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January can be tough on your mood—and your wallet. The festivities are over, but the year is just beginning. You might be asking yourself, “How can I start the year off right when I’ve spent everything in December?” Making a budget is usually the go-to idea, but hard to implement: budgets don’t always work, they can be hard to estimate, and they can be quite stressful as well. After all, who wants to constantly think about saving money all the time? Luckily, Coople has some tips that can help you save up and lighten the weight of January.

1. Use the 24-hour rule

This tip is easy because it requires you to do only one thing: wait. It works like this: imagine you come across the perfect spring jacket. Before you hit the checkout counter, wait at least 24 hours. Sleeping on a purchasing decision overnight creates distance from the excitement of buying something new. By the next day, you’ll be in a better state to make rational decisions and to ask yourself questions like, “Do I really need that jacket?”

2. Think temporal

Instead of focusing on how expensive or cheap an item is, try converting your cost into hours worked: take the price of whatever you want to buy and divide it by your average hourly wage. So for example, if your jacket costs CHF 500.- and you make CHF 25.- an hour: is the jacket worth 20 hours (or half a week) of work?

3. Remove the temptation

This may sound like an unconventional tip, but it really works, especially if you like to shop online. Remove the temptation of new year sales by unsubscribing from mailing lists from the stores you spend the most money on. It’ll give you greater peace of mind as you’ll see fewer advertisements urging you to spend money. Plus, you can always resubscribe at a later time if you want.

4. Drink water

Have you realized that your Coke Zero costs more in a restaurant than when you buy it from the grocery store? Beverages are priced high relative to their cost, and it’s the one thing that you can definitely save on when eating out. In fact, try committing to eating less often at restaurants if it’s a habit: you can save a lot by cooking at home and shopping for discounted items. And when you do eat out, make sure to stick to tap water!

5. Work with Coople

To give your savings a soaring start in 2019, pick up an extra shift or two with Coople! Whether you’re looking for office work or prefer the bustling buzz of a restaurant, you’re sure to find a job that suits your liking. Take a look at our job board or set your availability and location in Coople and let jobs come to you. Learn more »

So while January may be gray and gloomy, it is also the perfect opportunity to cut costs, embrace a more minimalistic mindset, and focus on your goals and resolutions.