By Vanessa B
Dream of living a luxurious life but just don’t have the high income job or budget to make it happen? Defining what luxury means to you and making it happen doesn’t have to break the bank. By following these simple steps you can live the luxurious life you’ve always dreamed of without spending money you simply don’t have.
Cook at home
Cooking at home will save you a fortune on food. Whilst this may not sound luxurious to you, cooking at home during the week and ensuring you shop smartly and keep your expenditure low means you can afford to go out to a nice restaurant at the weekend that you might not otherwise have been able to afford. Look out for bargains in the supermarket and take advantage of anything that’s on special offer, including those things that are heavily reduced as they are reaching their use by date. Buying certain items from this section of the supermarket can be a great way to get expensive produce cheaply and you can put it straight in the freezer ready to use whenever you want!
You can make preparing everyday meals into a luxury experience with the right mindset and the right tools. Invest in things as simple as some pretty plates and cutlery or a beautiful wooden charcuterie board to elevate your at-home eating experience. Plate your food to look attractive and garnish with fresh herbs for an upscale restaurant feel, put lemon or cucumber in your tap water. As well as the savings, cooking at home is often a lot healthier than eating out, as you can control what ingredients you use and in what proportions. And what greater luxury in life is there than a healthy body?
Hunt for Pre-Loved Designer Items
Hunting out bargains in your local charity shops and discount stores can lead to you finding designer items at a fraction of the usual price. Travelling to a more affluent part of town and checking out the charity or consignment shops there is a great way to find higher quality clothing and personal items than you might find in a lower income area. Saving money this way allows you to splurge occasionally on brand new luxury items to supplement your wardrobe.
You can also do this online. There are a number of great sites that allow you to purchase high street and designer pre-loved items for a fraction of the price, like Vestiaire Collective The Luxury Closet, and Re-Fashion.co.uk to name a few. Sunglasses and jewelry are items that are especially great to purchase second hand and when they’re timeless and quality designer pieces they can go a long way towards elevating your everyday looks. As a bonus, shopping second-hand is better for the planet and your wallet!
Purchase larger items on finance
Whilst it is not generally advisable to buy things you can’t afford, sometimes you want or need larger items you can’t pay for upfront. Just because you are unable to buy these items outright, doesn’t mean you can’t afford them. Purchasing things such as sofas or cars on finance allows you to pick the luxury item you want and pay it off over a number of months. Choosing a company that offers zero deposit car finance allows you to pick the car you want and start driving it immediately without having to save up a deposit. Simply pay it off each month and before you know it you’ll be driving your dream car!
Seek out free events
You will be amazed at how many free events there are to attend if you go looking for them. Before you know it you could find yourself wandering through the launch of a new art gallery and enjoying some free wine and cheese or watching a free concert in the park. Not only will attending these events inject a little luxury into your life, spending free days out will allow you to save your pennies for other events you do have to pay for. Suddenly these don’t seem so out of reach with a bit of extra cash saved up.
Following these tips will allow you to live that life of luxury without spending a fortune.
©FM
