10 People In Your Life Who Can Help You Save Money

The people you surround yourself with are the people you become the most like. There’s a saying that the five people you spend the most time with are the people you become the most like, and that you should choose your friends wisely. Well, we all know we should choose our friends wisely, but did you know that the people you spend the most time with can actually help you improve or decrease your quality of life? It’s true. As much of an independent woman you are, you are still susceptible to becoming the kind of woman you don’t want to be, or the one you aspire to be and it all has to do with the people you surround yourself with the most. If you surround yourself with people who do nothing with their lives, their bad habits are going to rub off on you. If you surround yourself with intelligent, successful, driven people, their habits are going to rub off on you. Allow us to suggest you begin spending time with people who have a lot going for them; they’re the ones who will teach you the best habits and even help you save money. That’s right; your friends can help you save money. And we have a list of 10 people, some of which might surprise you and some not so much, who can actually help you improve your finances directly or indirectly.

Your Spouse

If you marry a big spender, you’re probably not going to do well saving money. The person you marry has a direct effect on the way that you view your finances. Marrying a man who is good with his finances, makes good decisions and has a budget – whether he needs one or not – is going to have a great impact on your life. He’s going to help you save money and live a better quality life by his influence. Since you’re a team, you make financial decisions together.

Your Friends

If you spend all your time with people who have no job, go from job to job, never have any money and blow what they do have on useless junk, you’re not learning anything. If you spend time with friends who are financially savvy, make good financial decisions and talk about their financial beliefs with you, you will begin to see your own finances in a different light. Their influence will rub off on you as you spend time together.

Your Family

You learn what you see. If your family is good with money, chances are good you will be as well. If your family is not good with money, you might have some financial difficulties growing up. On the other hand, you might learn what not to do. Either way, your family’s spending habits can help you save money by setting an example for you that you either want to follow or you want to get away from.

Your Banker

Your banker is going to be your best friend. I say this not because I am married to my banker/best friend, but because this is the person in charge of your money. He or she is going to help you make the right decisions with your money. He or she is going to steer you in money-saving directions so that you can earn more, make more and enjoy more.

Your Realtor

This is the person who is out to find you the house of your dreams while still staying in a budget you set. This is a person who is going to help you decide how to save money in a house. A good realtor can recommend great contractors to help with certain aspects of your homeownership. He or she can help you find a house that has a good price, a neighborhood more worth your money and just about everything else that’s going to help you save money.

Your Insurance Agent

If you’re not talking to your insurance agent on a regular basis, it’s time to find a new one. You probably don’t want to get into BFF mode with your insurance agent, but you should form a good relationship. This kind of relationship is going to result in phone calls of this nature, “Hey, we can lower your premium if you choose XYZ,” that save you bundles over time.

Your Favorite Sales Associate

I’m not going to lie; I have an obsession with Jimmy Choo shoes and it’s an expensive obsession. My closet loves it, I love it; my wallet (and husband) hates it. So what’s a girl to do when she loves something expensive? Make friends with a sales associate at your favorite boutique/department store/whatever. When something I’ve had my eye on goes on sale big time, she shoots me a quick email to let me know what’s on sale so that I can have her set it aside for me before anyone gets to it. She even goes so far as to take photos of everything that’ s going to be discounted in the coming weeks so that I can choose what I want, she can set them aside and I can wait for the sales. And she’ll even tell me if I should wait just a tiny bit longer for an even bigger sale. Love her. It makes sense to find one of her at your favorite store, because she’s going to save you a lot.

Your Doctor

A great doctor knows how to save you money. He knows how to get you what you need without it costing you a bundle. He knows how to work things so that you benefit financially and don’t end up in medical debt. Find a doctor like this; a little extra time on his part is going to be a lot more financially beneficial to all.

Your Kid’s Pediatrician

My kid’s have the best pediatrician, and he always knows how we can save on medical costs for them. Whether it’s recommending a great insurance plan when I mention we’re up for renewal soon, recommending specialists that are more affordable than others or making sure that anyone he thinks we should see is going to be as cost effective and easy to use with our insurance as possible; and he’s great about giving us formula for our newborn twins. Every single time we go to the pediatrician, he loads us up with formula from his rep. His theory is that parents of multiples deserve a little break when it comes to buying formula – especially since we pay for it ourselves.

Your Accountant

This person should become your best friend. Really; he should. You need this guy to save you as much money on your tax liability as possible. You need someone who is willing to find you the most deductions and tax breaks possible. Someone who is willing to help you come up with a plan for more savings, better tax planning and more beneficial financial decisions.

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