Do you get bored thinking about saving for retirement? Does the word budgeting make you cringe? Personal finances aren’t very sexy, I get it. In this new series, Pop Finance, I’m going to attempt to make finances a little more fun. We will explore personal finance lessons from pop culture, finding counsel, tips and cautionary tales in popular songs, movies and TV shows. This week, I will refer a famous hip hop song that is so obviously meant for this blog article. In this new hit single, “$ave Dat Money”, is more than just a catchy chorus, although it does have that:
Ay, where the dough at, baby?
In the bank but you know I ain’t tryna blow that, baby
Ay, we gon’ save that money (I’m so thrifty)
Ay, we gon’ save that money (I’m so stingy)
Ay, we gon’ save that money
The song is full of solid (albeit random) tips for increasing income, decreasing expenses and managing money.
Let’s check out a few suggestions found in the song.
- Airbnb the {house}, least I’m never there
- The sharing economy is a booming. Airbnb, Uber and Task Rabbit are great ways to supplement your income. If you travel for work, like the artist singing this song, consider Airbnb-ing your space while you are away.
- Coppin’ sweaters in the summer with the sale on it
- Plan ahead and buy out of season. You can save some serious cash by planning and buying your winter wardrobe at the beginning of summer when stores are transitioning their inventory.
- Free sandwiches, homie, two stamps away
- Rewards programs are everywhere these days and while it might be annoying to carry a wallet full of cards specific to each individual retailer (there is an app for that), it’s worth it. A lot of restaurants and coffee shops offer frequent buyer rewards, such as a free sandwich after buying 5. In addition, you can take advantage of coupons and sales that aren’t available without the card.
- Book flight December but I leave in May
- Finding cheap flights is all about timing. Check out my previous article for some timelines: MAXIMIZING YOUR TRAVEL BUDGET: TRANSPORTATION.
- Drugs are generic but still work the same:
- Shop around for your prescriptions. Different stores have different prices on the same drug. Also, ask your pharmacist about generic substitutions for your name brand medicines (never switch without consulting your pharmacist).
- Boy go hard when collecting, got Venmo
- Venmo is an app that allows you to send money to other users of the App for free. This makes it easy to split checks at a restaurant, contribute your portion of Grandma’s birthday present, or pay for fiddle lessons (all real things I use it for).
The suggestions don’t end there. If this posting has inspired you to look a little deeper into your financial situation, connect with an Apprisen Financial Service Specialist who can help: visit www.apprisen.com or call 1-800-355-2227.
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