IT IS NOW that time of the year. Seniors will graduate as well as a few juniors who worked hard to reach this great accomplishment. However, one thing after graduation: Lancers should never be afraid of the financial hardships that may come.

Saving is harder than it looks. There will be many things that will come up out of the blue and hurt that wallet, but there isn’t much to be afraid of if Lancers can decide what is best for themselves by asking self-reflective questions.

For example: What is most important now? What services or subscriptions can be canceled? When are necessary payments due?

How can Lancers save money?

Put aside that Spotify premium or Netflix subscription for a month or two. When going out to eat, leave out a side or two if it costs extra. Substitute cheaper items for those that are similar while shopping at the grocery store.

Those miscellaneous expenses add up.

Although it may seem like Lancers have to give up everything they love to be financially free, that is not the case. Simply said, spend less on the things that aren’t a necessity but rather a want.

Another method is a common financial rule, called the 50-30-20 Rule.

Fifty percent of money should go to needs such as food, bills, insurance, etc.

Thirty percent should go to wants such as: going out to eat, entertainment services, shopping, etc.

Those twenty percent that will be put aside are the most important fraction of this rule. The easiest way is to open a savings account and create a scheduled transfer from a checking account for every paycheck.

This money should only be used for emergencies such as car problems; when rent is past due; when credit cards aren’t paid off, hospital bills, etc.

Rewards and coupons are the easiest way to get free stuff.

A lot of establishments offer many rewards programs, and most of them are free. Places such as Panda Express, Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, McDonalds, Walgreens, CVS, Target, Smiths and many more. All, if not most, can be downloaded on Lancers’ phones.

Lancers can also receive coupons through the mail or through apps.

A great rewards app that is available on the app store is Fetch Rewards. Fetch is an app that only needs one simple item that most Lancers throw away: the receipt.

All Lancers need to do is scan their receipts. Every receipt is worth at least twenty-five points. When reaching a specific number of points, Lancers can redeem those points for gift cards.

For example, at fifty thousand points, Lancers could receive $50 worth of Buffalo Wild Wings.

That may seem a lot for receipts, but that only gives you 25 points. However, there is a section under the subtitle Offers that will give more points for certain items that range from food to beauty products.

Lancers can receive over 2000 points by sending a referral to a friend or two.

Saving doesn’t have to be hard. Granger graduates and the society will no longer have to worry about what is left in their pockets. Make the right decisions, spend wisely, and save for what is necessary.