​Hi there readers and welcome back to Hoods Tax’ blog! We’re so grateful to have you here, and we’re excited to share with you some helpful information to make your wallet (and savings account) happier. Now that the world is opening back up and life is seemingly more normal now than the previous year, it’s a good time to reflect on the lessons the pandemic taught us in ways to be frugal and thoughtful with our finances.

It’s about to be the heat of the summertime! Weather is warming up, water parks and beaches are preparing for the oncoming waves of tourists and locals seeking refuge from the heat, and more families are spending time together as schools let out and vacation time sets in! It’s our favorite part of the year, but for our budgets it can get pretty tight. It’s easy to spend money when you’re having a good time, so we want to make sure to remind you of a few lessons to hold on to from the pandemic itself that would be wise to carry over into the summertime activities!

Plan For Your Future
During the pandemic, 1 in 5 people started investing and planning with the stock market and savings. With time to spend online and seeking for something to take it up, many saw an opportunity to learn about something that seemed exclusive to specific crowds of the elite business minded: Stocks. Though fluctuations did occur because of both the ‘temporary crowd’ and those who were genuinely educating themselves on the stock market’s methods, more and more people started to stick around. The education and knowledge focused on investing and planning for the future made an impact. 

The pandemic showed up and disrupted all of our lives for over a year and a half, and many experts say that our concept of normalcy has been entirely shifted because of it. The same occurred with the Spanish Flu during 1918; our civilizations concept of normalcy shifted then as people became aware of how easily airborne illnesses could spread, and ways to limit exposure were discussed while a vaccine was created. As a simplified summary of one of the change reactions that occurred during the pandemic, as the public were recommended to quarantine and limit exposure with the ‘outside world’ businesses saw fewer customers. With fewer customers, job security became unstable as businesses started to ‘cinch their belts’ when funding became too tight. This instability opened many people’s eyes to the realization that anything can happen in our lives, and the importance of having a savings or investments account became significant. Saving and investing in your future is incredibly important, and is one of our highest recommendations for your financial success. 

How are you planning for your or your family’s future? Do you have a savings or investments account with your bank? Or are you learning more about stocks to be active in the market? These are things we want you to consider as a well learned and reminded lesson from the pandemic itself!
Explore the Outdoors and Low Cost Activities
Okay, we hear you. People have been saying ‘go outside and enjoy nature’ for years, but there’s a reason for it! Spending weekends or vacations at attractions around town can really add up to make a decent hole in your pocket. Museums, aquariums, movie theaters, shopping malls, vacation trips, waterparks, and other types of business set activities are definitely fun highlights for the summer but if done often you’re going to run out of budget fast. So, why not enjoy what’s at your disposal and within arms reach on a typical day? Local parks, beaches, outdoor performances, bookshops or libraries, and even just a sunny walk through town are great ways to spend a day with a low budget.  You may find something new and exciting to take note of for another day trip, or develop a new hobby to satisfy your free time! 

During the pandemic, many people resorted to outdoor activities or things that operated on a smaller crowd scale to limit exposure. Social distancing took into effect and many chose to reconnect with their own piece of nature at home in their back or front yards, or local resources such as parks or beaches. We want readers like you to keep that connection because it’s not just healthy for your mind and body, but helpful for your wallet! Keep up those behaviors and explore the outdoors and your local activities with your friends and family to give yourself a low cost option when money gets tight.
 
Do you have a favorite outdoor activity or local, low cost activity you’d like to share with our readers? Feel free to comment below and share the information with us!
Meal Prepping
Home cooked meals are always known to be generally healthier than eating out, but we all certainly did a LOT of it during the pandemic. Some prioritized orders through delivery apps like Uber Eats or Grubhub, but that option only lasts for as long as your funds do- and those delivery fees add up quickly! To save yourself some extra cash, keep the practice of meal prepping and preparing your next day’s lunch ahead of time! You’ll find that not only will your health and energy typically improve, but you’ll be more adept at retaining your budget and applying your funds wherever they’re best suited. A great way to start meal prepping is to start small by cooking an additional meal with your dinner the night before. Pack up that extra meal for your lunch the next day and set it ready to go within your fridge! Take that lunchbox with you to work or your daily adventures in the morning and you’ll be less likely to purchase food out and dig into your wallet! 

Some people may prefer to meal prep an entire weeks worth of meals ahead of time, but everyone is different! If you’re looking to cut down on your ordering in or eating out, we highly recommend doing a bit of research into popular meal prep methods to save you the extra cash.

Did one of these ‘pandemic’ financial lessons make an impact with you and your planning for the upcoming week? We really hope they helped!

We know that the pandemic changed many things for our lives and the way we live them, and now that things seem to be levelling out more in public as the vaccines take effect and people become more conscious, we wanted to give you some food for thought about your money spending habits. It doesn’t hurt to look back at how we handled money or were caught by surprise with a lack thereof when things changed, so be prepared and thoughtful with your funds! Either of these three methods are guaranteed to help you rearrange your budget a bit more, and the end result will leave you feeling more confident and responsible! 

What did the pandemic teach you about your finances? Do you have any words for the wise you’d like to share? Feel free to comment below and let us know someway the pandemic shifted your focus on money. We'd love to hear from you!

Until next time readers, we hope you have a wonderful week and you’re being thoughtful of your funds! If you need any assistance with your taxes or accounting, be sure to contact Hoods Tax and Accounting of Goose Creek today, we’re here for you!

Now that we've made it through two very intense and unique tax seasons, we wanted to talk a little bit about saving money so when the next tax season comes around, it won't be such a shock to you or your bank account! We will also be talking about how to begin recovering financially from the whole of 2020! 

While many of our readers and some of us at Hoods are still reeling from the after-effects of these past two tax seasons, we can all take a deep breath and say "we did it"! We've learned a lot about the tax environment and the changes in tax law thanks to these past two tax seasons and thanks to these blogs, and we hope that all of our readers take each and every one of these lessons to heart! For many, one of the trends that we saw throughout these strange and unknown tax seasons is the fact that those tax bills have been a little shocking and unexpected. Of course, due to the pandemic, those tax bills did hit a little harder and were a little more unexpected than most have been in the past! After last year, we should all know that anything could happen when we least expect it to, and now is the time to be as financially prepared as possible. Now that we are on the other side of things and with these ideas in mind, we wanted to dive into some tips, suggestions, and ideas on how to help you save money better than you have ever before, to help prepare you for the next tax season, and to recover from the aftermath of 2020. 

After last year, and after many savings accounts, 401(k)s, and IRAs were dipped into, saving money, we're sure, is one of your top priorities right now. Getting back into your flow of saving money will help make up for what you need to do financially to stay afloat, and will also help you begin paying back what you took out of these saving accounts and to get you back on track and help you feel a little more secure financially for the first time in a long time! While no one can specifically say when we will all be back on our feet financially, we do know that there are steps you can take to get back on the right path again. One of the biggest parts towards recovering your finances and getting back on track is simply starting. Make a plan and get going! Make a plan that works for you and get started one step at a time!

If you did take money from your retirement plan or contribute to a retirement account, your decisions about how you're going to move forward from last year are going to make the biggest differences in your financial future and will help you solidify it once again. It is in your best interest to stay cool, calm, and collected right now, and to get focused. Outside of some of the tips that we are going to be sharing with you today, it is in your best interest to get back into the habit, if you haven't already, of contributing to your retirement program and your overall savings account. You don't have to start back up at the amount you were paying into either before the pandemic, but getting back into the habit of saving as you can, even with smaller amounts, can make a big difference! With all of this in mind, let's get right down to some of the best ways you can start saving money and begin to recover financially from 2020 and to be prepared for next year's tax season! 

• Online shopping became an even larger part of our daily lives last year out of need and safety. Now, you can turn it around and make it work for you! Are you looking to go shopping for any extra items or a big-ticket item you've had your eye on for a while now? Hop back online and shop smart by doing some price comparison between the items you're interested in. Never let a good deal pass you by, you have too many tools at your disposal not to! You can save a lot of money with the use of online digital codes and promotions, too. 
• While this isn't a new or groundbreaking idea, it's one you will continue to hear about because it's still such a hard and fast rule that always works! Begin budgeting better by cutting back on unnecessary expenses. We know this might be extra difficult right now as more and more things begin to open back up and (hopefully) you're working again at almost, if not full, capacity! While it's going to be very tempting to get out there and feel like normal again, take your time to ease back into normal spending until you've recovered financially. Even then, your best bet is to remain financially diligent for a while and to continue these habits throughout your life. One of the best ways to get a better idea of your money is to really understand where it's going and track it as best you can. There are a ton of excellent and helpful apps that can help you do just that! 
• While you're working to recover in multiple ways financially and beyond, part of that recovery is planning for what could come in the future. No one saw 2020 coming, and without being too cryptic, we don't know what else could be coming our way! With last year still fresh in our minds, it would be wise to start working on building an emergency fund so you won't be hurting again or in a tight spot if another year like 2020 happens again! 
• One of the best things you can do is to make a plan of how you're going to pay off all of your debt, and set real and attainable goals to do so. We do urge you to be as realistic about these goals as you can be, and to give yourself time and patience! It will take time to see the end of your debt, but it will happen and it will be worth all of your hard work! 
• Automation can be a real life saver! Choose automatic payments for as much as you can, and do it for more than just paying your bills. You can choose to have money taken out and put into your savings, retirement fund, and much more. Automated payments can make sure you don't accrue any late fees, don't spend anything rent money by accident, and can come with a few perks if you choose to go paperless and turn on automated payments with your bank and other saving establishments. 
• Try matching your savings to how much you spend every week, if not more. If anything try to match your savings and spending dollar per dollar! 
• Get creative on how you spend your free time! Look for fun and free things to do right now in your city, as it is becoming safer to do so and the weather is so wonderful! Since it is almost officially summertime in the Lowcountry, there are so many amazing things to do for free right outside your front door! Also, try and cut down on eating out! While this may not have been part of your 2020, it can be tempting to get out as much as possible now. Save for when it's a special occasion, and start cooking at home as much as you can. 
• Continue with the popular trend that 2020 rushed in with DIY projects and doing work around your home yourself. All the projects, cleaning, and yard work that you can do with no problem, keep doing them! This can be a huge money saver! 
• While traveling does sound very tempting after the year we've had and the prices for plane tickets are looking very appealing, pump the breaks before you book ten trips back to back this summer! Continue to be smart about your overall budget and let that include your travel budget too. 
• Don't just save because you want to save. While we always recommend having an excellent savings account and financial plan, go one step further. Sit down and understand what you're saving for. A nest egg? Emergencies? College? Vacation? Your dream home? All of this and more? Whatever it might be, understand exactly what you want. Visualizing it can make saving money a lot easier. You can see and say exactly why you're putting this money away, not just because you know it's the right thing to do! 

While this list of the ways to save money and ways to begin repairing your fiances after 2020 is just a small one in comparison to all the savings options out there for you, it is a great place to get started! You need to find what works for you, financially, and commit to it! If you have any questions, comments, or would like to discuss your financial options of how we can help you, please never hesitate to reach out! Please remember that we are your leading experts and tax preparers in the Goose Creek area to help with tax prep, throughout tax prep season, the best accounting services in Goose Creek, the best tax preparation in Goose Creek, business consulting in Goose Creek, bookkeeping in Goose Creek, or payroll services in Goose Creek, we are here for you! Our phone lines and inboxes are waiting for you. Don't hesitate! Please stay safe, everyone. We will see you soon!