The program Luksusfellen premiered in the spring of 2008. After 14 years, 24 seasons, over 200 episodes and several hundred participants, we have gained a certain overview of which money tricks are most effective for improving the everyday economy. This advice can the vast majority of us follow - not just those who have expensive consumer debt. Because perhaps you have a goal to spend less and save more?

Then these tips can help:

1. Create a buffer account

Very few of the participants in the Luxury Trap have ever had a buffer account. It is simply an account where you set aside some money to cope with unforeseen expenses. The car that needs to be repaired, a water leak that the insurance does not cover, or a high dental bill. These are expenses that hit most people sooner or later, we don't quite know when, but the finances must be robust enough to cover For many in the Luxury Trap, it was precisely such unforeseen expenses that started the s take the plunge into consumer loans and short-term financial solutions.

2. Make small milestones

None of our participants become debt-free overnight. The road there is long, some spend 5-10 of their next years paying off debt collection and expensive consumer loans. How do you keep up the motivation, even after the experts in the Luxury Trap have left and given back the power of attorney? And how are you going to reach your debt and savings goals? Motivation is individual, but it may be a good idea to create intermediate goals, collect some small victories along the way. For example, it may be more appropriate to pay off debt using the snowball method, rather than starting with the most expensive loan first. Then you pay off the smallest requirements first, regardless of the interest rate.

3. Shop less often and smarter

No, we in Norway do not spend much of our income on food and drink, compared to others Europeans. But many people get too little out of the money we spend in the store. There will be quick solutions, semi-finished products, impulse purchases on an empty stomach, in the wrong store - or frequent small shops. The result: the money is used incorrectly - and food must be thrown away.

Shop rarely: Plan your purchases. Then it's enough to go to the store once a week.. Make a list before you go to the store. If you shop often and with little planning, the chance of expensive impulse shopping increases. The worst thing is going to the store straight after work, with an empty stomach and stress in your eyes. Create a dinner overview every week.

Use the grocery store's apps: Both Trumf, ”Æ” and Coop make shopping cheaper. Get them all, so your choice is not governed by the fact that you have 'married' one of the chains.

Own packed lunch: Do you eat lunch in the canteen every day? What if you bring a packed lunch twice a week and eat canteen lunch three times? It will quickly save NOK 5,000 over the course of a year.

4. Make a budget

Everyone can get an overview of their own consumption, they need help from Luksusfellen with a money board in the living room! You can find it ready in your online bank, under tabs such as 'My finances' or 'My consumption' etc. To find out where you spend the most money compared to the 'normal', you can compare with the Norwegian Institute for Consumption Research (SIFO) reference budget:

https://www.oslomet.no/om/sifo/referansebudjettet

5. Sell what you don't need

It always surprises the participants in the Luxury Trap where a lot of money languishing in stalls, in the attic, in the basement. Sell ​​what you don't need. It's free, and you get in a bag: More money and a tidier storeroom. Some electronics fall in price quickly, while children's equipment such as sleds and trippy stair chairs hold up surprisingly well.

6. Clean up the account chaos:

You really only need three accounts:

• Current account: Normal consumption, managed with a bank card
• Account: For all fixed and variable invoices. Use efaktura.
• Savings account:

(BSU account if you are under 34)

If you are a couple with separate finances, many prefer to have a joint account for food, child expenses etc. in addition. Use e-invoice and direct debit on as many invoices as possible. Then you will also get a useful maturity overview in the online bank for the weeks ahead. there is a fixed debit to the current account on estimated consumption, as well as to a savings account.



7. Watch out for pickpockets!

Smart pickpockets don't rob you just once in a while. They go after your wallet every day or week, but take so little each time that you hardly notice: NOK 45 for a latte, NOK 40 for a baguette, NOK 95 for snuff, NOK 10 for a new app. Spotify, Viaplay , Storytel, HBO. Individually, it may be small change, but not if you add up the total monthly consumption. You don't have to cut out all of these small purchases, but if you, for example, cut out the latte every other day or snort half as much, it will quickly add up to NOK 4-5,000 a year!