If you’re stressing about making ends meet while planning your wedding, you’re not alone! Many couples put off their wedding or downsize it in order to save enough to put on the wedding celebration of their dreams. But here are some money habits you can break while saving for your wedding to make everything just a little bit more attainable. Because if you want that amazing DJ or an extra pair of wedding shoes, it’s time to tighten up the ol’ purse strings in other areas.
These are all bad money habits that you can break in order to be more financially secure before your impending wedding:
Buying new cars:
Because cars lose value the moment they leave the dealership, avoid buying them brand new. The best option if you need some new wheels is to buy a two or three-year-old car and drive it until it can be driven no more! Buying a new car when you’re trying to plan your wedding is not ideal.
Relying on credit cards:
Ideally, you won’t be relying on credit cards in order to pay for your wedding suppliers, or groceries while you are wedding planning, as it gets you stuck into a cycle of spending more than you’re earning. The credit card cycle can be a really hard rut to get out of.
Spending more than 25% of your income on rent/mortgage:
A big mistake that a lot of couples make while planning their wedding is spending too much on their housing. A good target is to spend 25% or less on your rent/mortgage/board. If you can save some money by living with friends, family or downsizing, then now is the time to do so, as it’s a lot harder to save when so much of your income is going towards your basic needs.
Spontaneous spending:
Not planning to spend money and then seeing concert tickets, cheap sunglasses or any other impulse buy on sale is a terrible spending habit to get into. Plan to spend only when you can afford to.
Saying yolo on the entertainment:
Be sure to avoid spending more than 10% of your income on entertainment like movie tickets, concerts, and streaming platforms like Youtube red, Spotify, Hulu, Netflix and Stan. Do you need all of these? No. Surely not. Only spend 10% of your income on these kinds of entertainment.
Not keeping track of your spending:
One key mistake that time-poor couples that are also trying to work 40+ hour weeks and plan their weddings make is not keeping an eye on their spending. A lot of people simply choose to ignore their spending altogether, avoid their banking app and hoping their card doesn’t decline their purchase.
Adopting other people’s bad habits:
Surrounding yourself with people that have bad spending habits is a great way to get stuck in a spending spree. Try to be friends with people who have good spending habits, and don’t convince you to come along to expensive nights out, holidays or go shopping with them all the time. Your friendships should be about more than just spending money.
