- Keep Track of Your Money
This is something that I started doing early in 2015, and it has helped me a ton. Recording how much money you bring in, and how much you spend not only allows you to know exactly how much money you have, but it also encourages smart spending. It is a lot harder to spend $50 in one place if you know you have to subtract it when you get home. My routine is super simple; I made a chart on Open Office Spreadsheet, I keep track of receipts, and then I fill in the date of the transaction, whether it was with my card or with cash, income or expense, what it was, how much money was exchanged, and then my totals.
- Collect Coins in a Jar
If you buy things with cash a lot, you know how much change you can acquire in a short amount of time. When recording my spendings, I round each purchase up to the next dollar, and then put the extra change in a jar. In 6 months I've collected over $30 dollars in coins. That's a lot for money you don't even realize you are putting away into savings. This is a painless way to save without subtracting out of your records.
- Drink More Water
Drinking water is something that almost all of us need to work on. Water has so many benefits and coffee, tea, energy drinks, Gatorade, etc, just can't compete with it. If you have trouble wanting to drink water, slice some lemons, strawberries, limes, etc, and put them into your water. You can also get a nice bottle, carry it around with you, and drink whenever you get bored or while you are working.
- Write Letters
Nothing is better in the world than getting a letter in the mail from a friend. You can write a full letter on a lined piece of paper, or, if you feel less ambitious, buy a pack of postcards or greeting cards and fill them out. Even just a postcard is still a nice reminder that someone was thinking of you.
- Keep a Journal
Journals are tough things to keep up with, but they are so worth it in the end. I kept daily (like, literally I took it with me everywhere) journals as a 7-11 year old, and it is so cool (sometimes embarrassing) to have recorded what I did and how I thought. For 2016 I'm doing a 5-Year Journal, which is basically a question a day, and you answer it for 5 years in a row. It is really cool because all of your answers are on the same page, so you can see how your answers change over the years. I'm DIYing one, but you can also buy them.
Do you already do any of these things?
Are there any other good habits that you've adopted?
