Marcus Marion, CMA™ Financial independence and security are fundamental goals that everyone tries to seek. Given the inflation in place and the rising cost of sustenance worldwide, the requirement for steady savings has only increased.
With so many services and subscriptions floating nowadays that can entice you into making purchases that you don’t need, saving money is becoming as challenging as ever; however, there are concrete decisions and actions that you can perform which will enable you to plan your income and expenses accordingly.
The phrase “Save money, live better” should be your motto if you want to live a comfortable and thrifty life.
Why should saving money be a necessity rather than a choice?
1. Financial Independence
If you can manage your finances freely and appropriately, in the long run, you’ll undoubtedly be well off. This naturally states that you won’t need a fixed source of income every month to support your overall expenses.
Additionally, suppose you have enough funds to fall back on. In that case, you can take important life decisions, including job flexibility, vacations, settling down with your partner, establishing your own business, or quitting altogether when you want to rather than forcing yourself to continue.
In many ways, monetary security ensures a peace of mind that’s otherwise missing when you’re short of funds.
2. Medical Emergencies
Life always throws up curveballs like medical emergencies to upend the life of you and your family.
For precisely such inopportune occasions, it’s always preferable to set up a health fund to pay for the health costs, and you should set that saving aside only for such moments.
Preparing for an emergency is always advised instead of worrying about finances later or lowering health care quality because you are unable to afford the treatment.
Even though there’s an affordable health sector in many countries and private insurance companies ensure that all your health-related requirements are taken care of, it’s always beneficial to set aside some money to help you in the long run.
3. Calculated Risks
Building cash reserves is essential because it enables you to take measured risks without considering how much it’ll impact you financially.
Naturally, a lack of healthy savings makes it difficult to follow some interests in your mind.
Let’s consider that you’re thinking about establishing a business. Ideally, you’ll need a large chunk of capital, preferably through savings, to start a small business if you want to be an entrepreneur.
But if you make monthly contributions and create a savings target, you may take advantage of these newer opportunities even if they temporarily lower your income for a specific time.
As the famous saying goes, “Saving gives the freedom to live life on your terms,”!
4. Travelling
Traveling is an excellent way to discover new foods and cultures while considerably relieving stress. Most people desire to travel, yet a trip to a faraway place or country costs a lot of money.
Even if you enjoy staying in cheap hotels or modest dwellings, the expenses will only incur accordingly.
One of the best things you can do is save money so you can go on a trip. If you already know where you’re going, it’s essential to budget for your trip and estimate how much it will cost.
There are numerous reasons to save money. However, we’ll try to focus on the most popular saving methods so you can incur the costs of the activities mentioned above.
Saving Money: Some Tried and Tested Methods
1. Avoid falling into a circle of debt
First, we’ll discuss the most significant factor restricting you from making substantial savings. That’s debt! A healthy savings plan is virtually impossible when you are knee-deep in debt. If you’re continuously wondering, “Why can’t I save money” it’s probably because of your outstanding loans eating up your budget.
It’s pretty understandable that due to the rising cost of living and financial precarity that individuals face today, they must take loans for something as essential and primary as education or housing. Research suggests that most homeowners have purchased their residences through some or other loan.
However, if you can’t avoid loans for essential elements, try to restrict them to the lowest. This way, you can set a reasonable saving goal and stick to it unquestionably.
2. Set reasonable saving goals
Knowing what you need to save for makes it much more straightforward. Setting attainable savings goals spurs you to make the difficult financial choices for responsible saving.
Your objectives can take years or decades to accomplish if they are significant ones, like retiring or purchasing a home.
In these situations, it’s crucial to assess your progress regularly. You can only determine how far you’ve gone and still must go by standing back, looking at your finances, and making changes accordingly.
In the meantime, you can also utilize the financial market to make certain investments that’ll aid your savings in the long run. Moreover, don’t be too hard on yourself if you skip an installment for your savings accounts. Every month won’t be the same.
3. Restrict avoidable expenses
Understanding that your saving will automatically increase once you restrict certain expenses is not rocket science. So, what are these expenses? They can be anything from the cable fee to a monthly financial subscription you aren’t using regularly or a cheaper phone plan.
It’s up to you to decide which expenses you want to curtail. However, don’t restrict your actual costs because that may have a detrimental effect on your household.
To better understand your financial requirements, you can set up a prolonged budget to identify your needs and discard unnecessary expenses. Some of the essential steps while making a budget are:
- Assorting financial statements
- Calculating Monthly income
- Listing monthly income
- Categorizing expenses
- Evaluating results
4. Invest in a retirement plan
Retirement can seem so far off when you’re young, active, and healthy that it’s almost not worth considering. However, providing a substantial effort to retirement plans comprises a pivotal component of your saving goals.
Once you’ve established a particular profession, you must consider retirement savings. The earlier, the better, unless you’re one of the fortunate few who stand to inherit significant wealth.
Even though practically everyone’s circumstances are unique, and their income levels vary, it’s wise to budget between 60 and 85 percent of your annual income to support your existing way of living for each year you retire.
5. Spend extra income judiciously
It’s always wise to use additional income, like any substantial work bonuses, inheritances, or tax refunds, wisely and with the motivation of saving rather than spending.
Additionally, you would be better off spending that additional income to settle any outstanding credit card debt or school loans if you are still in debt rather than saving them.
If you don’t have any debt and are looking for ways to save money, utilize the extra money to increase your emergency fund or saving account. You can also save that money in fixed deposits or use the financial market to get investment returns. Some other areas where you can invest your additional income are:
- Real Estate
- Bonds
- Cryptocurrency
- Individual stocks
6. Be careful when investing in stocks
Investing in stocks can be rewarding to earn extra cash if you’ve been saving carefully and have a little extra money. However, the downturn in the market fortunes can also take a hit on your saving, so you must invest smartly.
Be aware that any money you put into the stock market can be lost forever, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.
As a result, you shouldn’t use it as a means of long-term saving. As an alternative, think of the stock market as a place where you can take calculated risks with money you can afford to lose. That way, you can preserve your savings in the long run and have a steady income.
7. Reduce your energy usage
Undoubtedly, your energy bills comprise a massive chunk of your monthly expenses. So, dwindling your overall energy cost can significantly impact your monthly and energy savings. You can use well-established tricks to ensure your energy bill is low.
- Don’t forget to turn off your lights when you aren’t using them. That will save you a lot of money in energy bills.
- Avoid using heaters and ACs as much as you can. These appliances are great drivers of energy units and consume a lot of energy.
- I prefer good household wiring and connectivity over rickety ones. Improve the ones that are old because old wirings are not only dangerous but also consumes more energy.
- Invest in solar panels. Over time, they’ll save you a lot of money.
8. Don’t overspend on food
Food is undoubtedly an essential commodity that requires a substantial portion of our budget. However, there is a general tendency to overspend on food since many options are available.
If you feel like you’re overspending on food, try to purchase food and vegetables in bulk and avoid eating outside.
Once you manage your dietary needs accordingly, you’ll realize the total money you save. Additionally, you can also use discounts and select comparatively cheaper grocery stores.
Summary
How to save money as a teen or how to save money as a working adult shouldn’t be questions that you should be asking. What’s important is that you save cash at all times, not at a specific age or time.
Using the abovementioned methods, you can easily supplement your income and enhance your overall savings. You just need to identify the areas where you can improve and adjust accordingly.
