How do I spend less money?

A sports suit made of high-tech materials or earrings from a trendy fashion jewelry brand can cost several hundred francs in a short time. “If you think about how hard you have to work to afford it, you’ll probably think twice before buying it,” says Air Misimi. The best way for this technique to work is to calculate how much you earn per hour.

Here’s how it’s done:

• There are approximately 52 weeks in a year. Dividing by 12 (months) gives this a value 4333. How many weeks are there on average in a month.
• calculate how many? per hour Moon What number are you working at? hours you work per week It is multiplied by 4.3333. That would be for a full-time position of 40 hours per week. 173,332 working hours per month.
• Calculate hourly rate It is calculated by dividing the monthly net wage by the monthly working time. With a monthly salary of 6,000 francs and a full-time job of 40 hours a week, this is 34.6 francs an hour. In this case, you have to work 4.35 hours for 150 CHF for a sportswear, ie about half a day.
  (Source: Civil and Criminal Justice Zurich)

Misimi says that if she’s toying with the idea of ​​buying something online, she leaves it in the electronic shopping cart for two weeks. “If I come back often just because I was thinking about that thing, would I buy it? It’s a good technique to avoid sudden purchases.”

Until now, debit cards were primarily used to pay and withdraw money on the site. With the new generation, bank customers can also shop online. Unlike a credit card, the amount is withdrawn directly from the account. In addition, the card can be used up to the limit of the account to which it is connected. Misimi says this has the advantage that you can keep track of your credit and not spend money you don’t really have. New generation debit cards can be used to make payments almost anywhere in the world. Misimi: “I was in Africa recently and never used my credit card once.”

After all, small daily expenses that still have an impact throughout the year can often be easily substituted. This means, says Misimi, for example, that you don’t just have to put down your daily cappuccino to “go”, but you also prepare it at home with a simple milk frother and take it with you in a reusable container. If you like shopping, you can buy second-hand items from time to time. “It hurts less than doing it completely without it.”