As you may know, if you’ve listened to my podcast episode with my husband, I’m the saver and he…well, he saves probably just because I tell him to. He’s always been the spender in our relationship, though it’s definitely in-control spending. He’s always been relatively frugal like me and is hyperaware of his finances since he’s been a freelancer for over 8 years now. He’s never been in debt (I know, shocking right?), but at the same time he’s never been as jazzed about personal finance as I am.
So, when I got a text message from him this week telling me he just started saving us $266/month, I was pretty floored. I’m usually the one to point out ways we can save more or suggest things to cut from our budget. How did he do it you ask? With one quick phone call really. That’s all it took.
You see, although I’ve been a proud public transportation commuter since I graduated university, he’s always had a car. He couldn’t see a reason to not have one because his job has always required him to drive around a lot. When we moved to Toronto, he started considering getting rid of it. It’s tough to find parking in the city and it’s just damn expensive to be a driver. But once again he found that he needed a car on several occasions, so it seemed like it was here to stay. He was pretty disappointed considering car insurance in Toronto compared to Vancouver is almost double. However, in the past few months he’s noticed a big shift in terms of his freelance clients. Whereas last year he drove around almost daily to go to studios or to meet clients, this year he almost never drives and instead bikes to where he needs to go.
Since car insurance alone is costing us (and I say us because I pay for half) $3,192/year, he decided to take it off the road. This is kind of a big deal because this means I won’t have to save up to pay half anymore, and he’ll be able to bank $266 each month. Not to mention the additional money he’ll be saving on gas and repairs. The only real change is we won’t be able to drive to the grocery store like we usually do every two weeks. I guess we’ll just have to get used to walking more, and if we really need a car, there are a ton of car-sharing programs in town anyways.
It just goes to show that no matter where you are in life or how old you are, you can always find ways to cut back and save more if you regularly review your finances and budget.
And on that note, have a great weekend everyone!
(Image: Michael Gil)
The post Week in Review: How My Husband Started Saving Us $266/Month with One Phone Call appeared first on Mo' Money Mo' Houses by Jessica Moorhouse