It seems like the way money is flowing, people are being much wiser with their funds. But saving money is a completely different beast, as it calls for a different type of discipline.
It might be super easy for some to save for a girls' trip or an Hermes bag. But what about tossing money into your savings account for an emergency fund or just to have a cushion?
Life has shown that you don't need it until you do. And unless you're saving, there's a good chance you won't have it. Having a savings account might seem impossible, especially considering student loans, car notes, and other immediate things that take our budget's attention. But there are quite a few ways you can start stacking your savings account now without feeling like your money would be better spent elsewhere.
Set A Goal
Whether you're saving for an emergency fund, a down payment for a home, or any other major life moments, set a goal. That way you not only have something to reach for, but also feel accomplished once you reach your goal. This also takes into account unexpected expenses. Once you do accomplish it, set a higher one and keep stacking. Ultimately, you're never done saving. It's just a matter of how much you have in your account.
Let Your Savings Account Keep the Change
Many banks such as Bank of America offer a Keep the Change feature or something similar that will help boost your savings account without you even missing your money. It simply rounds up the amount you spend to the nearest dollar and automatically puts it in your savings account. For example, if you spend $12.75 on a purchase, .25 will be put in your savings account. The cool thing about this is that you can start competing with yourself. I had a friend who would try to spend as close to the .00 dollar point as possible (i.e. $12.01), so she could have the maximum amount be transferred to her savings account. It's just a little change here and there, but it will definitely add up and make the difference.
Schedule Time To Budget
Setting aside time in your schedule to go over your budget can really feel mundane, especially if you're not a numbers person. But knowing where your money is going can help you stack your savings account even more. Plus, you really won't know how much you can save without doing your budget. And the more often you do it, the less time it will take as you start to get familiar with your spending habits. Once you determine how much you can save each paycheck or each month, set up alerts to transfer the money into your savings.
Automatically Have Money Deposited
Thankfully, most banks require you to have a certain amount in your savings account at all times to avoid being charged a fee. You can take things a step further and have a small amount, like $25, be transferred automatically each month or each pay period. If it's automatic, there's a smaller chance of you actually realizing that it's gone or missing it. Another tip would be to have a percentage of your paycheck be directly deposited into your savings account. That way, each time you get paid, you won't even see a certain amount go into your checking account. This will help you be able to budget without it and create a habit of saving.
Avoid Eating Out
I remember one time I looked at my bank statement and was literally shocked at how much I spent on food. Most of the time it was just a snack here and there or going out for ice cream, but that stuff adds up. Once I started putting more money into groceries and less into eating out, I saved a ton of money. This could be a good move for you if you're looking for ways to start building up your savings account. On those days when you would eat out, put that money into your savings instead, and bring a lunch. If you're going out with a group of people, you could also eat a heavy dinner at home and just get dessert or an appetizer at the restaurant and put what you would have spent in your savings. Just like it added up on my bank statement, it'll add up in your savings account. Side note: Having an entertainment portion in your budget is helpful to avoid spending more money than you want to.
Have A Change Jar
This one definitely determines discipline. But similar to the keep the change suggestion, it works; especially if you tend to carry more cash instead of a debit or credit card. For this tip, you just need to have a jar designated for cash and put all of your change in it at the end of the day. If you really want to get aggressive with savings, add your $1, $5, or even $10 bills that you have in your wallet (or in your car) at the end of the day to see a bigger impact over a shorter amount of time.
Featured image by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash
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Anyway, I have watched enough of Christiana’s content to know that she and her husband Arismarlyn Sabino eat pretty healthy. She works out a lot too. That’s why, I would be super surprised if taking probiotics isn’t a part of her diet (because I’ve definitely seen her use fermented foods in her recipes like in this videohere). It’s a wise thing to do because probiotics do so much for the body — both inside and out.
Either way, whether she does or not, as I was thinking about what is required to have healthy, youthful, and vibrant skin like hers, I wanted to make sure to give probiotics a special mention because, although you may already know that they can help to strengthen your immune system, reduce your stress levels, manage your weight, decrease allergy-related symptoms and help to prevent heart disease, they can also do wonders when it comes to giving you the flawless skin that you desire too.
What Are Probiotics and Why Does Your Skin Adore Them So?
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Although probiotics is a word that comes up quite a bit in cyberspace, in order to explain how your skin is able to flourish with them, I want to make sure we’re all on the same page about what they are: probiotics are live microorganisms (in the form of bacteria and yeast) that help to keep your gut in good condition which ultimately helps to improve every part of you. Because your body naturally has both good and bad bacteria in it, probiotics help to keep the bad bacteria from overtaking your system, so that the good bacteria can help to keep you in optimal condition.
Although I already shared some of probiotics’ health benefits in the intro, some additional ones include their ability to reduce inflammation; help you to (better) manage your appetite; help to prevent and speed up the recovery of vaginal infections and urinary tract infections (UTIs); decrease the chances of cavities and gum disease; support you having a healthy digestive tract; lower stress and anxiety levels; help to keep your blood pressure where it should be — and yes, probiotics can also support you in having beautiful skin.
When it comes to your skin, specifically, why are probiotics so good for it? Well, the reality is that not only is 80 percent of your immunity in your gut (check out “80% Of Your Immunity Is In Your Gut. Take Care Of It Like This.”), it’s also true that when your gut is not working at its best, it can show through your skin in a myriad of different ways — ways that I will address in just a moment.
That’s why it’s a good idea to eat foods that are full of probiotics (including fermented ones like pickles, yogurt, and cheese), and that you consider taking a probiotic supplement (although you might want to speak with your doctor first because there are different strains of probiotics to choose from) and, that you use skincare products that are also rich in probiotics. As far as that last tip goes, probiotic skincare is simply about putting forth the intentional effort to apply products to your face, neck, and other parts of your body that have probiotics — yes, live bacteria — in them.
When it comes to this, the strains that you should specifically look for (you know, on the labels of the products) include:
- Lactococcus
- Bifida
- Streptococcus thermophilus
- Saccharomyces
- Lactobacillus
- Leuconostoc
The reason why you should take note of these is they are reportedly the most effective at doing the following things for your skin…
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1.Probiotics Can Reduce Dry Skin
If it seems like, no matter what you do, your skin is always dry, you should consider taking a probiotic. What research reveals is, that by doing so, not only can probiotics help to decrease transcutaneous water loss (TEWL) that’s in your system, but they can also reduce the amount of water that your skin loses throughout the day by strengthening your skin’s barrier (more on that later).
As far as which probiotics you should apply to your skin in order to keep dryness at bay, look for the strain that is called Vitreoscilla; it will help to strengthen your skin’s barrier and reduce dryness as a direct result.
2. Probiotics Can Soothe Eczema and Psoriasis
If eczema or psoriasis flare-ups are what’s driving you up the wall, probiotics can help with that. The science behind this is, that when you have these types of health-related issues, it can lead to inflammation as well as a different type of bacteria in your gut (in comparison to those who don’t have eczema or psoriasis). By taking a probiotic, it can reduce the inflammation and alter the bacteria that you have which can, in turn, reduce the symptoms.
And just what kind of probiotic-based skincare products can help with this? Strains likeBifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus acidophilus currently show the most promise.
3. Probiotics Can Speed Up the Healing Process of Breakouts
I’m telling you, if you want to look and feel better, you’ve got to pay more attention to your gut health. Take breakouts, for example. Did you know science says that the condition of your gut and acne actually on hand in hand? The gist is that when the gut’s microbe is not where it should be, that can trigger inflammation which oftentimes results in pimples forming.
This is just one more reason to add a probiotic to your diet and to apply probiotic skincare strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus or Bifidobacterium bifidum to your skin; they help to reduce breakouts.
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4. Probiotics Can Balance Your Skin’s pH
If you’ve ever wondered what pH stands for, it’s “potential hydrogen;” it basically speaks to how acidic or alkaline something is. When it comes to your skin, this matters because if it’s too acidic or alkaline (which basically means basic), that can result in dry skin, itchiness, inflammation, sensitivity, and other skin-related issues. That said, if your skin is healthy, it will have a pH of somewhere around 5.5 which is slightly acidic. And how can you know what your skin’s pH is?
The best way to test this is by booking an appointment with a dermatologist. However, if you notice some of the symptoms that I just mentioned, take a probiotic and see if your skin improves within a few weeks. Oh, and when it comes to sensitive skin, especially, skincare that has Streptococcus thermophilus in it should be able to help you out by elevating the ceramide levels that are in your skin.
5. Probiotics Can Improve Your Skin’s Barrier
The outermost layer of your skin is your skin’s barrier — and it goes through a lot. In fact, a Healthline article that I read on it stated, “This fantastically thin brick wall is literally keeping you alive. Without it, various harmful environmental toxins and pathogens could penetrate your skin and cause adverse effects inside your body.” Therefore, if there is anything that you should want to go almost overboard about in maintaining, your skin’s barrier would be it.
And since it is the “front line of defense” for your skin, in a lot of ways, that means your skin’s barrier is vulnerable to things like rough skin, itchy skin, fungal infections and inflammation. It’s a good thing that probiotics can help with strengthening your skin’s barrier so that there is less of a chance that these things will happen. A list of some of the best probiotics for your skin’s barrier can be found here. The types of bacteria strains (probiotics) to look for in skincare as it relates to your skin’s barrier are Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Vitreoscilla.
6. Probiotics Can Reduce UV Damage
It can’t be said enough that everyone needs to be proactive when it comes to keeping their skin from experiencing UV damage (which is damage that the sun causes). Believe it or not, probiotics can help in this department as well because they can help to reduce oxidative stress, and inflammation and they also help to protect your skin’s barrier while you are outdoors. As far as your skincare plan, your best bet here would be to look for sunscreens that have probiotics in them. COOLA is one brand that many people are fond of.
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7. Probiotics Can Slow Down the Signs of Aging
One more. Although aging is a natural part of life (that should be embraced, by the way), when you factor in things like the years of what the sun can do; the loss of elastin and collagen over time; the shifts in pH balance; the fluctuations of your hormones; the damage that comes from oxidative stress; the decrease in melanocytes (pigment cells); the less natural oil that your skin produces; the natural fat layers that begin to thin out more and more — if nothing else will convince you to be hypervigilant in taking care of your skin, all of this stuff should.
And yes, probiotics can even assist with slowing down the signs of aging in your skin because, thanks to what is known as the skin-gut axis, the more good bacteria that are in your gut, the less inflammation your skin will experience, the more elasticity it will have and the less oxidative stress that it will go through.
So, definitely take a probiotic for this and look for skincare products that contain the strain known as Bacillus coagulans. It’s directly connected to helping your skin to age at a slower rate, so that your skin is looking fabulous, from the inside out, for many years to come.
All this from probiotics? Yep.
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