5. Tomorrow is Another Day
When coming across sales and expenses, always remember that tomorrow is another day. In simple words, remember that even though the bargain seems irresistible, there will be necessities to take care off, tomorrow.

Of course, we shouldn’t be miserly in our approach. The trick is to be wise rather than miserly. Here are few times that we might forget about tomorrow…

Allowing others to dictate your spending
Peer pressure is a powerful force, it’s why so many people participate in gift exchanges or baby showers or wedding showers …when they otherwise would want nothing to do with it.

Less visible but likely more pervasive, how about going out to lunch with co-workers? It would seem like not a big deal, but it is if you’re only going out because they are and you want to seem like a “team player.”

Wise people understand that they are responsible for their own savings, and so they should be responsible for where they are spending. Don’t allow others, through peer pressure, to spend your money.

If you go out with friends or family to the mall and they all purchased something at a sale, it is not necessary for you to make a purchase if nothing interests you. The people with you might encourage you but keep in mind that it is your money and next month’s rent is your duty, not theirs.

Overpaying for convenience
Think about everything you buy — where are they the cheapest? In bulk. Where are they the most expensive? Vending machines. Convenience stores. Think about holiday accommodation. Sea view is more expensive. When eating out, a lavish restaurant with a waiter and seating facilities is more expensive than a general take away store.

Convenience is a wonderful thing, and we all deserve a bit of it from time to time. However, it becomes a problem when convenience is regarded as necessity. Understand your own budget and live according to what you have. If you going on holiday, sit down and, according to your budget, decide how many times you can afford to eat out with the family. Once you decide, stick to it.

The problem is that sometimes we get carried away during the holidays. Every meal we eating out and every night we might go out for ice cream etc. No problem in doing that if we have the means but when we don’t have the means, bills to be paid in January gives us sleepless nights. Yes, trust in Allah is there but wisdom and planning from our side is also required.

On this point, when meeting with other families during the holiday, we should consider everyone’s financial situation before deciding where to eat and what to do. We might afford a five-star restaurant but the other family cannot afford it. To save face, they will come eat with us but while we are laughing and smiling they are thinking of how this meal will affect their budget.