There are a variety of reasons for which adult children return to the nest. Some young adults are unable to find employment in their chosen fields after college and have no choice but to return home. In other instances, financial trouble facilitated by job loss or divorce is what prompts people to avail themselves of their parents’ kindness. Since moving back in with one’s parents is generally viewed as a money-saving measure, it stands to reason that you’d want to put away as much as possible during your time at home. So, if you’ve recently taken up residence in your childhood home – or will soon be doing so – the following measures are likely to serve you well.
Conserve Your Entertainment Budget
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that many people live to be entertained. From watching TV to enjoying your favorite video games to hitting the town for a wild night with friends, entertainment is the name of the game for most young adults. Unfortunately, good times don’t often come cheap. So, if you’re constantly purchasing the latest gadgets and hitting up your favorite clubs, there’s a good chance that your savings are virtually nonexistent. While there’s nothing wrong with having fun, doing so shouldn’t entail breaking the bank – particularly when you’re living under someone else’s roof.
With this in mind, make a point of conserving your entertainment budget. For starters, you’ll need to actually create a workable monthly entertainment budget and stick to it. Not only is adherence to a budget conducive to bolstering your savings, it will also help you appreciate certain indulgences even more. For example, if you limit wild nights out to once or twice a month instead of multiple times per week, you’ll have something to look forward to as opposed to something to take for granted.
Dine in on a Regular Basis
As is the case with your entertainment budget, you should also practice mindfulness with regard to your food budget. Even if you generally stick to inexpensive restaurants, dining out on a daily basis – or near-daily basis – can quickly put a large hole in your finances. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to avoid this: dining in. Regardless of whether your parents are providing the food free of charge or you’re purchasing it yourself, staying in and expanding your culinary repertoire stands to save you untold amounts of cash. Turning restaurant visits and takeout orders into occasional indulgences could save you hundreds a month, thereby freeing up funds for more important matters.
Rotate Assorted Subscriptions
These days, many of us have subscriptions to a smattering of streaming services. In many respects, streaming subscriptions have taken the place of traditional cable and satellite packages – and considering how easily accessible and user-friendly they are, there’s little wonder as to why. Still, even though we maintain subscriptions to multiple services, few of us watch every service we subscribe to on a consistent basis. There’s even a good chance you’re hanging on to a certain service for the sake of one or two original series.
If this describes your streaming situation, consider rotating subscriptions. Since many services allow users to pay as they go instead of locking them into contracts, canceling and reactivating various accounts shouldn’t prove difficult or time-consuming. After all, if you’re paying a monthly fee for a streaming service that you only fire up a few times a year, you’re essentially leaving money on the table.
Make Smart Investments
Making a few smart investments can help make your money work for you and provide you with a little bit of additional income every month. Furthermore, anyone in the market for solid one-time investments should look into precious medals. For example, a 1 kilo gold bar is liable to fetch a princely sum when it comes time to cash it in.
For many people, moving back in with Mom and Dad is a less than ideal situation. Even if you have a fairly good relationship with your folks, reentering their home as an adult can lead to a great deal of awkwardness for everyone involved. If you’re determined to make your stay at your parents’ house a short one, you’d do well to save as much money as you can while under their roof.