

Related: 9 Tips To Wake Up Early & Why It Feels So Good

Get rid of time wasters

I want you to do something right now. Yes, right at this moment!

Take a moment and really think about how much time you waste watching TV and browsing social media.

According to Neilsen statistics, the average person in the U.S. spends 40 hours each week watching TV and movies. Plus, according to AdWeek, adults spend nearly two hours every day on social media. For teenagers the amount of time increases dramatically, to nearly 9 hours a day!

That is an enormous amount of time being wasted.

Use short gaps in your day wisely

Everyone has gaps in their day. This could be a gap before you have a meeting, a gap between your day job and night classes, a gap before you have to pick up the kids from school, or something else.

Maybe you have 30 minutes or an hour. Most people will just plunk down on the couch and watch TV or browse Facebook. However, you should find ways to wisely use these gaps in your.

Multitask correctly, if you can

You may want to try to multitask, as long as it does not decrease the quality of your work or cause you to waste more time.

Some examples of easy and productive multitasking include:

  • While I am cooking a meal I work at the same time. Instead of just standing and making a meal, I use the little breaks I have to work. Or, I may even use that time to do short exercises, such as lunges, sit ups, squats, and more.
  • If you are on the phone and on hold, you could do something while you are waiting, such as creating your grocery list, short workouts, finishing up an email, and more.
  • Do all of your errands in one trip instead of spreading it over a longer period.

You do want to keep in mind that some people are good at multitasking, whereas some are not. There is proof that multitasking can actually result in you wasting time, because it can take time to get yourself ready every time you stop and start a task.

I recently read something that said whenever you start and stop a task you waste at least 25 minutes. That adds up over time!

Due to this, you will want to be smart when it comes to multitasking, and see what is and isn’t helping you.

Rethink your commute

This one may not be for everyone, as many people do need to drive to work. However, if you commute to work using something like a bus or train, then you might want to efficiently use this time by working on your side hustle jobs.

If your side hustle is something that you can do from your phone, laptop, or just with a piece of paper, then this can be a great time to brainstorm ideas and work on your side hustle.

Stay organized

Being organized can help you save time and make more money.

Here are some surprising statistics about being unorganized that I found from Simply Orderly:

  • The average person spends 12 days per year looking for things they can’t find.
  • Every day the average office worker spends 1.5 hours looking for things.
  • In a recent survey, 55% of consumers stated they would save anywhere from 16 to 60 minutes a day if they were organized.

Strategically use your lunch time

When I had my day job, my lunch time was almost always used for my side hustles. I would often bring my lunch to work, which allowed me to save money on food and to use that whole hour for my side hustle ideas.

Right there, that’s five hours every week for side hustles, just by using your lunch hour.

What do you do to save time, so that you can make more money? What time management tips do you have to share?

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Do you want to live a great life? Do you feel like your life isn’t going the way you want?

Maybe your plan isn’t working, or you just want a change because anything is better than how things are currently going.45+ Ways To Live An Amazing Life

45+ Ways To Live An Amazing Life

Or, maybe you just want to improve your life even more this year!

No matter how you’re feeling, I believe that everyone is in charge of their own destiny and that everyone can learn how to live a great life.

If you feel things are not going the way you want them to go, then change it! You can improve your life and how you perceive it by taking part in different actions.

For that reason, I’ve packed this post with my best and most actionable tips so that you can live a great life, and there are some new ones that are sure to make this new year your best ever. Enjoy, and I hope this year is a great one for everyone.

Related reads:

How to live a great life in 2023!

1. Reach your goals in 2023.

To make it a great year, you’ll want to set goals so that you can reach your dreams. Those who set goals are much more likely to be successful than those who do not.

To reach your goals, you’ll want to:

  • Review the previous year along with your previous goals and objectives.
  • Make sure your goal is SMART.
  • Write down your goals and objectives.
  • Create a plan to reach your life goals.
  • Break your goal apart into smaller goals.
  • Keep track of your goal setting progress and make changes (if needed).
  • Find small ways to stick to your goal.
  • Find ways to motivate yourself when setting goals.
  • Make reaching your goal a friendly competition.

Read further at The Best Way To Set Goals And Reach Success.

2. Smile more.

Smiling is contagious and is very important if you want to live a great life!

Studies have even proven that smiling can improve your mood, even if it’s a fake smile.

Smile at the next person you pass, smile when you’re talking on the phone, smile when your loved one comes home, smile in an interview, and more.

Related: How To Better Yourself – 23 Challenges That Will Change Your Life

3. Don’t be afraid of what people think.

I used to really care about what other people thought of me, but I’ve been able to let go of that and now I couldn’t be happier. This has really helped me learn how to live a great life.

You shouldn’t let the opinions of others affect you, drag you down, control you, and so on. Like I always say “Who cares!?”

Why should the opinions of others matter to you? And, because everyone is different, all that should matter is what is right for you.

Related content: Learn How To Set Resolutions — Make This Year The Best Yet!

4. Spend less time watching TV.

I bring this up a lot on Making Sense of Cents, but this statistic is just crazy-

the average person watches around 35 hours of TV a week.

35 HOURS!

Our minds are greatly influenced by what we see on TV. Plus, watching TV can be a big time waster and can be detrimental if you want to live a great life.

Instead of turning on the TV the next time you are bored or looking for something to do, you may want to do something more worthwhile, such as working out, spending time with friends and family, reading a book, and so on.

5. Be more confident.

A lack of confidence may:

  • Prevent someone from believing in themselves.
  • Lead to someone being too shy to do what they want or need.
  • Force someone to do things they hate.
  • Cause someone to ruin a meeting, job possibility, and so on.
  • Lead to unhappiness.

On the flip side, confidence can open many doors for you.

It can lead to getting the job you want, making more money, reaching your dreams, meeting new people, networking, traveling the world, and more.

Read more at Be More Confident And Get What You Want In Life.

6. Be thankful for what you have.

The next time something negative is bringing you down, I suggest you try to remember all of the positive and good in your life. You already live a great life, you just need to remember that.

This is the power of positive thinking at its best.

You can be thankful for your family, friends, job, a past experience, opportunities, and more.

Thinking about everything you are thankful for can make something negative seem very trivial. You may even laugh at yourself for being so negative!

7. Start investing.

I want you to start investing if you haven’t done so yet.

You want to invest your money so that you can:

  • Retire one day.
  • Prepare for unexpected events in the future.
  • Allow your money to grow over time.

Read more at The 6 Steps To Take To Invest Your First Dollar – Yes, It’s Really This Easy!

8. Be kind to others.

You should always be kind to others. This can help both you and others live a great life. Being kind can open your mind, help you stop dwelling on negative things in life, brighten someone’s day, and more.

You can be kind to others by doing things such as:

  • Say hello to every person you walk by today.
  • Open doors for others.
  • Smile at strangers.
  • Help someone with their groceries.
  • Volunteer somewhere.

Related post: 50+ Random Acts of Kindness.

9. Look for ways to save more money.

Looking for ways to save more money may allow you to pay off your debt quicker, improve your financial habits, help you reach your dream sooner, and more.

Plus, there are many, many different ways to save money. You don’t need to sacrifice your favorite things or live an unhappy life in order to save money.

It’s all about being realistic and finding a good balance between saving and spending.

Read more at 30+ Ways To Save Money Each Month.

10. Take a risk.

Have you ever thought about doing something particularly risky but were too afraid to go for it?

Well, it may be your year! Or, at least maybe you can start planning to take that risk?

Doing something risky every so often can get your heart beating and your adrenaline rushing. This can really make you feel alive and like you are in charge of your life.

11. Realize that it’s okay to fail.

If you’re taking risks or trying new things, there is a chance that you may fail.

But, that’s completely okay!

You won’t know if something will work or not unless you try it, and sometimes failure is just a part of the learning process.

Part of living a great life is failing every now and then. Accept that fate now and you’ll be better prepared when it happens.

12. Create a budget.

The average family carries a lot of financial stress. Most people have student loans, credit card debt, a mortgage, car loans, and sometimes other forms of debt.

However, not many people have a budget.

In fact, 68% of households in the U.S. do not prepare a budget.

Budgeting can help you take control of your finances, which can then help reduce stress and allow you to reach your dreams. Having a budget is crucial if you want to live a great life.

Read more at The Complete Budgeting Guide: How To Create A Budget That Works.

13. Say yes.

If you often find that you’re hiding from everyone and you feel like you are stuck, you may want to try branching out and saying yes more often.

Saying yes can open you up to more situations, help you grow as a person, and so on.

14. Say no.

If you say yes to everything, but you are ready to pull your hair out, then you may want to start saying no. No one wants to be walked on or spread too thin, and you also don’t want to be holding yourself back from the things that you truly want to do in life.

Saying no may allow you to have more time to focus on what you truly want from life.

15. Don’t let life pass you by.

It can be really easy to let life pass you by. Before you know it, years or even decades may be gone.

Too many people have the mindset of “Oh, in 10 years life will be so much better because of such and such.” And then, they just let their lives go by without ever thinking about the present.

Well, what about now?!

10 years is a long time!

Reaching a goal is great, but you should always make sure you are living life to the fullest (on a budget, of course).

16. Cherish moments with loved ones.

You should never take a moment for granted with those that you love. This will sound very doom and gloom, but you just never know what may happen to you or them.

Plus, spending time with your loved ones is always a great time, so why not just do it more?!

17. Pay off debt.

Paying off your debt can lessen your stress levels, allow you to put more money towards something else (such as retirement), stop paying interest fees, and more.

Debt can hold a person back significantly, and by paying off your debt you may be able to live the life that you’ve always wanted.

Let’s make this the year that we finally get rid of our debt or at least work our way towards eliminating it!

Read more at How To Eliminate Your Debt.

18. Exercise more.

Whenever I’m feeling a little stressed out, tired, or even grumpy, I try to fit in a workout. I know that even a small workout is better than none.

Exercising is great and it can improve your life because it can make you healthier all around. You will feel more confident, your mind will be clearer, you will be able to better cope with stress, and more.

19. Increase your credit score.

If you need a loan for anything in the future, you can do easy things to increase your credit score. Watch your utilization rate on your credit cards, pay your bills on time, watch the amount of hard inquiries on your credit report, and so on.

Your credit score is important because it can affect your interest rate and whether or not you will get approved for a loan.

Just a few percentage points can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars each month.

That means you can wind up saving THOUSANDS each year just by increasing your credit score. You can check your credit score for free with Credit Sesame.

20. Don’t keep up with the Joneses.

Whether you are five years old and want that new toy everyone is playing with, or if you are 50 years old and are feeling the need to upgrade your house, car, etc., everyone has experienced wanting to keep up with someone else.

The problem with this is that keeping up with the Joneses can actually make you broke.

When trying to keep up with the Joneses, you might spend money you do not have. You might put expenses on credit cards to (in a pretend world) “afford” things. You might buy things that you do not care about. The problems can go on and on.

This can then lead to an excessive amount of debt and potentially set someone back years with their financial goals, if not decades.

21. Do what YOU want to do.

What makes you happy, excited, joyful, and motivated? That’s what you should be doing with your life (as long as it’s legal)!

Stop thinking about what other people want you to do and start listening to your heart. Who cares about what others think? If you spend all your time thinking about others, you will just be wasting a ton of time!

  • If you want to live a life of adventure – Go for it.
  • If you want to start a family – Start planning one.
  • If you want a better job – Get one.
  • If you want to change the world – Do it.

22. Read as much as you can.

I’ll admit it, I don’t read as many books as I would like to.

I’m so focused on reading about personal finance, but I know I need to occasionally take a break and do some reading for pleasure.

Reading is great for many reasons, such as:

  • Providing knowledge.
  • Improving your memory.
  • Opening your mind.
  • Bringing out your creative side.
  • It is affordable entertainment.

And more!

23. Think positively.

I say this often, and I believe it.

Thinking positively can greatly improve your life and your outlook on life. Being positive can help motivate you, it can help you to not waste time on regret, and more.

Related article: Why I Believe Being Positive Can Change Your Financial Situation And Your Life.

24. Don’t waste time on being negative.

You are wasting your time when you are being negative.

Instead of wasting your energy on things like dwelling on regret and/or gossiping, you can be more productive by using this time for things that actually matter.

By being more positive, you will be able to better simplify your life.

25. Find free forms of entertainment.

Someone once told me how expensive it was to have fun. They were telling me about all of their debt and everything that goes along with it, then they also told me that their monthly “fun” budget was around $500.

Uhhh what?! $500? A month?!

If you are trying to get rid of high-interest rate debt, I can’t think of any reason for why you should be spending $500 a month to have fun.

There are many ways to have fun for cheap. Check out How To Have Frugal Fun for some of my ideas.

26. Stop letting money control you.

If you want to gain control of your life and make it a great year, then you need to gain control of your money.

This means you need to stop worrying about all of the things that are holding you back. Instead, create an action plan so that the littlest things do not tear you down or stress you out.

27. Get enough sleep each night.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average person needs around 7.5 hours of sleep in order to “function at their best.” However, the average person actually only sleeps around 6.5 hours.

Lack of sleep, according to HealthLine, can lead to issues such as:

  • Impaired brain activity
  • Memory problems
  • Moodiness
  • Depression
  • Cold and Flu
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Weight gain
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease

Due to this, you should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

28. Find something good in a negative situation.

There may even be some good in a bad experience, even though it can be hard to think about the positive while you are experiencing something negative.

Through the power of positive thinking, you can use a bad experience to learn something new about yourself, to realize you made a mistake, to come up with a new plan you never thought of before, and more.

Taking the negative and turning it into a learning experience can help prevent a negative situation from happening again. Or, maybe next time you’ll be more prepared!

29. Travel to a random place.

There are many wonderful places in the world. Traveling to a random place can help improve your confidence, open you up to new experiences, and may even make you a little uncomfortable- and sometimes that’s okay.

30. Create a bucket list.

If you don’t have a bucket list, I recommend creating one now! In case you are unaware, a bucket list is where you list all of the major goals you want to meet, places you want to visit, and things you want to do in your life.

Creating a bucket list can give you the motivation you need to work harder towards your dreams, it can give you a sense of direction, and a great feeling of fulfillment as you complete each amazing thing you want to do.

31. Welcome the unknown.

Some people like to ignore the unknown because they are afraid of it. However, you’ll never know what your future holds unless you try new things and welcome different experiences.

When looking forward, you should make a realistic plan for what may happen once you start taking steps to reach your goal. This may make the whole thing much more relaxing and less stressful because you will be more prepared for the unknown.

For example, if you want to leave your job for something else but are afraid of what may happen, one thing you might want to do is to make sure you have a well-funded emergency fund. This way, if it takes you a little longer to find your dream job or dream life, your emergency fund will be there to help ease some of the stress.

2017 is here! If you want to learn how to live a great life, then you'll want to read this. Let's make 2017 a great year full of great things!

2017 is here! If you want to learn how to live a great life, then you'll want to read this. Let's make 2017 a great year full of great things!

32. Be open to new things and tackle your fears.

When was the last time you did something new? So many people live inside their comfort zone when they actually need to branch out every now and then.

Yes, stepping outside of your box can be tough, but what if it completely opened your eyes and changed your whole outlook on life? Wouldn’t that be amazing?

If you want to learn how to live life to the fullest, this is something you need to do every now and then. You could even give yourself a goal to try something new each day, each week, or each month.

33. Become more organized.

Being unorganized can waste a significant amount of your time. It leads to late fees, stress, lost items, and more.

Here are some surprising statistics I found from Simply Orderly about being unorganized:

  • The average person spends 12 days per year looking for things they can’t find.
  • Every day, the average office worker spends 1.5 hours looking for things.
  • In a recent survey, 55% of consumers stated they would save anywhere from 16 to 60 minutes a day if they were organized.
  • 23% of people pay bills late and have to pay late fees because they are unable to find their bills.

34. Be open minded to live a great life.

Being open minded is a great quality. There are billions of people in this world and everyone is different, so instead of judging others we should be more open minded.

And, everyone can stand to be a little more open minded.

Being open minded can help you accept changes, love others, be optimistic, learn from others, and most of all, it’s relaxing. Instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing, you can relax, have less stress, and just accept those around you.

35. Finally get rid of cable.

The average monthly cable bill is over $100. The average cable bill is around $200 a month.

You can read more about cutting cable here and how to save money by doing this. I recommend getting a digital antenna so that you can receive local channels for free!

We don’t pay for any form of TV (not even Netflix!), and we LOVE it.

36. Drink more water to live a great life.

According to Lifehacker, the average person should drink around 9 to 13 cups of water per day. This is just a baseline, though, as if you exercise or are in hot weather, then you should consume more.

However, not many people get anywhere near this amount of water.

Drinking water can help you lose weight, perform better, be happier, prevent headaches, help your skin, and is a must for your body to survive.

37. Make more money.

Here on Making Sense of Cents, I spend a lot of time discussing extra income, side hustles, side income, and how to make money online. I believe that earning extra income can completely change your life in a positive way. You can stop living paycheck to paycheck, pay off your debt, and more, all by earning extra money.

In fact, because of extra income and my blog, I was able to pay off $38,000 in student loans within 7 months, I was able to leave my day job in order to pursue my passion, travel full-time, and more!

Related blog posts:

38. Spend less time on social media.

The average person spends many, many hours on social media each week.

Between Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and many others it can be quite easy to waste your entire day.

If you find that you are spending too much time on social media and that it is negatively impacting you, you may want to shut down the social media accounts that you are spending too much time on. You can even create a time block so you cannot access your accounts during certain periods of the day, and so on.

39. Declutter and downsize.

Decluttering and downsizing can help you:

  • To save money. In some cases, a bigger home can cost more due to higher utility bills, more clutter being bought, higher insurance, more maintenance and repairs needed, higher purchasing price, etc.
  • To have less clutter. The bigger your home, the more likely you’ll have empty rooms that you feel the need to put stuff in. Now that we live in an RV, we are much more mindful of what we buy. We think about every purchase in terms of weight, size, where we can store it, and more.
  • To spend less time on maintenance and repairs. If all other factors between two homes are the same (age, location, etc.), a bigger home is more likely to take up more of your time and money due to more things breaking.
  • To spend less time cleaning. A larger home is going to take a lot more time to clean than a smaller one.

40. Have regular family money meetings.

Talking about money and conducting regular budget meetings is an important task for every family and serious relationship to take part in. A family who has regular money talks and budget meetings is more likely to be financially successful and happier than a family that doesn’t.

Regular money meetings can lead to better communication between family members, a more unified financial goal, family members being more involved and motivated, and more.

Read more at Family Budget Meetings – Yes, You Need To Have Them.

41. Keep a journal.

While I don’t have a journal, I do have this blog, which acts as a journal in a way. Keeping a journal can help you reflect on your past, and it also allows you to see the progress you are making towards your goals and dreams.

Plus, spilling your heart out every so often is great for the mind and soul.

Related tip: If you’re looking for a life planner, I highly recommend checking out Erin Condren and looking at their life planners and monthly planners. This can be a great way to stay motivated so that you can reach your dream life!

42. Don’t be afraid to be successful.

When some people become successful and reach their goals, they occasionally start feeling guilty.

Yes, I know, this might seem weird. However, I understand this.

Sometimes I really dislike telling my friends and family how great life is and how much I love my business. I often feel guilty, but I just need to remember that a mixture of luck and hard work led me to where I am. Everyone has their down points, and I had them as well.

You shouldn’t be afraid to talk about your accomplishments, and you shouldn’t ever be ashamed of your success.

43. Sit silently.

When was the last time you just sat down in complete silence with no distractions? For the average person, this is probably a rare occurrence.

Sitting silently can help you reflect on your life and what’s going on in the world around you. It can also help you relax, destress, and clear your mind.

44. Have an emergency fund.

An emergency fund is something that I believe everyone should have. However, according to a report by Bankrate.com, 26% of Americans have no emergency fund whatsoever.

This same report stated that only 40% of families have enough in savings to cover three months of expenses, with an even lower percentage having the recommended six months worth of savings.

This is frightening to me, as having an emergency fund can really help you get through tough parts of your life.

An emergency fund can help you if you lose your job, if your hours are cut back, if you have an unexpected expense, and so on.

Read more at Everything You Need To Know About Emergency Funds.

45. Stay motivated.

Even with how much I love saving money, every now and then it becomes easy to get unmotivated and want to SPEND ALL THE MONEY!

I’m sure I’m not alone either.

While many choose to live a frugal life, it’s not always easy. Some have large amounts of debt to pay off, others find it hard to stick to a budget, and more.

Finding financial motivators will help you continue to work hard towards your goal, even when it seems impossible. Without motivation, one might give up on a financial goal quite easily. This is why it’s so important to learn how to stay motivated.

Read more at Paying Off Debt And Budgeting: Tricks For Staying Motivated.

46. Stop being afraid of your past.

Just because you may have failed at something in the past, this should not prevent you from aiming for your goals. I know people who have completely given up with reaching for hard goals because they weren’t successful in the past. However, that’s a horrible mindset to have.

If you have failed in the past, then you should use those mistakes as learning tools for the future.

What will you do to live an amazing life? What tips on how to live a great life do you have to share with us?

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Today’s post is all about the best car buying tips so that you can save money when buying a car.

Buying a new car can be fun, yet stressful at the same time. You don't want to get tricked or duped, so here are car buying tips before you go car shopping!

Buying a new car can be fun, yet stressful at the same time. You don't want to get tricked or duped, so here are car buying tips before you go car shopping!Not all car dealerships and car salesmen are bad. I know this for a fact because my husband used to be a new car salesman (and he was nice! I promise!). My husband knows all about the flack that salesmen get.

Despite the reputation car salesmen get, the car buying process is not perfect either.

Whether you are purchasing a new or used vehicle, there are several car buying tips and tricks you should know of so that you can walk away with the best deal possible. There are so many options and extras that come up when buying a car, which means there are many ways for you to end up leaving confused or paying more than you should be.

Whether you are buying a $500 car or a $50,000 one, you want to get the best deal possible. To make sure you don’t walk away from a deal angry or regretful, it’s important to be as knowledgeable as possible.

According to Edmunds.com, the average person in the U.S. spends $483 on a new car payment and $361 on a used car payment.

That’s a lot of money, which can leave a lot of room for mistakes and overpayment.

Before we begin, I want to tell you about several ways that car dealerships make their money. These are things you will want to be mindful of:

  • Your trade-in vehicle. To make a profit on your used car, they will want to offer you less money than they can sell it for. Of course, this is normal, but you want to be mindful of this so that you can get the most money out of your trade-in vehicle.
  • Incentives and bonuses from the car manufacturer. This means that if you can buy a car when a dealership hasn’t reached their selling quota, you may be able to get a great deal on your car purchase. Many times car dealerships will take a loss on the vehicle if it means that they will be able to reach their quota.
  • Financing the vehicle. Dealerships make money when you finance vehicles through them.
  • Extra options, such as an extended warranty.

Buying a new car can be fun and stressful at the same time. You don’t want to get tricked or duped, so here are car buying tips and tricks before you start shopping!

The best car buying tips:

Don’t just think about the monthly payment.

The most important car buying tip I can offer in this blog post is that you should not just care about the monthly payment.

You should only purchase what you can actually afford. Just because the monthly car payment looks affordable, it doesn’t mean that it actually is.

There are car payment terms that are as long as 96 months, which is just crazy to me. A car salesperson may stretch out the car payment so that it looks to be more affordable for you, but you should be aware of the whole cost, which includes things like interest and taxes.

Please, please, please, look at the whole cost and see if that’s actually an affordable amount for you to be paying.

Shop around for your own financing.

If you have to finance your car purchase, make sure you shop around before you agree to the dealer’s interest rate. Sometimes the dealer has the lowest rate, but sometimes they don’t.

You may be able to save yourself hundreds of dollars a year by simply shopping around. Plus, it’s extremely easy to shop around for the best interest rates – start with local credit unions and banks!

Go to a few car dealerships.

You can shop around car dealerships both online and offline.

I recommend shopping online before you go to a dealership, this way you can be prepared by learning as much as possible in advance. You also won’t be wasting your time at car dealerships that can’t get down to the price you want.

Don’t add small and unnecessary extras at the end of your purchase.

When you are about to purchase a car, you will be encouraged to buy many small options that you may not need. This may include extras such as:

  • Tire replacement
  • Paint protection
  • Extended warranties

While you may believe that you need some of the above options, you should make sure that you’re not just thinking about the monthly cost. The financing manager will offer you these extras in a way that makes it seem affordable. But, these extras only appear inexpensive because they are padded into your monthly cost, so don’t be fooled by how “affordable” they seem.

Yeah, $1 or $5 each month may not seem like much, but it can add up to a lot over a 5 year period!

Trust me, you are paying for these, and it’s not just a good deal that you are getting.

Related: 30+ Ways To Save Money Each Month

Determine how much your trade-in is worth.

If you have a trade-in vehicle, you should figure out how much it is worth before you step foot into a car dealership.

Kelley Blue Book is a great resource for doing this. While you may not get the exact amount that Kelley Blue Book claims you will get, it can be a good estimator or starting point when negotiating with the car dealership.

Know the right time to go.

There are certain times of the month and year that are better for car shopping than others. If a dealership is trying to meet their sales quota, they are more likely to give you a deal than when they’ve already beat their quota or if it’s the beginning of their quota.

This is because car manufacturers will give bonuses and extra incentives to car dealerships who sell a certain amount of vehicles. This gives car dealerships extra motivation to give really good deals if they are close to their quota.

I know someone who was able to lease a brand new car for just $70 per month, with no money down, because a car dealership needed to meet their quota. They got one heck of a deal!

To know the best time to go, you may want to make friends with a car salesperson, find out when their end of month or end of quarter is, and so on. Or, you could just ask. My husband would always tell people when the best time to buy was and would even call them, but many people did not believe him. If they only knew!

Don’t be afraid to negotiate.

Even if you get a discount, such as a car manufacturer discount, you should still negotiate. Many times, those friends and family discounts mean that you are not able to haggle at all, which can lead to you actually paying a higher price.

Cars sales are meant to be negotiated, whether it is a brand new vehicle or a used one. If you don’t haggle, you will most likely lose out on a lot of money, because negotiating is expected.

Other aspects of the vehicle buying process can be haggled on as well, this includes your trade-in vehicle, warranties, interest rates, add-ons, and more.

Learn more about negotiating at How To Rock At Negotiating On Everything.

Be nice.

No matter what, you should be a decent human being.

Being rude won’t get you the best deal, instead it may make the salesperson and the dealership not want to help you. After you purchase a car you are asked to go through the car manufacturer to grade your car salesperson. If the salesperson knows that you might give them a bad grade, they may not want your deal because it’s not worthwhile to them to have a bad score (which decreases their salary/income).

Plus, you should always be nice anyways. Salespeople are just doing their job and trying to make a living, and the majority of them are good people.

Miscellaneous car buying tips and tricks.

Here are several other car buying tips and tricks:

  • Never shop when you’re hungry or tired. You should always be well-rested and ready for an eventful day.
  • For the car dealership to beat their quota, sometimes they will buy a new car themselves and put it on the “used” car dealership side. The car is still brand new, but is now considered pre-owned. This can allow you to save a good deal of money. However, you do want to be mindful of the warranty, because the warranty has most likely started once the car was officially bought the first time (by the car dealership).
  • Purchase a car at the end of the car’s model year. Dealerships want to move out last year’s model to make room for the new ones, which can lead to a good discount.
  • Look into car insurance rates before you purchase. You may want to contact your car insurance agent so that you are not surprised by a high insurance rate after you make a purchase.
  • Don’t tell the salesperson what your budget is for a monthly payment. You should always negotiate on price first. A dealership will try to get you into something that will just barely fit your monthly payment budget, which can cause you to spend a lot more money in the long run.
  • Be confident. When negotiating, you should always be confident in what you are saying, and do not be afraid to walk away. If it’s not meant to be, then it’s just not.
  • Find the best car insurance. What is the most reliable car insurance company?

What other car buying tips and tricks do you know of? Share in the comments below!

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