Laurika Bretherton

When you decide to live this location independent life, it often means that your income changes. Your monthly income will fluctuate. Some months you earn money, others you don’t. It’s similar to starting your own business I guess. Not every month, especially in the beginning, is going to be financially rewarding.

Keeping your expenses low makes it easier to manage these ups and downs.

subscriptions

First thing I did was cancel any unnecessary monthly costs. Do I really need Spotify and Netflix? Do I really need a mobile phone contract with high data? I’m hardly ever in the country where I signed my mobile phone contract. This means I have to pay crazy money to use it. And yes I know there are providers that allow me to use my mobile phone abroad without for a small amount every day (in my case £3). But, add all those daily fees up and pretty soon it can reach £80 per month.

rent

I talked about rent in a previous post over here. Keep it low.

credit cards and other debt

Ditch your credit card. Or if you have to have one, transfer the amount of money into your card before you use it. How are you going to pay off a credit card with erratic to zero income?

impulse buying is evil

Don’t impulse buy. I really had to train myself with this one. I think out of everything this was the most difficult thing for me. Because I am a sucker for advertising. It works on me big time. I really believe that I have to have that thing I see in the magazine, on the screen. I really need it.

i changed my approach 

I don’t ask myself: Do I really need this item? The answer, in that moment in time is always a resounding yes. If I am in a store and see something I want, I don’t buy it. I leave, walk right out the door. If I see something online, I mark the item, even put it in my online shopping cart, but I don’t order it. I close the window and do something else. I wait a couple of days. Then I go back and if I still want it, I ask myself why do I want it. What will I do with it? What do I need to get rid of so that I can make space for this item.

Using this method I sometimes find the item is no longer available or the sale is over when I get back to it. And you know what, that’s not a bad thing, because the universe made the decision for me. And really is my life poorer for not having a specific item in my possession? Not really.

 Let me know in the comment box below if this was helpful and also what do you do to keep your expenses low.