Career & Money

Surefire ways to pay off debts and grow your savings Hustle in your 20’s. Live somewhat comfortably in your 30’s. Begin to enjoy the fruits of your (years of) labor in your 40’s. Grant yourself the luxury of taking it easy in your 50’s. That’s the ideal scenario, at least, for those living in a metropolitan. As dues you have to pay today that double as gifts you give your future self, the vital part about taking on those late nights at the office, side jobs, weekend gigs or that raise is that everything has to add up. But what if it doesn’t? Work at a decent-paying job but feel like you’re living paycheck to paycheck? Been earning a steady salary but have less than P50,000 in the bank? Going beyond the 9-to-6 but find you’re still spending more than you’re earning?­ Signs point to unnecessary spending.   The truth is, however, nobody—and we mean it,  nobody —is ever proud or thankful or relieved that they spent on an unnecessary product or service. But somehow, almost everyone is susceptible to this. Blame it on the culture of accumulation or subliminal marketing coupled with in-your-face marketing. Call it the downside of the the “treat yourself!” mindset or the “worry about it tomorrow” attitude. Chalk it up to the “out of sight, out of mind” tendency brought about by powerful shiny plastic (AKA the credit card).   But imagine already being in your 40’s and  still  hustling. Imagine being 45 and still trying to keep up or worse, make up for lost time. Scary thought, right? It’s high time, ladies and gents, that we work on those ca$h money skills. It’s high time that we pull up our sleeves and face facts: overspending  can  be overcome.   RELATED:  Here Are Some Sure Fire Ways To Help You Save Money First, identify the seemingly harmless small indulgences that cause overspending. These are the little things you treat yourself to on a regular basis: the morning stopover at a coffee shop before work, that bottled water at lunch the now seemingly mandatory dessert cup for snacks, the monthly mani-pedi, Sundays at the cinema. Add up these little things and quite obviously they cease to be little. Here are small adjustments you can make: Brew coffee at home and bring it to work, pack a water canister so you don’t have to buy water at lunch, do your own nails and spring for a Netflix account.