How I Managed 13 Days In An Expensive City?
Financial planning is the best thing you can do for your money
After my internship, I had to move to Delhi for 13 days for semester exams. The monthly living expense is more expensive than my annual college fees. If you have to live somewhere for 13 days, you think it’s just 13 days so you should spend and live freely or you manage to survive with the minimum cash in hand. I chose to manage 13 days but what financial planning did I do to manage my expenses?
Traveling Cost
I had to commute far away from college and the metro was the cheapest and most comfortable way to move around in the city. You can get a metro card and constantly recharge it to travel throughout the city. After two to three days of travel from the metro, I had to recharge my card with at least 100 rupees. My travel was minimal because I only had enough money to pay for rent and food for 13 days.
Buses were better for me than e-rickshaws and cars. I endured some inconvenience but managed to save about 600 rupees by just boarding the bus. If you took the bus, it would only cost you 10 rupees. Know all the metro routes and options if you’re a new resident of Delhi or planning to move there.
Food Expenses
I shared a flat with 4 other people, and the cook prepared breakfast and dinner every day. The price was okay-ish since the prices are very high in the city and it was a good deal. While I had no choice, I avoided ordering food online and preferred coming home and having dinner rather than spending 500 bucks outside.
Financial Planning
I chose to list my expenses because they were almost the same every day. I jotted down my expected costs so I could budget my money. A wide range of expenses, such as other costs and travel expenses, were taken into account. Psychologically, uncertainty causes you to spend more. Since I was certain of my upcoming expenses, I handled other spending appropriately. It was challenging to cut back on expenses when you were thinking about enjoying yourself.
I made a list of my expenses, the money I had, the places I could save, and the places I could not avoid spending it. Making a financial plan greatly aided me in preserving money for future usage.
Find Cheaper Alternatives
A glass of cold drink would feel like drops of heaven in the scorching heat. If you’re outside your home, the heart always wants more. It is never a good idea to connect money to your heart, it should go directly to your brain.] Cold drinks would’ve cost me 50–70 rupees every day. As a result, I decided to go with a better and cheaper alternative. Rather than buying expensive cold drinks, I chose a lemon soda for 10 rupees, which was far better.
If you’re ordering groceries online, try comparing prices from various sources since one of them might be offering more discounts than the others.
Why So Misery?
If I didn’t learn how to control them now, my expenses may have reached a high level in just 13 days, but if I disregard them now, it would be much more difficult in the future. Naturally, it’s different when you live there, and as you get to know the area better, you can discover more and more options. This post is for all students who desire to make small financial savings when they relocate to different cities for their academic pursuits.
To pay for college, look for internships and freelancing opportunities. So that you won’t have to worry about spending a bit more and treating yourself, you would make some money and save more. You are only growing through difficult situations, don’t worry about them.
Consider challenges as an experience, you will learn and enjoy more.
