Still a few euros left at the end of the year? It’s time to invest in YOU and reward yourself, even though some of it will probably go towards buying gifts, keep some free. We’ve been thinking about which small investments make the most sense.
What does investment mean?
Investment is the use of capital with the intention of getting more value back in the future.
For example, you invest in a piece of land that is likely to increase sharply in market value over the next few years, and then you can sell it for a profit.
Investment instead of consumer purchase
An investment is not a sure positive business. It can also be that it is not worthwhile and in the end brings no return or even a minus.
Compared to consumption purchases, however, an investment is always the better choice from a financial point of view. It usually always retains a conscience value, whereas a consumption good can become completely worthless.
So, to invest properly, you should know how and when your spending will pay off.
Consumption:
Car
- loses value
- is worn out relatively quickly
- Costs in maintenance
Investment:
Apartment
- Gains value
- lasts decades
- Can be rented out profitably
Ideas for investing with little money
Stocks, cryptocurrencies, exchange trading such as VIS To PHP – you constantly hear about how easy trading and investing in these areas is. However, I would only recommend this if you are engaged in it and have a correspondingly good knowledge in the area.
Investing money can also look different!
Here are some alternative and creative investment opportunities
Knowledge (books, courses,…)
Never before has so much knowledge been made available to us in such an easily accessible and affordable way. In addition to the countless sources where free info is available, we are provided with a wide range of elaborately prepared courses and trainings on the most specific topics.
Online courses, video courses, audio books, e-books, online personal training, and the traditional physical books. No matter how you learn best, the options are there.
Acquiring knowledge is ALWAYS worthwhile and is an investment in yourself.
My favorites when it comes to online learning:
- Linkedin Learning
- Masterclass
- Fiverr
- Skillshare
- Udemy
- creativelive
- Youtube
- edX
- Blinkist
Advertisements
That’s right! Placing ads on the major online platforms is easy and, above all, cheap!
Even if you don’t have a business you want to promote, you may be able to promote yourself, your channels, or a message that is important to you.
Here you (still) achieve the best results:
- Youtube
Time
An investment does not always have to be related to money. Time is even more valuable than money, but it is precisely this thing that we invest very poorly. Consciously take time for activities that bring you and your environment further and bring you joy.
- Friends
- Family
- Networking
- Events
- Sports
- Planning/Organization
- Hobbies
Services
It can be a good investment to pay for services. Many people think “I can do that too” and therefore try to do as much as possible themselves so as not to have to pay anyone. However, the fact that an enormous amount of time is lost in the process and that the task may not even have been done quite right in the end is often not taken into account.
Paying a craftsman and saving yourself a day’s work is definitely a good investment. In this time you can earn money yourself or devote the day you have won to things that bring you joy.
- leave the cleaning to the cleaner
- have your groceries delivered to your home
- hire a freelancer online
- pay for a consulting session instead of digging through information yourself forever
- etc.
Donate and Support
Nowadays, you can donate to exactly what you care about in 5 min. For almost every cause there is an organization and an online platform to donate to
A new modern way of donating? Patreon and crowdfunding.
If you want to support an artist or influencer and they have set up Patreon or something similar, it is possible to support this person financially with a few clicks. In return, you usually even get something.
Supporting a project or an idea with crowdfunding can also make sense.
Productivity tools
More time for myself, my hobbies, friends, travel, etc.? – that’s what many people long for. So invest in tools and services that help you save time! Our favorites:
Keyboard Shortcut Software
This tool is especially good for people who need to write down the same data over and over again. You can create text shortcuts (from any letters, numbers and characters) and add a text, a script or a formatted text with an image to this shortcut, which will appear automatically after entering the shortcut. And this works not only in Office programs but in any text field on the computer.
Automatic coupon code search
Honey is a browser extension that you can activate in the checkout of many online stores to automatically search for coupon codes. This way you can save time and often a lot of money!
quickly create beautiful content
In Canva you can find thousands of content templates for social media, billboards, posters, presentations, and more. The simple editor can be used in the browser or via the smartphone app. The infinite selection of already designed templates makes it easy to create creative content even without inspiration.
Definitely my number 1 software 2019
Project Management
Trello is a project management tool that allows you to manage your projects and organize all work steps and tasks. This also works great in a team of several people. The application possibilities are very diverse, thanks to the flexible interface and the many settings options.
Organize and plan better
Probably the most important type of planning is the daily planning. It is not only about knowing what needs to be done, but also when it should be done. Time planning and task planning come together and make this system so effective. The best time planning is done in the morning right at the start of the day or the day before in the evening for the next day.
Written planning helps very well to keep the tasks and the schedule still well in mind and can quickly still be creatively customized.
Our Elemental Planner daily planner is perfect for this. The Essentials Set also provides an excellent template.