We all want to save money, we promise we will save it, but most of us never get success in this pledge. When we fail, we blame our income, our necessary expenses, and so many other things. But if we talk about the fact, only you are responsible for this failure, and there are five simple yet effective actions that you can take to save money. And the best thing about these efforts is that it can help you regardless of your income, expenses or other factors. Reduce your stress: Reducing stress is the first and the most important thing that you need to do for saving money. Not one or two, but many studies proved that stressed people spend more money compared to them who are relaxed. That is why, if you want to save more money with your limited income then make sure you deal with your stress. You can do yoga, aerobic or any other exercise for that. Even a 10 minute of a walk can do wonder for you. So, before you try any other step, just work on your stress and reduce it as much as possible.
Save first spend later: Most of us fail to save money because we try to spend first and save later. But we need use the opposite approach for saving money. If you have a shadow of doubt on that, check your savings and you will know spend first save later method does not work for anyone. Ideally, you should save 20% money from your income, and you should save it as soon as you get it. If you find it's hard for you to save 20% at this time, start with 10% or even 5% and increase it gradually. Even if you can do only 2% do that 2% saving first spend, only after that. If you have to survive on the fumes because of this change, do that but start following the practice from now.
To do it in a better way, you can open a new saving account that is purely for saving, and you will take out this money only for investment and nothing else. And as soon as you get your payment or salary, deposit 10% of that amount in this account. And make sure you do not get any debit card, online banking or phone banking for this account. This way, you can withdraw from this account only when you visit the bank, and it will restrict you to spend money from this account.
If you can save more than 10%, then put that extra amount in a separate account that you can use for your fun, your ad-hoc need or any other purpose. Have a debit card for this account, but do not carry that with you. Instead of that keep that at your home locked in a locker.
Plan your expenses: After saving the money, make sure you pay all of your due bills before spending money for any expense. Pay for your rent, EMI, school fees, credit card bills or any other bills that are pending and then only think about spending. This way, you have fewer bills to pay. That will also keep you away from stress, and you will be able to spend your money wisely.
Evaluate your expenses: We fail to save money because we spend it all, and we spend the money because we never evaluate our expenses. Most of the time, we can save money just by making some basic changes in our daily habit. Let me share that with a very basic example that is practical for almost every house.
In a bathroom, most of the people throw away 8 to 10% of their toothpaste, soap and similar other things without actually using it. You don’t trust me, go ahead and see your bathroom. To save money make sure you use it. This is only one example, but if you will look more than you will be able to save more than 10% money in your life without making any changes in your lifestyle.
Also, I am not suggesting you be a cheap person, but I am asking you to use everything that you paid for. If you think you need to use a costly soap, go ahead and buy it. I am not asking you not to buy the costly things, but I am suggesting you should use it completely and then only get a new one.
Ask- Do I need it: Unnecessary purchasing is another big problem because of which we fail to save money. Many people don't think twice before buying anything, and later we realize we never needed that. You can avoid this mistake just by installing a simple practice in your life, and this habit is asking a question do I need it. Let’s say, you are purchasing something online and you see a new phone with 25% off, and this deal will remain there only for 12 hours. You get excited, you say it is a fantastic deal, and you will not get it again, so you order it instantly on EMI using your credit card.
Most of us make this mistake, and we do not bother to notice that we are already paying 4 EMI’s and we increased one more in it. To avoid this mistake, it is always a good idea to ask yourself “Do I need it, will it give value to me and will it be good for my saving”. Just hold your decision for few minutes and then take your decision. Studies prove that if you can delay your decision just for 3 seconds, you can make the right decision. So, if you want to save money, make sure you ask the question before buying anything.
Stop using credit cards: Last but not the least, stop using your credit and debit cards, and I will say the same thing for e-payment as well. I am giving this suggestion because experts proved when you have credit or debit card in your wallet, then you spend more money compared to cash amount. So, if you fail to save money, prefer to pay money only by cash. But this does not mean you shall withdraw all the money from your account at once. Instead of that you shall withdraw 5 to 10% less money than your estimation and do your spending only with the cash. It will help you have more control on your spending habit as well.
And if you need to use a card, then make sure you never use a credit card unless it is a matter of life and death.
Some people fail to get control of their habit of using a credit card. For those people, I suggest they should put their card in bank locker if they have one. If that is not possible, put your credit card in a plastic bag and freeze it in a big ice block and if you have to use it due to any emergency, let the ice melt and then only use the card. This way you will have a buffer time to avoid the credit card use, and chances are high you will find an alternate solution for your problems without actually using the credit card.
With these 5 tips, you will be able to save an enormous amount of money with ease. Needless to say, you can use the money in right place, and you can get rich with your salary.
I hope it was informative, please let me know your opinion in the comments. Also, subscribe for alerts via email so you can get regular update from us.
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