I'm gonna keep these short and sweet coz I know you guys would much rather read about me budgeting to somewhere hidden, mysterious or exotic (or all of the above). Basically, I'm just gonna tell you the single most useful thing I do to save money. Like, all the time.
I walk.
Yup, that's the big reveal. Sounds simple right? Wrong. I'm not talking about the walking that happens around Independence Square every morning and evening for exercise - unless of course someone is paying them for it and I'm the only one who didn't get that memo.
No, I'm talking about walking from A to B. Why don't we walk that 500m or 1km to the nearest Keells? Why do we hop on a tuk for every little outing?
I don't wanna preach. But if you guys wanna know my #1 saving tip for Saver October that's it. I walk. Everywhere. I walked to uni every morning for 2-3 years straight. I walk to work every morning. No, my clothes never get messed up. Why? I always leave 10 min early so I have time to freshen up before my day starts.
Granted, I didn't always walk like this. At first, I did it because it's a great way to get some exercise. I still do it for that reason. But in the process. I realized that every time I walk, I'm saving a Rs. 50 here, or a Rs 100 there that I would have otherwise spent on a tuk-tuk. If I really can't walk, I bus it. Now, Sri Lankan buses are in a class of their own and it's not for the light-hearted. But if you can brave the sweat, the heat, the humidity and the groping, then it saves you several zeroes at the end of the ride.
If you are taking a tuk though, I recommend you install PickMe on your smartphone or call a taxi service that offers tuk tuks at a discount rate. These tuk tuks charge less than the average meter taxi per km and they start at LKR 32 per km.
So that's my Saver October tip for the day. Look out for an account of a long-planned, highly-anticipated budget hike next week! (I know, I know, I was on break. But what do you do when something like this comes and yells in your ear?)
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