Why is January so difficult for us?
Because at Christmas we assume many more expenses than planned, because we still have to write the letter to the Three Wise Men, because the sales are coming, the car insurance, the annual gym payment, the return of the credit ... Because the electricity bill has been higher than we thought and, to make matters worse, our dishwasher has broken down ... For something they call it the January slope, without a doubt, there is no other like it throughout the year. If only we had won the lottery ...!
Perhaps your month of January is not loaded with so many economic vicissitudes, but it is certainly not far behind. The beginning of the year is always complicated and that affects us emotionally, especially if we have not managed to save anything and we are already thinking about the Easter break.
In fact, according to a study published by the Deloitte agency , the forecast for this past Christmas is that each Spanish household will spend 601 euros on average, which made us the second European country with the highest spending intention, only surpassed by the United Kingdom; a not inconsiderable amount to which we had to add our own expenses at the beginning of the year.
In the face of such worries and uneasiness, we can only do one thing: remain calm and act with a head, the time has come to tighten our belts if we want to save the January slope and not suffocate in the attempt.
Our advice: put in place a plan that will clean up your family finances and help you get through the beginning of the year and the rest of the months with ease; a plan that prepares you to face the next financial year, 2020, with better financial health.
Cut expenses and save, New Years resolutions
If Christmas, the end of the year celebration and the first expenses of 2019 have ruined your savings proposal, it is time to take action on the matter and design an economic New Year's resolution based on cost containment and increase your ability to save.
Simple measures such as the ones we present below will help you not only to achieve your goal, but also to be prepared to take on any unforeseen event that may arise along the way.
- Reduce spending on Christmas gifts, for example, by lowering the limit of your budget or establishing the "Invisible friend" method in the family.
- Buy only what is really necessary, only that, during the sales season.
- Eliminate contracted services that you do not use (gym, pay TV, landline…).
- Review policies for which you pay too much and divide the payment of the highest amount.
- Contract fast interest-free loans, such as the one offered by CréditoSí , where you can request up to 300 euros at zero cost and return them in a matter of days.
- Adopt a household energy saving plan to reduce your monthly bills.
Overcome the slope of January and prepare the ground for what will come next year, your economy will appreciate it.