Decluttr Blog

We all want to save money and we all watch movies, so what better way to learn a few money-saving tricks than our favourite movies?!

We sat down with a big bucket of popcorn, watched some flicks and jotted down some important lessons.

Don’t become a superhero

Jetting around the world beating up baddies looks like fun but it costs a bomb – especially if you don’t have any superpowers.

Case in point: Batman. He’s a normal dude who just happens to have access to a military grade tank and cool armor, as well some martial arts training.

He’s also spent at least $682 million on being Batman (according to this post), including $80 million on vehicles and $1 million on his cowl. Considering he gets through vehicles and gadgets like there’s no tomorrow, his total spend is probably closer to $1 billion. Bruce Wayne’s superpower is having a ton of money, basically.

Even if you are lucky enough to be born with superpowers, you’ll still end up forking out a fortune on researching new weapons, travel and medical bills – although we imagine S.H.I.E.L.D have some very reasonable healthcare benefits.

In short, don’t bother.

Don’t save alone

We’ve established Bruce Wayne is a pretty frivolous dude, so how has he managed to keep hold of his fortune for so long?

Simple: he has trusted sidekicks – and we don’t mean Robin. With Alfred managing his estate and Lucius Fox overseeing Wayne Enterprises, Bruce manages to keep on top of his finances and find time to foil the Joker’s latest scheme.

You can apply the same principle to your day-to-day life. Sharing the responsibility of saving with a partner by drawing up a plan or opening a joint account makes things so much easier. If you’re single, you can always enlist a friend to keep you on track too.

Don’t be frivolous

Case in point: Jurassic Park. John Hammond and co have sunk millions into building a dinosaur theme park and it’s gone wrong every single time. Yet they keep trying to build a dinosaur theme park!

The next time you’re weighing up an awesome but non-essential purchase, ask yourself: is this my dinosaur theme park? Do I really need a latte from the coffee shop every morning? Will I be putting my finances at risk by buying these jeans?

Essentially, stick to what you need. And no-one needs a dinosaur theme park, even though they’re awesome.

Earn a little money on the side

Despite his simple demeanour, Forrest Gump is a business god. He holds shares in Apple computers, owns 50% of Bubba Gump Shrimp, a company set up with his good friend Lieutenant Dan, invents slogans while running across the country and is a world class athlete. He has a lot of sources of income.

Now, not all of us can establish our own seafood company and be a master of table tennis, but we can use our skills to bring in a few extra dollars each month. You could learn Photoshop and offer to edit people’s photos or design flyers and invitations, or start a neighbour dog-walking service, or make your own jewellery and sell it online.

The choice is yours. Whatever you do, a little extra income will help you towards your saving goals.

Stick with it

Vampires are always rich in movies. The Cullen family from Twilight has amassed a small fortune, even though half of them are school students and Papa Carlisle is a humble doctor, while Count Dracula lives in a huge castle even though he spends most of his time napping.

How do they do it? Simple: they live forever. Anyone can save loads of money if they’ve got 100s of years to do it.

We’re not suggesting that you start drinking human blood and avoiding the sun, but there is an important lesson there: stick with it! If you put aside a little money each month, you’ll eventually hit your savings goals.

Don’t be evil

A lot of rich people in movies are evil. Gordon Gekko, who fraudulently builds up a fortune on Wall Street. Michael Corleone, who runs a crime empire. Dr. Evil, who invests in Starbucks to build a lair in a hollowed out volcano.

What else do these people share in common? They all get their comeuppance and lose at least some of their fortune in the process. There’s a reason ‘don’t be evil’ is Google’s slogan, you know.

Basically, don’t waste your money on evil schemes and you should be alright.

What money-saving tips have you learnt from the movies? Share them with us in the comments.

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