Don’t buy because it’s on sale.

Black Friday just passed and we saw $643 million spent by just mid-morning. I’m sure some consumers were savvy and had a plan of attack, tackling their Christmas shopping and saving a few bucks while they were at it. That’s great, but, I would bet the majority of consumers on Black Friday bought items they didn’t need. After all, American Consumerism has been built by making you want something before you need it, or ,even, not at all.

So with that in mind…this month, do not buy Sale items because they are on sale. Buy out of necessity and be thankful the item you were already going to purchase came at a discount. Not the other way around. Do not buy a pair of shoes because you could get a second pair at 50% off. Buy a pair of shoes because your feet hurt and your old shoes have run their course.

Don’t be a sucker for buying sale items on a whim.

Credit Card Reset.

If you are like me, then most of your monthly expenses go on a credit card to be paid off before the billing cycle ends to avoid interest. Why? Because we want the credit card reward points, duh. But are you actually making money this way or are the credit cards costing you?

This month…instead of using your Credit Cards for every purchase, try using your debit card. A good challenge would be to use your debit card every time you go out to eat, to happy hour or to your local coffee shop. Credit cards have the ability to play crazy tricks on our minds. Perhaps you’ll find you don’t need that second beer or you don’t need a medium latte, a small black coffee will suffice. Fight back by trying this out for one month. I promise, you’re not going to miss out on tons of credit card points. This is about training ourselves to break bad habits and get off the “treadmill” of our bad spending. Reset!

According to Nerdwallet, the average American household has $15,482 in credit card debt and America as a whole has $927 billion credit card debt. So there’s an obvious problem in America and I believe the ease at which consumers can obtain credit cards has far outstretched our financial knowledge. Don’t be another sucker.

Set up an automatic transfer to your savings account.

Wouldn’t it be cool to have a safe in your closet with $5,000 cash (I’d prefer $100 bills, if anyone’s asking)? If you did, I would wager that you wouldn’t touch this money very often.

So start growing the same thing with your bank. Set aside “untouchable money” by setting up an automatic transfer on the days you get paid. If you put in $75 every 2 weeks you’ll have $1,950 saved up in one year. The only way to get there is to start today. Login to your bank and set up an automatic transfer from your checking to savings account.

Split meals when eating out.

If you are in a relationship, why not split a meal? If you really like to eat, order an appetizer as well. That’s still cheaper than two separate meals, yeah?

If you aren’t in a relationship, find someone in your group that likes to save money as well and ask if they would like to split a meal.

Let’s say you dine out twice a week and an average meal is $15, so that’s $30 for a couple, not counting tax and tip. If you split your meals you would save $15 every time and $30 a week. Know what that comes out to? You’re going to save $120 this month and $1,440 this year.

Once we start getting into the thousands of dollars, changing your habits sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?

Find a cheaper Barber.

I’m amazed at how expensive haircuts can be, and I’m talking about mens’ haircuts. At Sports Clips it’s $22 for a haircut. Let’s make it $25 with tip.

The other day I found a cool barber that cuts for $11, no matter what type of cut. I tipped $4 so let’s make it $15. If the haircut is every 2 weeks, I’ll save $20 this month and $240 this year.

This could apply to not only a Barber, but anywhere you might go on a monthly basis to spend money.

Start walking and find something fun just around the corner.

Where my wife and I live there are plenty of restaurants, coffee shops and bars within a moderate walking distance. We don’t HAVE to drive 20 miles every time we want an experience. Now days in California it costs me $5-$10 any time we drive 20-40 miles round trip. I would argue that walking to a restaurant is better for your health, your relationship and your wallet.

Check your subscriptions.

I have this friend who is in hid mid-20’s and has more assets than most middle-aged adults. He’s never had a job that pays super well and he hasn’t inherited money, but he owns a single family home in southern California and has plenty of cash saved up. You know his philosophy? Stay away from monthly payments.

Check your tv subscriptions, gym memberships, cell phone contract – check EVERYTHING you pay monthly and either find a cheaper option or cancel if you can.

My friend works very hard to save as much money as he can so when he has to make a big purchase, like a car, he’s able to not take a loan. Wouldn’t that be nice? That lifestyle is more obtainable than you might think and your progression starts with getting rid of monthly subscriptions so you can start saving more.

Listen, so much of being in a healthy financial position comes down to making the hard choices. It’s so much more easy and fun to say “yes” to everything and deal with the credit card payment later. Don’t be a sucker. Start controlling your day to day spending and find ways to save money this month, then turn those ideas into money saving habits.