You might read this title and wonder to yourself: “What on earth has improving my financial status got to do with dating?” Or maybe not, maybe the importance of this is more clear to you than anything else you’ve seen on this site.
That’s a matter of perspective, because I want to make it very clear that I’m not suggesting you work on making more money so that you can use your wealth to entice people to sleep with you because at the end of the day everybody is just a shallow, greedy jerk.
Because while there are definitely those kinds of people out there, money is an essential to all of us and something we have to focus on. And this is Major League dating, so I’m operating under the assumption that you’re in it for the long haul.
You want to up your dating game because you want a partner. Love, comfort, companionship, all important things in a stable relationship, but so is financial security. No matter how in love you are, your lives and your future will be at a stand still if you can’t support each other.
If you aren’t careful with your money and aren’t displaying an ability to take care of yourself financially, potential partners will question the possibility of a stable future with you. So let’s take a look at a few ways to effortlessly improve your financial status.
1. Automated Saving
Everybody should have a savings account that isn’t their primary bank account. It’s an investment in your future, something that will slowly build up over time so that you can have a nest egg when you need it.
And the best way to build a savings account is to have an automated set up. Basically, a portion of your income every single month will automatically be transferred into the account without you having to do anything.
It can be hard to actively transfer money from your personal account into a savings account, but this way it will never be in your personal account anyway and so you don’t have to do anything. You’ll never see it in your personal account so you won’t miss it.
2. Micro-Savings
The term ‘micro-savings’ probably doesn’t sound like something that’s going to make a huge difference in your finances, but don’t let it’s small-sounding name distract you from its value to your bank account.
Micro-savings are an automated process through which any payment you make with your card will be rounded up to the nearest dollar, with the balance being directly sent to a savings account. Understand?
Basically if you buy something that costs $5.95, you will spend that much on the purchase and then 5c will be transferred to your savings account. Obviously it’s only a little bit at a time, but you’re buying stuff on a daily basis so it will add up.
Not every bank allows this, so you might have to shop around to find one that does. There are also certain apps which do a similar thing.
3. Investments
On the surface, investments are a bit like micro-savings in the sense that they don’t really sound like something that can actually save you any money in the long run. It basically feels like you’re giving your money away.
Which of course you are, but if you do it right this should eventually lead to a strong return on investment (ROI). Investing is a science, it’s not about buying shares in the top companies and expecting the money to roll in, it’s about analyzing the market and predicting the trends.
It’s not magic, it’s not clairvoyance, it’s about historical movements and pattern recognition. At the beginning of your investing career, it might be wise to just look out for companies which offer dividends.
These are a share of the profits regardless of whether or not the stocks rise or fall so it’s basically a guaranteed income every month.
4. Declutter
You should think about decluttering anyway if you’re trying to find a partner that you can have a future with. No one wants to walk into a house that’s packed with old, unused stuff and get a terrifying glimpse into what awaits them if they move forward with this hoarder.
But as well as that, it can be a good way to make some extra money because you probably have a lot of stuff that you can sell. Just because you’re not using it doesn’t mean that no one will use it. You could host a yard sale, or just use the internet.
There’s no shortage of online marketplaces where you can sell things second hand. Anything from clothes, books, kitchen appliances, trinkets, seriously have a look around your place, you’ll probably find a ton of stuff you haven’t used in years. Sell it all!
5. Buy Second-Hand Stuff
In a similar way, you could also start buying as much of your stuff second-hand as you can. We all like new stuff, but the appeal of that is pretty superficial when you think about it. What matters is the function.
We spend so much money on clothes and we adore new clothes, but really, they’re only new the first couple of times you wear them. So if you always wanted to wear new clothes, you’d have to be buying stuff every day.
A new car is so expensive, but even one that’s been driven only a couple of times will cost so much less. There really are a number of different things that we generally buy brand new that really don’t need to be new. Take advantage of second-hand buying, it’s worth it.
6. Learn to Negotiate
Negotiation is not always going to come in useful, but for when it does it can save you an awful lot of money. It’s a valuable skill to have for bigger purchases like cars and homes, you’re not going to be doing it every day but it’s still worth learning.
Some people think that this is a little shady, but in truth, you’re really just trying to make sure that you’re getting the best deal. The goal is not to cheat anyone out of money, it’s to make sure you’re not being cheated.
Negotiation is not about being smooth-talking or witty or anything like the movies might imply, the real secrets to it are things like research and listening. So work on this skill because it could save you a lot, but don’t start practicing it when you’re buying groceries.
7. Seek Out Discounts
Now again, this is not something that you can consistently guarantee success with because they’re not always going to be discounts, but they are a thing and if you do your research you can take advantage of them.
Discounts come in many different forms, some of which you probably aren’t applicable for, but some of which you most definitely will be. Familiarise yourself with these different kinds and then see which ones apply to your life and your location.
If you know what you’re doing you can probably cut a huge amount of your spending just by making avail of discounted products and services.
8. Time Purchases
Similar approach here, in addition to discounts, sales are also something which are common and which can be reliable. The difference here is that the discounts are usually conditional whereas sales can be taken advantage of by everyone.
This won’t apply for anything which there’s an urgency too, or when you’re buying groceries or anything like that, but most of the purchases you make will probably be on sale at some point, and if you can, you should try and time them.
This will help you to regulate spending too because it will force you to wait until certain things you think you want are on sale and you might realize that you don’t actually want them at all which will save you some money too.
9. Exercise Restraint
What this boils down to is that you shouldn’t spend money on too much of the stuff that you don’t actually need. As much as the temptation is there, and we’ve all given into it on numerous occasions, you need to have some restraint.
Of course, leisure is important. And when you’re planning out a budget for yourself you should include a certain amount every month for leisure. But be strict with yourself and stick to that budget. Self-control is such a valuable skill.
If your friends are going out for drinks but you’ve expended your leisure budget, then you’re not going out for drinks. Learn the value of staying in, being by yourself can be such a joy if you optimize that alone time.
10. Cut Subscriptions
So many of us have money coming out of our bank accounts every month that we are entirely unaware of because it doesn’t seem like it’s too much at a time. $5 disappears one day, you’re not going to notice, another $5 a week later, seems like nothing.
This is because we all subscribe to things that we think we’re interested enough in to justify constantly spending money on and then we forget about them. And the amount of money you’re losing as a consequence adds up.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t subscribe to anything, but you should take note of what you actually use. Most people are subscribed to Spotify and that’s a great service, but maybe you never actually use it.
Go through your subscriptions and see which ones you can stand to lose, and then get rid of them.
I can’t guarantee that this is going to help you find a date as such, but what it will do is set you up nicely for when you are with someone that you want to settle down with. Having financial security will be a weight off your mind and it will make your future so much clearer.
