101 Ways To Spend Less In Nigeria (final)

TRAVELLING

100. Book online way ahead of the time you will travel, instead of going to book on that day at the airport. It is cheaper to book your flight days before your due date, especially if you are not using a travel agent and you already know the day you are going. Booking one day earlier might save you N10, 000 or more.

101. Be vigilant when giving your passport to the immigration personnel at the airport: I read somewhere that unsuspecting travelers leaving a country could have a vital page torn from their passports by the immigration official while they are not looking,
only to have issues that will cost time, stress and money when they return to the country later or when they arrive at the new country. This is similar to what petrol station attendants do to customers who sit in their car and ask that the attendant fill the tank, paying without confirming how much fuel the attendant sold. Be vigilant generally as you can also have your passport stolen at the airport.

102. Anticipate ahead: I once paid dearly for extra luggage I could have classified as hand luggage at the airport. And this was because I forgot when I was packing that they weigh whatever is going into the luggage compartment, so instead of putting my laptop and some other items in my ‘hand luggage’, I packed it into my travelling bag and painfully had to pay extra.

103. Consider a return ticket instead of a one-way ticket if it is cheaper, and if you are going to return anyway.

104.  Check for flight discounts; utilize/convert flight hours into discount. Some airliners reward frequent travelers with flight discount, or using a unique method of calculating how many hours you have flown with them, they give discounts. These include Virgin Atlantic flying club, British Airways, American Express Points into Travel Rewards, and many more.

105. Use a cheaper airline: Compare prices and fly with the cheaper alternative. Moreover, you can ask around from friends and family members who travel frequently, on which airline is cheaper and preferable. For example when I was going to Kano from Lagos, I had the option of Aerocontractors  or Arik, but I went for Aero simply because it was cheaper and I wasn’t going to get any extra benefit from Arik.

  And you should also fly Economy unless you are being sponsored on first class (-a 1^st class ticket).

106. Use the official airline of the country you are travelling to, such as KLM if you are going to    Germany, British Airways to UK, Ethiopia Airlines if you are going to Ethiopia, or SA airlines if you are going to South Africa. But only if there is no cheaper alternative.

107. Buy airline tickets in bulk if you are travelling in group. Purchase your tickets together if you are travelling in a tour, or with a church group. But it is better to buy your tickets in bulk through a good travel agency, and that’s why you should...

108.Use a trusted, experienced travel agent/agency, especially for booking ahead and getting a good hotel, such as wakanow.com. Check wakanow.wordpress.com for discounts, promos, etc. Vconnect  and Nigeria Galleria have directories you can use.

109.  Compare airline fares online if you are booking on your own, with websites such as ITA Matrix. But you can book international flights and hotels using websites such as Farecompare.com, kayak.com, Hotwire.com, Fly.com, Orbitz.com, after comparing international air fare prices.

OTHERS (and those I only just discovered recently)

110.  Sell or give out your waste: Your company or personal waste might be raw material for some industry or company, so instead of spending to dispose of your waste, give it out. Saw dust, dead leaves, dead poultry products, cow dung are some waste products useful in other industries. So find a way to dispose of them without spending money by contacting those who have need of them to come over to collect it. And you can even make money from your waste.

111.  If you are in love, try to control the emotion, or you might find yourself spending more. As the popular saying goes, “You can give without loving but you can’t love without giving”, so it follows that you will find yourself spending more when you are in love, especially if the relationship is new. Try to find gifts that cost less, or do activities together that do not require you spending cash. I will write articles on these very soon.

112. Change your lifestyle:  your lifestyle might be costing you more naira. If you party too much, or constantly feel the need to impress people, then reconsider your lifestyle. The fact that you work in the bank does not mean you should live expensive. If you will exit the rat race, you need to spend less than you earn.

113. Mind your own business: This is a very important tip. Have you noticed it is more expensive to mind other people’s business? When you leave your own matters, and meddle into that of others especially when you weren’t invited/asked, you are more likely to get into (financial) trouble or, even debt. This includes collecting money from people in order to help them buy something, or to invest their money on their behalf, manning their shops for them, keeping money for people, etc. If you are not a PROFESSIONAL at doing any of these things, avoid them e.g. if you are not a professional investor don’t collect people’s money, if you are not a bank, don’t save other people’s money for them, etc.lol.

If you are not a professional guarantor/surety, don’t guarantee other people’s debt- is a very wise saying (Prov 6:1-5, 11:15, 27:13)

114. Change friends, If your friends always make you spend, especially beyond your budget. Notice I didn’t say drop friends -it is a substitution. Find and hang around people/friends who will move you towards your financial goals.

115. Don’t attend every party you are invited for: this is especially applicable if you are from the southern part of Nigeria. And don’t buy every single Aso-ebi, well that’s if you don’t want to always go broke anyway.

116. I recently discovered this company/site for buying items from eBay, Amazon, etc and getting it shipped to your house in Nigeria- Mallforafrica.com. They are in Lagos, Kano and many cities in Nigeria. My friend used them recently and I believe they are doing a great job. They also offer great deals check them here. 

So we come to the end of my money saving tips for you. I hope you found them both interesting and helpful.

I said 101 but I have given you more, and there are still many more. 

Anyway, I love to exceed expectations.

Please if you know of any ones I missed out, or something unique you do that regularly helps you to spend less and you don’t mind sharing it, feel free to share it with me either by email or in the comments section. Thank you.

[I will compile it all into an e-book and make it available very soon, so you can have it all in one place]