Advice and recommendations from finance. Saving money every day: some practical tips

If you do something and it doesn't bring results, find other ways.

In this article we have collected for you the most universal tips for handling money. They will help you become financially savvy in the new year 2016. But, please note, they all work in the long term, and do not give an immediate effect. And if you don’t go into the details of smart money theories, then these simple tips will be enough to feel comfortable when handling money and gradually get richer.

1. Diversify your finances

A simple, universal, and most importantly, trouble-free way to improve your financial condition.

Diversification is the division into equal shares of one’s savings and income from various instruments in order to maintain stability. At the same time, diversification can be applied not only to money, but also to life in general: work, leisure, education.

For example, divide a large deposit into parts and place it in several banks. If something goes wrong in one bank, you can withdraw money from another.

Develop professional skills in various fields. You can improve your skills on your own or find a part-time job - this way, in any force majeure, you will be more confident on your feet.

Thus, as in history, it is better to lose one battle than to lose the war completely and quickly. Diversification for a financier is the most important thing at any time.

2. Pay yourself

A very popular and hackneyed piece of advice; all successful people suggest using it in one way or another in their books. What can you do, it really works.

An ordinary person, upon receiving a certain amount of income, for example a salary, immediately deducts all his current expenses (utilities, telephone, urgent purchases) and plans purchases, and remembers them last, if at all. Imagine that you received a salary of not 35 thousand rubles, but 32 thousand, and the amount of 3 thousand rubles immediately goes to the asset formation fund.

A pragmatic person tries to separate an amount from profit in order to either invest it immediately or put it aside for his development and new ideas. Usually this is 5–10%. As a result, there are always funds left for new projects, education, trainings - moving forward, and only then the expenses are covered with the remaining amount.

The psychological effect of realizing that you are ready to invest these funds in something, are ready to take a conscious risk, works well here, and losing them will not be a tragedy for you. And in this way you gain enormous experience.

This is the “pay yourself” rule: when you receive income, set aside 5–10% for your development, for ideas. The main thing here is to understand that this is not the same as saving for a car, furniture or vacation. This is money specifically for the idea, when it matures.

It seems like a simple rule, but how difficult it is to follow! You need very good skill and the ability to deny yourself many things.

3. Avoid fees

Try to avoid paying commissions on various transactions: telephone, banking services, insurance premiums, additional guarantees, etc. Know how to understand such little things, know how to refuse additional optional services, and don’t be lazy.

In the long term this is very good capital. Don't believe me? Try not paying commissions and penalties for six months and see how much money accumulates.

Examples of commissions: other people's ATMs, mobile banking, additional warranty on goods, purchase of useless discount cards, payment with electronic money through terminals, additional services during the service. Even the purchase of small goods at the checkout in a hypermarket can also be considered a commission - for standing in line. :)

4. Don't lend money to friends

Based on my life experience and observations of other people, I will say: never lend money to close friends, no matter how much. If you want to help, just donate the amount you can give. There will be more returns in the future.

Observer/Depositphotos.com

5. Bring a limited amount of money with you

If you go to a store or are going to use some service, that is, you find yourself in places with a lot of temptations, do not take a card with you (at least at first), but take a certain amount of cash that covers your expenses, and not a ruble more. It works flawlessly, but you need to develop a habit.

Yes, this advice may seem ridiculous, but subsequently, by putting this method into practice regularly, you will be able to protect yourself from purchasing services that you do not need. A plastic card puts you into a consumer trance, as if everything is allowed, and if there are also credit cards or an overdraft, your prudent consciousness may not be able to stand it at all.

This training also helps to say no to yourself when purchasing unnecessary things and services offered in various ways. It's simple: you don't have the necessary funds to pay for them.

6. Create a financial safety net

Regardless of the financial situation in the world and at home, regardless of all your knowledge, you should have a financial reserve in case of a “drought”.

Books often talk about having a financial reserve to barely support your life for six months. I believe that in our rapidly changing times this is unrealistic. And it’s not necessary at all - 2-3 months is enough. During this time, you will definitely figure out how to get out of any crisis situation and get any job.

This is your stabilization fund (as in our state). If force majeure circumstances arise: dismissal from work, business collapse, crisis, illness - you must live on this stabilization fund for 2-3 months until new income appears.

7. Introduce a fine system

Like in childhood, remember? He was naughty, brought a C, did not comply with the parents' orders - a fine in the form of deprivation of sweets or pocket money, a computer, or simply being sent to a corner. Why not apply such punishment now, but to yourself?

Spent a lot - a fine from above, spent too much on vacation - a fine, lost money - another fine, was too lazy to earn more - also a fine. Each person sets for himself the limits of what is permitted and the size of the fine.

The amount should be small, but tangible for the budget. And you should not return the accumulated money to yourself at the end of the month, otherwise it will not be a punishment. Think about what to direct them to. For example, you can give it to your child, friends, and the best thing - to charity. But at the same time, there is no need to explain anything to anyone - they gave it away, and that’s it. Every wrongdoing must have a price.

You can replace a monetary fine with another punishment, such as deprivation of sweets or additional sports activities, but monetary punishment works best.

Want to ? Start with yourself. As long as you do stupid things, money will treat you the same way - it's simple.

8. Use the Principle of Reasoning

The amount spent on something must fully satisfy criteria such as safety, health and functionality.

There is no need to purchase something completely cheap or receive services for pennies: this is fraught with consequences for both safety and health. But don’t think that the most expensive is the best. A competent approach is needed.

You can use the principle of the golden mean: we discard the cheap, we discard the expensive, and take the average.

This rule works great when buying equipment: new ones are too expensive and have not been tested, cheap ones are almost guaranteed to break - we take proven models that are universal and meet all our needs. It is better to choose simple and functional than beautiful and sophisticated.

Quazie/Flickr.com

9. Pay a specialist

If you can save yourself time on more important tasks, it is better to pay a specialist to solve the problem.

Many people try to save on repairs, health, vacations, etc. And they often try to do everything on their own. But this is not always better. Such independence can take up time, fray your nerves and lead to not the best result.

But if there is an option to speed up the solution to the problem, and spend the gained time and energy on something more important and useful, then it’s better to pay. Miser pays twice.

10. Don't live in the moment

The most useful advice and the most difficult to implement. There is no need to live in the moment, otherwise you will miss a lot, most of it will pass by you.

Unfortunately, many people try to satisfy their momentary desires: “I want this and that,” but for what reason is unclear. What future prospects these monetary expenses will bring are often not taken into account. Yes, it is useful to buy a laptop for blogging, writing a book or code, but not useful for games, TV series and social networks.

Learn to direct your life to the future, and not to today's desires and impulses, often caused by the surrounding information situation. A financially savvy person has an important skill - the ability to plan. Yes, plans are not always implemented, but the main vector of development remains.

How many pieces of advice do you already use in your life? I calculated that I follow six tips, the rest need work.

Today's economy, be it global or Russian, is rich in surprises. Moreover, the vast majority of them are unpleasant. When another analyst broadcasts on TV about the impending nth wave of the crisis, we begin to feel anxious and scold ourselves for not having bothered to start saving for a rainy day. But today’s penny saves not only the ruble, but also our nerves: even small savings can slightly reduce our fears that tomorrow will be a “black” day.

Saving money on daily expenses may not be the most pleasant activity, but it is rewarding. When at the end of the first month you notice that by giving up just a couple of not so important purchases and showing a little patience you have managed to save a tidy sum, you will have an additional incentive to continue practicing savings every day. And now, in fact, tips that will help you save money wisely and every day:

Be a stayer, not a sprinter

Do not spend your entire salary in the first few days; it is better to distribute it evenly over weeks or decades. Even if you are tempted to buy a lot of “delicious things” at once, remember that the same temptation will arise in the subsequent days of the month.

Don't be lazy to find out and compare prices

The price of the same products and goods, even in stores of a comparable level, may differ significantly. If you buy some goods regularly, find out the prices for them in different places and buy where it is cheaper. The same applies to one-time purchases. Take your time, shop around or compare prices online. Trust me, your efforts will pay off.

Don't be fooled by discounts and loyalty programs

Often, even despite the discounts, points, stars, bonuses or other lures offered by large supermarkets, the product is still cheaper to buy in small stores.

Better bigger and better

If the product has already been tested and you use it constantly (be it shampoo, toothpaste, processed cheese or pickled mushrooms), buy large packages - it’s always cheaper.

And again the lists

Before you go shopping, make a list and stick to it. Otherwise, when you return home, you may find that you bought all sorts of unnecessary things, and some of the necessities were left behind. Remember that in large stores, the departments that sell the most necessary products (bread, milk, yogurt, etc.) are often located far from the entrance. The calculation is simple: by the time you get there, you’ll pick up a lot of other things. And another well-known rule: don’t go to the grocery store when you’re hungry!

Caution: Sale!

Sales are certainly an opportunity to buy a good and useful product at a lower price. But do not forget that marketers use it, among other things, to lure buyers and force them to purchase other, often unnecessary, things along with discounted goods. Therefore, during sales you need to enable enhanced self-control.

Eating at home

Try to go to cafes and restaurants as little as possible. The profit of catering establishments reaches 100%, so dinner in a restaurant can cost almost twice as much as a similar dinner at home. The same applies to so-called business lunches - it is better to bring something from home.

Invisible expenses

If you use credit cards, try to manage your spending so you don't have to pay overdraft fees or late fees. It's like throwing money away from your account. Be careful, arrange for regular receipt of account statements and control non-cash expenses.

Resist Temptations

Do not give in to momentary weaknesses and do not do things that you will regret later. Before you buy something, think about exactly how and how often you will use this item. If you want to buy something, don’t do it right away. Walk around for a couple of days and then come back - perhaps the desire will pass.

Focus on saving at least 10% of your income every month. This is the level of savings that will allow you to build confidence in the future and not be afraid of all sorts of unpleasant surprises - such as leaving your job or unexpected medical expenses.

A little patience and attentiveness - and your wallet will not be slow to please you with its pleasant roundness!

It is customary to start a new life on the first of January. It's not that I believe in the magic of round dates - it's pretty stupid to limit the period during which you allow yourself to change something to one day a year. However, why don’t I make a small selection of personal finance tips today?

After all, I once wrote, in co-authorship with Alexey Loginov, a guide to management accounting for directors. It would be fair if I gave some advice for those who manage their personal money.

So, let's go.

1. As I have seen over 15 years of doing business, the most important thing is capital. Even if you work as a mechanic at an auto repair shop and don't have any stocks/bonds.

Elementary calculation. If you have a spare apartment worth 3 million rubles, you receive 20 thousand monthly in rental income. If you have a loan of 1 million rubles taken out at 25% per annum, you give the same 20 thousand to your bank every month.

Thus, the strategy for increasing well-being is simple and universal. Give out all the loans, then save the money. First you work for capital, then capital works for you.

2. While moneybags buy factories, newspapers and ships, people with average salaries are wiser to make other types of investments. For example, treating your own teeth is an excellent investment: the sooner you invest, the less money you will have to pay later. Also, I repeat, an ideal, very reliable and profitable investment is closing loans.

If you have a loan hanging on you, don’t even think about where else to invest your money. Close the loan. You can't go wrong.

3. If you work and receive a salary, then you can be considered a kind of two-legged machine that is your own property. Invest in this machine so that employers pay more for its rental.

Let's say you work as an installer and install local networks. Sign up for an electrician course and get certified up to 1000 volts. After this, you will become a more valuable specialist and can count on a higher salary.

An obvious observation: people who stop studying after school/institute usually approach retirement in almost the same position and with the same salary as their young colleagues just start their careers.

4. Before you seriously invest in your own training, take a piece of paper and calculate the likely return.

Let's say you're going to get another certificate in your programming language. Investments: 100 hours of training, 30 thousand rubles. Expected benefit: opportunity to take a position with a salary 15% higher. A smart choice.

Second option. You are about to get a second degree. Investments: 3 thousand hours of training, 500 thousand rubles. Expected benefit: second higher education diploma. A very questionable choice.

Experience shows that the wisest thing for an adult is to study in various short-term courses (including online ones) and study with tutors. Second higher education and dissertations do not always pay off, to put it mildly.

5. In our society, the efforts of marketers have seriously undermined material guidelines. Many expenses that appear to be profitable purchases in advertising are planned to be unprofitable.

So, a wedding should honestly cost no more than one month’s salary of the couple. Annual leave should also cost no more than one salary. A car must fit into three salaries: otherwise it will undermine the family budget.

Reasonable savings pays off very quickly. As a rule, no more than 10 years pass, and the “redneck” can afford exactly the same expenses as his fellow “spender”, only without any loans and financial strains.

6. By the way, about cars. Replacing a used car with a new one almost never pays off - unless, of course, we are talking about extreme cases, such as replacing an old Porsche with a new Renault.

Yes, an old car breaks down more often. However, repairs are often much cheaper, and locksmiths know well how to fix common faults. If you do not skimp on repairs and service, the reliability of a ten-year-old car will be almost the same as that of a new one: at the same time, the availability of spare parts for older cars is often much higher.

Of course, there are situations when, for example, you need to drive a lot and a new car will pay for itself only due to lower fuel consumption. However, the vast majority of replacing old cars with new ones still costs owners too much.

7. Don't trust marketers. Discounts, special offers, various promotions - all this is done with one goal: to make you leave more money in the store.

Try either not to use discount cards at all or remember about their existence only at the checkout. The logic “I have a discount card for this store, let me go and see what’s there” is a direct path to pointless spending.

8. Don’t be tight-fisted and economical, this is the wrong way. It’s better to save money by completely eliminating some unnecessary expenses.

It’s absurd to look for a cheap restaurant to organize a wedding, then buy food there at the market at a discount and choose the cheapest toastmaster, who is now broke. It’s better to reduce the number of guests by three times and don’t worry too much about saving money.

Again, you don’t need to look for which store will sell an expensive mobile phone 3% cheaper, and then go to the other end of town to get it. It’s better to buy the mobile phone for which you have enough money.

9. A good deal is a deal that benefits both parties. If you cheated your counterparty out of a significant discount, it means the deal will be unprofitable for him.

Stingy people who constantly bargain and choose the cheapest goods and services very often suffer from various problems.

Let's say you agreed with a builder to renovate your bathroom very cheaply. For what reasons might a builder agree to work for pennies? Option one: this is a hack who will work poorly and steal building materials. Option two: this is a normal builder who has a difficult situation, which you took advantage of in your redneckness.

In both cases, you should not count on high-quality work and normal attitude towards you. We should try, on the contrary, to always pay a little more. It pays off.

10. Another common mistake is signing checks with your eyes closed. There is nothing worse than coming to a car service center and saying: “Oh, I don’t understand anything about this, just tell me the amount, I completely trust you.”

With such a position you are really running into trouble. Always study accounts and understand financial matters. Do they tell you “you have 15 thousand rubles”? Pick up the invoice and discuss each item with the seller: what does “replacing silent blocks” mean, what does “the crankshaft oil seal is leaking” mean. By doing this, you will not only show respect for the service workers, but also protect yourself from unnecessary expenses.

11. When it comes to small expenses, of course, reading into receipts is of little relevance. There is no point in figuring out how much the first course costs in a restaurant and how much dessert costs. It is enough to understand that at this restaurant you will leave a thousand rubles per person during lunch, at this restaurant - two thousand, and in this business lunch will cost you 300 rubles.

Leave the corrosiveness for more serious expenses.

12. Don’t be lazy to explore alternatives and find out the opinions of other experts. If you go to the dentist and they tell you that you need to do four fillings, spend a couple of hours, go to another doctor and compare diagnoses.

If you don't skimp on the little things, if you don't drive around the city looking for places where you can buy 3% cheaper, you should have plenty of time for all sorts of research - including reading reviews on forums.

13. Returning to the topic of weddings, travel and cars. Appearance, no matter what many people say, matters.

However, looking good is best achieved by going to a good hairdresser and buying good clothes. If you get out of a car that costs six million rubles, but you are wearing a random assortment of wrinkled clothes, the impression will not be the same.

True, there is one significant problem with clothes. Very few people in Russia understand clothing: especially clothing for men. Among the “style gurus”, five out of four are charlatans. However, this is a topic for another post, and, perhaps, for another blog.

14. Count your money. This advice is fourteenth on my list, but in terms of importance I would put it second, right after the advice about capital.

Every day (or at least once every couple of days) write down your expenses in a special program or at least in a notepad. Don’t try to count everything down to the penny: how much did a kilogram of carrots cost, and how much did the bag in which you put these carrots cost? If you become boring and spend too much time on accounting, you will quickly get bored with this activity.

Normal detailing should look something like this:

Start of the day: 3,000 rubles.
* Minibuses and metro: 100 rubles.
* Food: 300 rubles.
* Magazine: 200 rubles.
End of day: 2,400 rubles.

At the end of the month, you should be able to open the program and understand: how much money was spent on food, how much on an apartment, how much on transport, and so on. Only in this way will you be able to close the holes through which your money is senselessly flying away to various nonsense.

15. When lending money to friends, relatives and acquaintances, remember that you are essentially giving them monetary gifts.

Look at it from the bank's point of view. Your friend may delay in repaying the debt, or may completely forget to repay it. Not all people are obligatory: you can spend a lot of time and effort on “knocking out” debt, on endless calls with reminders about yourself.

For money you lend to friends, you can apply the 5% rule. By lending money to a friend, you immediately lose 5% on the risk that he will not give it back to you, and you lose another 5% per month due to the hemorrhoids that this debt brings you.

Thus, lending a friend 100 thousand rubles for a month and giving him 10 thousand is about the same thing.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with giving a good person 10 thousand rubles: especially if he regularly helps you in difficult situations. However, it just so happens that in life the movement is usually one-way: idiots constantly take money from their more responsible friends.

16. An important note that may not seem obvious to some. Do not lend money to friends and acquaintances at interest. This is a very bad habit that does not lead to anything good.

In business relationships, sometimes loan agreements are indispensable, but in ordinary life it is much better to refuse money altogether than to earn a reputation as a soulless usurer out of the blue.

17. By the way, about responsibility. Being responsible is very smart. Not being late, completing work on time, keeping your word, paying bills without delay - all this is not only pleasant, but also profitable.

Again, an example with builders. Let's say we have two builders and two clients. Clients want to do some minor renovations in their apartments.

A smart builder gets calls from both clients: a smart client and a slacker client. A clear builder cannot fulfill both orders; he must choose. The builder can choose a clear client - who paid him last time immediately after the work was completed and did not find fault with little things. Or he can choose a broken-down client who delayed payment for two months, and even gave up hemorrhoids by trying to use too cheap materials and not having time to vacate the room in time for renovation.

Who will a good builder choose? Well, obviously, a clear client.

The idiot client, having received a refusal, is forced to call the idiot builder. Of course, the idiot builder shamelessly delays deadlines and is constantly late... but what can you do: you have to work with someone.

As a result: people who are scrupulous in business with age acquire equally scrupulous partners on whom they can rely. The goofballs cook in a circle of the same goofballs, which is why their life looks like jumping from one trouble to another.

18. Another important tip. Always leave some extra money in case something goes wrong. The level of money is no less important than the oil level in your car - if it drops below a certain level, you will almost inevitably have unpleasant unexpected expenses.

Let's say you're wondering whether you'll have enough money until your next paycheck. You have 50 thousand rubles in your wallet, you plan to spend 49 thousand, you approach your salary with a slight plus...

The calculation is incorrect. It’s great to have at least one salary in stock: in your wallet or on a card. Otherwise, for example, your teeth will hurt in the middle of the month, and you will have to urgently look for money to solve this problem without delay.

Since the habit of not stocking up is a habit, the same situation will happen next month, and the month after, and the year after. Unforeseen expenses always arise: urgently to repair a car, celebrate a birthday with friends... but who knows how many expenses lie in wait for a careless person every day?

Thus, you will constantly be in a situation where you do not have enough money: because of which you will inevitably have to go into debt, with all the ensuing unpleasant consequences.

19. Perhaps the list would be incomplete if I did not mention the stock market. The stock market - all those stocks, bonds and securities - is a game of chance. A gambling game with which professionals earn very good money.

As poker players say, “If you're playing big and don't know who the sucker is today, then the sucker is you.” This rule also applies to the stock market. If you buy shares and you don’t have an understanding of who and how you are going to squeeze the money from, then the money will be squeezed from you.

Well, judge for yourself. Professional stock market players have nerves of steel, excellent reactions, information inaccessible to the general public, and deep knowledge of market psychology. What chance do you have against them? Minimal.

The stock market is a kind of virtual reality that has very little to do with real life, and in which some stupid IT company with three employees can, based on the results of someone else's combination, skyrocket in value to several billion dollars.

One can understand some pension funds that simply have no other options for investing money other than purchasing some permitted securities. However, if all your savings are several hundred thousand rubles, you can find much more reliable options for saving them.

20. To complete the list of tips, here is a clear illustration of the harmfulness of living on credit. Touching video from the USA. The essence of the video: a young man gave his parents an envelope, inside of which there was a notice from the bank that their mortgage loan had been repaid. Middle-aged people who have lived to see gray hairs, carrying the weight of the mortgage burden on their shoulders, cannot contain their feelings.

Trent Hamm

Writer and blogger, creator of the popular business and finance website The Simple Dollar.

A few weeks ago I was a guest at the wedding of a friend I've known for about 20 years. I wasn't one of the groomsmen and didn't know some of them at all, but I had the opportunity to interact with them a little.

The groom introduced me as a writer, and then the usual questions followed. What are you writing about? Where do you publish? And so on, well, you understand. When the groomsmen realized that I was writing about , one of them grinned and asked me the million dollar question:

Hey, do you have any financial advice for newlyweds?

I thought for a couple of seconds, and then just said the first thing that came to my mind. My answer received a fairly positive reaction, but then we moved on to other topics of conversation.

However, this question stuck in my head. What financial advice would I give to newlyweds? I know that this year several couples I know are going to register their marriage. So I decided to write an article that could be useful for all of them. In it, I summarized my own more than ten years of experience in marriage, the conclusions I came to after talking with much more mature couples and reading countless books on the topic of finance. Here are ten valuable financial tips for newlywed couples.

Tip No. 1. Do not hide from your spouse a single dollar, do you hear, spent!

This is the most important advice I can give to newlyweds. Never, ever hide a single dollar spent from your significant other. Dot.

Do not misunderstand me. I believe that both spouses should have money for personal expenses that they can spend freely without asking each other's permission. But this amount should be reasonably limited and well known to both husband and wife. If you do not follow these simple rules, it is very likely to lead your family to financial problems and, ultimately, to relationship problems.

If you have a secret credit card, you are making a huge mistake. If you quietly withdraw money from an ATM and hope your spouse won't notice, your mistake is just as big.

Why? Your significant other plans a budget, assuming that they know about all the family expenses and that the money will not disappear from your bank account. All of your joint money plans, whether it's something big like saving for a new home or retirement, or routine expenses like paying bills or buying groceries, rely on funds that are supposed to be in your account. .

If you start quietly spending more and more money on bills, hobbies, or shopping trips that you hide from your partner, it not only ruins your plans together, but also the trust between you.

It's not worth it. Unless, of course, you want to ruin your marriage.

Again, this doesn't mean you have to account to your spouse for every penny you spend. What I'm saying is that you need to set some reasonable limit on individual spending. You may agree to give each other $100 a month (more or less, depending on your income), which you can spend as you wish, including on gifts for each other. You can spend this money at any time without asking anyone for permission. If you exceed this limit, this will need to be discussed.

Tip #2: Discuss your overall goals as often as possible.

When it comes to common goals, it is very important that your views on what those goals are and how your income relates to achieving them coincide. If you're not working towards the same goals, then you're literally working against each other. In this case, with your money and time costs, you will only hinder each other from achieving what you want.

Let's say, for example, that one of you wants to save for retirement, and the other wants to save for a trip abroad. If at the same time you both simultaneously draw money from a common pot, then neither of you will achieve the goal, no matter how hard you try.

The best thing to do is to sit down and figure out which of your goals align, and then create a plan to move toward those goals.

It may not be easy. Chances are that you won't even be able to decide which goals are most important to you. This also needs to be discussed.

During this important conversation about goals, I suggest simply talking about what each of you would like to change in your life over the next five years, then ten, then the rest of your lives. What would you like your life to look like in five years (if we try to be at least a little realistic)? And in ten or twenty years? What will you do in your old age?

Then note for yourself where your ideas coincide. Based on this, formulate common goals. Let these goals be paramount for both of you. Then make a plan to achieve them.

However, remember that this is not a one-time event. Your overall and personal goals and priorities will change. Revisit this conversation regularly to make sure you both remain focused on achieving your common goals. Don't be afraid to give up on some goals because you both change over time. And don't be afraid to set new goals for yourself.

Tip #3: Sometimes your significant other will drive you crazy. Forgive her or him for this

Someday it will happen. You will have disagreements. After five or ten years of living together, you will discover traits in your partner that will irritate you very much.

It is very easy to become fixated on these shortcomings. You focus your attention on some small flaw, and in your eyes it begins to grow, and in the end it becomes simply unbearable for you.

Maybe your husband leaves things on the floor outside the bathroom door. Maybe your wife sometimes likes to give orders. Perhaps your husband dotes on your daughter, but he is stricter towards your son. Perhaps you feel like your wife spends 24 hours a day watching her favorite TV shows on repeat.

Don't dwell on your spouse's shortcomings. Instead, think about how many wonderful traits she has. Focus on what you like about your boyfriend and find the strength to forgive him for his imperfections.

If your husband throws things around, just throw them in the basket for him. If your wife wants to command you regarding an issue that is not important to you, then let her command a little. If your husband lets one of your children get away with everything, show some toughness and, if necessary, be more strict with this child. If your wife likes to watch TV series, just turn on the other side and read a book while she does.

Forgive your significant other for these shortcomings. Find a way not to focus on them. Instead, focus on your spouse's positive traits. You'll see, it will be much better this way.

Tip #4: To avoid dreading retirement, start making plans now

It doesn't matter how old you are now. You'll still get old eventually. You will find it difficult to continue working and will want to spend some time of your life, as long as your health allows, enjoying your retirement.

The trick is that the younger you are now, the easier it will be for you to secure a comfortable retirement. You can already start saving money little by little, and then you won’t have any problems in retirement. But if you wait until you're 40 or 50, you'll have to start saving much larger amounts.

eskaylim/Depositphotos.com

So think about how you would like to spend your post-retirement years and discuss it with your significant other. Then start saving money. This ties directly into the next tip.

Tip #5: Both of you should independently save for retirement.

When you get serious about retirement savings, you may find that one of your employers offers a more lucrative corporate pension plan. Or maybe one of you (or both of you) at work doesn't offer such a program at all.

Given this, you may be very tempted to shift the matter of retirement savings to one of your spouses in order to take advantage of a better offer.

Don't fall into this trap.

The reality is that, at some point, you may no longer be husband and wife. In this case, one of you will be left without pension savings and will greatly regret it. There is a chance that you will receive some of this money during the divorce process, but there is no point in exposing yourself to such risks.

The best solution for each of you would be to open your own account for retirement savings.

Each of you should use your own individual pension plan. If your place of work offers similar plans that include matching funds, take advantage of them. If not, open an individual pension account and start saving for retirement.

Each of you should strive to save 10% of your personal income, whatever its size. If you start doing this before age 35, you won't have money problems in retirement whether you stay together or not.

Tip #6: There will come times when, for one reason or another, you will have to take on financial expenses yourself. Accept this fact (and plan how you will act)

In 2008, I decided to devote myself full time to working on The Simple Dollar website. My wife and I understood that this decision was associated with certain risks: if the site were not popular, then for some time she would have to provide for the family herself. Fortunately, the case was a success, so this did not happen.

My wife took advantage of the opportunity to take time off for health and family reasons and was off work for most of 2010. This leave was unpaid. Medical expenses fell on me, and for some time we lived quite modestly.

In 2014, my wife entered a master's program and studied on weekends and sometimes in the evenings on weekdays. Training was not cheap. This meant that I needed to shoulder more of the costs of raising children and spend more time with my children. But soon wonderful career opportunities will open up for my wife.

In a year or two, I myself seriously plan to continue my studies to get a master's degree. Studying will take up most of my free time when I'm not busy working on The Simple Dollar.

In each of these cases, the employment of one of us affected the financial (and not only financial) costs of the other. This is fine. It may happen that your significant other has to go through difficult times of unemployment. Sometimes there is a need to continue studying. At times, one of the spouses decides to simply stay at home with the children for a while or educate the children at home. Or do something else.

Sooner or later this will happen. Don't let this throw you off balance. When any changes occur in your partner's life, you can support her, and she will support you when things change in your life. Because change cannot be avoided.

Tip #7: Create a family emergency fund. You'll never regret it

What exactly is meant by reserve fund? These are simply funds that you set aside in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Usually a special savings account is opened for this purpose.

An emergency fund can come in handy if one of you loses your job or crashes your car. It will be very useful during any difficult situations in the family, in almost any unexpected situation that involves certain monetary costs.

Why shouldn't you use a credit card for this? Due to the fact that in case of unforeseen circumstances, credit cards often become completely useless. For example, in case of identity theft, if your wallet is pulled out of your pocket, when the bank blocks your card or reduces the limit on it, and so on. All of the above refers to unforeseen circumstances in which a credit card will not save you. But cash will save you.

To do this, you need to create a family reserve fund. Open a savings account in two names at once (if possible). Ideally, you should open this account at a bank whose services you do not use (so that accessing the account will be a little harder than usual), and set up an automatic transfer of money to this account. Choose an account so that you do not have the opportunity to use the card and withdraw money from it at any time. This will help you avoid the temptation to spend the money you have saved.

Over time, the amount of money in the account will slowly grow. Just forget about this bill. Use it only when absolutely necessary.

If you have such a reserve fund, unexpected problems will not be catastrophic for you. You will be able to live without much shock.

Tip #8: You don't need a house as big as you think.

Many young couples want to buy a big house. They imagine a kind of advertised version of the American dream home: a large beautiful cottage in a quiet area with ideal neighbors, a picturesque courtyard where the kids frolic...

The problem is that this dream is very expensive. The larger the house, the larger the bills. The longer it takes to pay off your mortgage. The higher the utility costs, the costs of insurance, the payment of property taxes, and the maintenance of the house.

Another problem is that a large house ends up being a bunch of rooms where you store things. Most people regularly use only a few rooms: a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and maybe a living room with a TV or computer. In the remaining rooms, in the end it just starts, or they are kept in case guests arrive.

A big house has more space to fill with things. It takes a lot of money to furnish it.

Instead of looking for a huge dream home, settle for a small one. Find an inexpensive house, spend a little on renovations to make it look the way you like, and your bills won't skyrocket. It will be much easier for you to find money for something else that brings you joy.

The above reasons for buying a small home also apply to cars. A brand new luxury car won't cost you a lot. It will take you longer to repay your loan. You will also have to pay much more for insurance. In total, all this results in significant expenses.

mangostock/Depositphotos.com

To get the best value for the least amount of money when buying a car, purchase a late-model used car from a reputable seller. Use it until any problems arise. Then replace that car with another late-model used car from a reputable dealer. To find such a seller, I use the website Consumer Reports. First of all, I consider Toyota and Honda cars.

This way, you can pay much less for the car, and the money you save can be put into a savings account so that when it's time to replace your car, you can make a large down payment or pay for the entire cost of the car up front. Get into this cycle and you'll never have to buy a car on credit again.

Moreover, the maintenance and insurance fees for a used car are also not that high.

Tip #10: Spend as much time as possible together. And do it productively

My final piece of advice has everything to do with maintaining a marriage relationship. The reality is that in America, about half of marriages end in divorce. The statistics are unpleasant, but what can you do?

There is another side to divorce. This is a very expensive process. Lawyer fees, court fees, sudden changes in lifestyle and cost sharing... All of this comes with big, big costs.

The best thing a young couple can do to maintain a good financial situation is to strengthen their family relationships. If your marriage is strong, then you won't have to get a divorce, and this is the best way to save money.

How to work on relationships as a couple? The best thing is to spend more time together. It is advisable that this is not a passive pastime such as watching TV together. Do something active. Talk to each other more often.

Every day, my wife Sarah and I make sure to find time to talk. Yes, there are days when we don’t have a chance to talk until the kids go to bed. But afterwards we always tell each other how the day went. We discuss our goals, the state of affairs in the world. We talk about what interests us both.

In addition, we often do something together: play board games, go for a walk, sometimes do exercises. We are making plans to improve our home.

We love cleaning the house together. When we work together, it only takes us 20 minutes to clean the kitchen and living room. All this time we communicate with each other. This brings us closer together in an amazing way, because we not only have a wonderful conversation, but also work together to make our home even more beautiful and comfortable.

Do something together. If necessary, set aside time for this. This can be especially helpful if you have children. Spending time together will only strengthen your marriage.

And finally...

Your life changes dramatically for the better when you have someone you can rely on, who truly loves you and helps you make important life decisions.

But that doesn't mean you can just relax and have fun. Things won't always go smoothly. And dealing with financial issues is of utmost importance to your marriage.

If you take these tips seriously and use them, you will find that it becomes much easier for you to cope with financial (and sometimes not only financial) difficulties.