How to start saving for a house

Buying a home is, without a doubt, one of the biggest investments we make in our lives. Despite the fact that, in the vast majority of cases, it is possible to buy by means of a mortgage, the initial investment for the purchase of the house is usually considerable. In this post we bring you the 10 keys on how to save money a month and achieve the dream of buying your own home.

How to save for your dream home

These are 10 practical tips that do not involve depriving ourselves of all the whims and tastes that we like to give us but acquire a greater awareness of our buying habits and adapt them to our goal.

How to start saving money

1- Save money month by month by setting a goal

In order to save money each month to buy a home, you must first set a realistic and concrete savings goal.

First, to save money each month we have to set the final amount we want to get.  More or less, it is advisable to have between 25 and 30% of the cost of the property. This money will be used to pay taxes, the opening commission of the mortgage in case you can’t make a 100% mortgage, and the deposit contract. Calculate approximately how much money this would be in your case.

Having a fixed objective is the best way to save, as it will allow you to calculate how much to save each month.

Where should i keep my money while saving for a house

2- Creating a bank account for savings

Having a separate account to save for a home will avoid unnecessary temptations.

Once you know how much to save, there comes the matter of how to save money each month to achieve your ultimate goal. Create a separate bank account to enter the amount you want to save each month. Enter your savings fee into this second account at payroll time. This way only what you have decided to spend will remain in your checking account, and you will not be tempted to spend your savings.

Try to have a reserve of money, so you will be covered if any unforeseen event occurs.

3- Study and analyze your consumption habits and your fixed expenses

Subscription to Streaming services is usually a common fixed fee among our consumer habits.

Analyze your consumption habits, especially the fixed fees and small daily expenses. Ask yourself, do I really need to have Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime and Canal Plus? Or can I do without any of these services? Other fees such as the gym membership or monthly subscription to a magazine or cosmetic box should also be considered. Be sure to make the most of any fixed costs you have. If you are not taking advantage of it, eliminate it and find an alternative.

Small daily expenses usually add up to a substantial amount at the end of the year. For example, your 5€ daily breakfast at the café next to your office will cost you around 1200€ at the end of the year. Making small changes such as having breakfast at home or limiting the number of times you buy coffee during the week will save you a considerable amount at the end of the year.

4- Learn new skills and #doityourself

Simple skills such as cooking or sewing will allow us to save a significant amount at the end of the year.

Learn to do things yourself, like cutting your (children’s) hair, painting your nails, fixing broken zippers, changing a light bulb or making your own toothpaste. This way you won’t need to buy it or have to hire anyone to do it for you, and every month you will be able to save directly all the money you would have spent for these purposes.

5- Avoid debt

Today you can get a loan even to buy a couch or a TV. Avoid debt at all costs, because it always has interest.

Nowadays it is very easy to find services that finance the purchase of any object that costs more than 500€. Bear in mind that all financing services are loans and therefore have commissions that you will have to pay along with all your fees.

6- Familiarize yourself with second-hand purchases

Second-hand stores are a good place to look for quality furniture or clothes at lower prices.

Discover the world of second-hand shopping. Although not everything you can or want to buy used, this is a good option for buying furniture, clothes, cars or even telephone or computer items. A secondhand car in good condition, such as a used car at a fair or a km 0 can cost 2,000 less than a brand new one. Also, with a bit of skill, you can get a solid wood table for about 300€; which you can leave better than new with a good filing and a coat of varnish. On top of helping your pocket, you are protecting the environment by reusing and repairing products.

7- Purchase quality

Do you know the saying, „cheap gets expensive“? Buying quality products is always cheaper and more sustainable than buying at a low price and lower quality.

For everything you can’t buy second-hand or repair, make sure you buy quality products, because they will last much longer than a cheaper one. This is a saving in the long run, which will be reflected in the cost per use of the product: the more you use it, the lower the cost per use, and the higher the quality, the more you are able to use it.

An example can be found in clothing: it is better to pay 60€ for a good pair of jeans than to replace 20€ trousers every 6 months. Furthermore, buying with an investment mentality is much more sustainable for our planet, as for example, fast clothing is incredibly damaging for our environment.

8- Also invest in your leisure time

It’s better to eat out twice a month „in style“ than to go out four times a week and pick the cheapest.

Use this investment mentality with your leisure time too. It is much more pleasant to go out to dinner a couple of times a month „in style“ than to go four times a week trying to choose the cheapest so that the final bill is not so expensive. Besides, this way you will enjoy these occasions much more.

9- How to save money by avoiding paying in cash

Paying by card allows you to have greater control of your expenses.

Always pay by card and check your expenses at the end of the month. Paying by card will allow you to print at the end of the month all the expenses you have had. This way you can control what you spend your money on and eliminate unnecessary expenses.

10 – Find a second source of income to save money

Getting a second source of income, if it also boosts some of your skills, is a double gain.

If your occupations allow you to do so, find a way to get a bonus. Be creative and find out how you can earn an extra every month. You can babysit the neighbors, sell cakes or cookies (check the legislation for selling food before you do this), do photo shoots, run a small business‘ social network, or coach the neighborhood soccer team on Thursday nights. All the money you earn from these activities can go directly into your savings account.

How to be patient when saving for a house

Remember that saving for a house takes time, so be patient. Saving is a habit, so don’t despair if you find it hard to follow these tips at first. When it comes to buying a property, a big quantity needs to be saved, but these tips can help you for any kind of dream/products/service you are saving for. Balecy supports you in your journey of keeping your economic sustainability afloat. Furthermore, saving often means choosing a more environmentally friendly alternative. This means that not only you will benefit, but also our planet.

Start today with your first savings challenge and learn to #doityourself, go to a second-hand store to buy that item you are missing or, in the best case, look at all the things you have at home and repair the broken ones before buying new ones. Keep in mind that no consumption is better than any type of consumption in terms of the monetary and environmental resources needed.

Check out our Instagram for more daily tips.

The post How to start saving for a house appeared first on balecy.

https://ift.tt/3jyR82l

Benefits-of-organic-food-for-the-environment

Benefits of organic food for the environment

Have you ever wondered what’s behind what you’re eating? Many times we consume food without stopping to think about its nutritional values or its production process and impact on our environment. However, this trend is changing little by little.

The consumption of organic food is becoming more and more widespread in today’s families, due to increased environmental awareness and the adoption of a healthier lifestyle.

Although the cost of buying an organic product may seem higher compared to a traditional product, the future benefits for your family’s well-being and the conservation of the environment are incalculable.

Organic production eliminates the use of pesticides, fertilizers, modified seeds, and other chemicals that not only affect the soil, but can also alter the organoleptic properties (taste, color, texture, and smell) of the food, or contaminate it. In Organic production this is replaced by natural agricultural techniques that include organic fertilizers and manure, thus caring for the soil and the health of consumers.

Advantages of organic foods:

• They are high in nutrients because they are not exposed to conventional chemicals.
• Natural cultivation is a guarantee of quality and is safe for consumption by children who have not yet developed their defences.
• They retain their natural properties such as aroma, taste and colour.
• It is a support for small and medium farmers and promotes employment in the field.
• With this form of cultivation farmers help to protect biodiversity.
• It seeks to protect the air, water and soil, preventing them from being polluted.
• Oftentimes the cultivation is based on the use of renewable resources.
• The animals are raised in good conditions and do not receive hormones or antibiotics.
• The food is free of toxic substances.

All these benefits have led to a transformation not only of consumers, but also of agricultural production that has had to seek certification methods to differentiate organic products from conventional products. So if you go to a supermarket today in search of an organic product, you can identify it by the label and verify that it has the recognition of an authorized entity or go directly to the small farmer to get fresh food and in the best conditions.

You can also create your own garden at home, this will make you have a pleasant time and will give you enormous satisfaction knowing that what you consume at home was planted by you.

Finally, keep in mind that adopting healthy and environmentally-friendly eating habits is part of an integral lifestyle and should be accompanied by actions such as recycling, the use of ecological bags, energy saving and an environmental education process involving the whole family. Balecy empowers and guides you through this process.

Take on the challenge and try to consume only organic products this week (e.g. bought at a farmer’s market, supermarket or grown by yourself!). Tag @balecy_official on Instagram and get support from the community.

Subscribe to our Newsletter to stay informed about new blog posts and our app.

Name

E-Mail *

Comment

The post Benefits-of-organic-food-for-the-environment appeared first on balecy.

https://ift.tt/3fBvd88

Journaling-techniques

Journaling techniques

Journal

You can imagine your journal as your personal safe space. Journaling gives you the opportunity to bring your thoughts, feelings, anxieties and dreams on paper. You have the chance to think about what has happened throughout your day, have an imaginary dialogue with other people and/or with yourself or prepare to face a difficult situation.

Some people look and wait for the perfect notebook or pen to start writing a journal. But you can start today. With any pen and any block of paper you can create your journal. Some people even write their journal digitally. But we, from balecy, would recommend having this safe space offline, so that you are not interrupted while writing. ​

Journaling

Journaling is a habit, a practice, an encounter with you in which you can connect with your thoughts and emotions. More than a record of actions „I went to this place today and that thing happened to me“, writing a journal is about creating a safe space to be with yourself.

Like all habits, journaling requires will, commitment and an initial structure to make it repeat itself over time. Will in the sense that you need to overcome your laziness, overcome the fear of what you will find if you write freely, and feed the desire to write.

Writing, like any other creative task, is an expressive resource that, besides being rewarding, can help you know yourself better and take better care of yourself. Among other reasons because, unlike thinking, which tends to turn in on itself and go back to the places it knows, writing always reveals new paths. But it needs to be nurtured with patience, calmness and great care. Making journaling a habit can increase your self-awareness and calm your mind.

Benefits of journaling

Journaling has different benefits for your life and health.

First, it can help you connect with your inner intuition. The practice of writing in the journal puts you progressively in touch with your emotional wisdom, with your essence, helping you see that it is not always important to find the answers, but to ask the right questions. Or realize that many times you know the answers, but don’t trust them or avoid seeing them.

Second, it allows you to have a wider perspective of your life, to see the whole, to get away and to fly over at a bird’s eye view. Only in this way will you be able to break out of your usual circles of thought and move in wider spirals.

Third, managing your thoughts and emotions. When you practice writing daily and in a structured way, the writing process itself becomes self-regulating, helping you to manage your emotions and thoughts. Little by little you will become aware of when you are entering loops or walking in circles, and you will be able to get out of them on your own. You will hear an inner voice saying, „There you go again,“ with kindness and compassion, just as you would with anyone else. And you will move into new, wider and more comfortable horizons, more your own.

Fourth, it can help you improve your communication skills. Journaling offers you a safe space in which to consider the different ways of dealing with a conflict situation, such as, preparing for an interview, communicating a difficult situation in the personal or work environment, anticipating feared situations, and connecting with your resources to deal with them.

And fifth, self-awareness. You’ll spend more time with yourself, get to know yourself better and this will help you take better care of yourself. It will help you be more aware of what is happening to you and why, broaden your perspective (again) and differentiate between what you can and want to change and what you don’t. It can also help you realize that you have been in difficult situations in the past and have come through them. That even in the hardest times, there are moments of light.

How to start journaling

Now that you have your journal, know what journaling is and the benefits it provides, it is your time to start! To help you in the process balecy recommends to clear some questions for yourself beforehand to ensure a smooth process.

Where in your house? Are you going to take your journal with you? When is the best time of the day? How much time will you spend journaling? Do you need to decide on a maximum amount of time? Is privacy important to you? What will you do to protect it?

Answering these questions and including journaling in your schedule will help you create a habit of it. Find a time and place to write with peace of mind, even if it’s only 10 minutes a day. It can be right after getting up, while you’re having breakfast, during your lunch break or just before going to sleep. The important thing is that it is a period of time that you can associate with writing. It’s OK if you don’t write every day, but you need to know that you have that space. It has to be a time when, if possible, you can write without any interruption.

Write about whatever you want, there doesn’t have to be an order. More than just telling the facts, it’s about writing about what’s on your mind at that moment. You can start the notebook with the sensations of the day. You can also try to remember pleasant moments.
If at any time you don’t know what to write, start by putting your difficulties on paper. It is all about starting and trusting the process.
If you feel it can help you, you can set up an entry and exit ritual, for example, a short meditation before you start. It is enough to close your eyes, focus your attention on the breath and on the present moment. You can do the same at the end to reconnect with the present.
As it is your personal journal you can write about anything you want. Some of the topics that you could include: what you are grateful about, learnings, songs/books/movies, your achievements, questions you have, drawings,… Choose the questions that inspire you and help you connect with yourself, and answer them in the first person: I feel… I’m thinking… I’m thinking about… At this moment in my life… Right now… Welcome what comes without stopping, without judging. Let yourself go and just write.

Other phrases to start your journal every day:
I’d like to tell that…
Today I’d like to write about…
The best part of the day was…
I felt strange when…
I’d like to keep from today…
Today I learned…
I was moved…
One thing that made me laugh was…
I was struck by the sight of a person who…
One thing that made me worry…
I had this recurring feeling/thought of..
I feel very grateful for…

Journaling habit

Having it scheduled in your life and understanding the benefits it can provide you in the long run will help you having journaling as a habit in your life. Balecy offers a perfect platform to challenge yourself into new habits as journaling. We can help you getting used to it and getting rewarded by all the benefits it offers.

Your journal is your space of freedom. Do not judge yourself by the content, nor by the time you spend or do not spend on writing. Simply write and let the writing accompany you in your daily life, until it becomes an inevitable activity every day. When you write, don’t hide. You are the one who knows best how far you want to go and can go, but before you avoid it, allow yourself to go. Leave space to listen to the pain, the sadness, the anger, and also the gratefulness, happiness and joy. We at balecy believe in empowering sustainable happiness and journaling can bring you one step closer to living your version of a fulfilled life.

This article was first published in https://balecy.com/mobile-app/self-awareness/journaling-techniques