Little Ways to Saving Big
A wise man once quoted, “From small beginnings come great things”, which can also be applied on saving. This is indeed a very apt statement that holds true for practically everything we do in life. We cannot start anything big without starting at the bottom. The same goes even for our bank accounts. Unless you receive a windfall, the only way to incur big savings would be to start from small.
Saving is a conscious effort. It is not something that comes automatically. It entails sacrifice and discipline. However should you be able to master the art of saving, it will become second nature to you, enabling you to put aside a nest egg for your future. But the nest egg will not grow by itself if you do not put something in it. So here are some small ways on how you can put aside big savings for the future:
How to Save on A Daily Basis
Try to limit your spending to the necessary things. Instead of always eating out, choose to eat at home for dinner instead. Not only is it healthier, but you will be able to save a lot in the long run. As for your lunch at the office, if you can wake up an hour earlier, you should be able to prepare food to bring along. The easiest thing to pack would be a sandwich. Just buy ingredients at the supermarket and you are good to go. Just imagine, buying just one sandwich at a café will be tantamount to about two to three times the amount you spend on ingredients to make sandwiches on your own. Think about all the savings!
Make Saving Mandatory
One of the easiest ways to save would be by making saving mandatory. It is easy to say that expenditures are too high or that there is always nothing left at the end of month. It is harder to put aside money for savings as it is always tempting to touch the savings. One way to go about with this would be to set aside a percentage of your salary and place it in an account which you cannot touch. It can be an account you share with your spouse or trusted family member. That way you will be forced to make do with your existing funds and budget wisely.
Use Your Credit Card Wisely
It is always good to have at least one credit card on hand, in case of emergencies. Just make sure that you are clear with what qualifies as an emergency. An emergency would not be that little black dress you were drooling over. An emergency, however, would be a family member getting hospitalized or the likes. But always make sure that once you use your credit card, you will have ample funds to pay off your credit card bill. You will be given thirty days to roll anyway so make sure to prioritize the payment of your card to avoid any interests.
Give Up Unnecessary Luxuries
When it comes to spending, everyone has something which they can consider to be their Waterloo. It could be a propensity to tinker with electronics, hence the need to always buy the latest gadgets. It could also be an uncontrollable urge to shop for clothes all the time. Evaluate your lifestyle and assess what your unnecessary luxuries are. It could range from that daily cup of designer coffee to that monthly shopping spree. By just giving up one or two of those unnecessary luxuries, you will be able to save a lot. Know what your weaknesses are. If you know that you have the tendency to shop a lot, avoid the malls during a sale.
Go the DIY route
A lot of people tend to spend unnecessarily for services of chores they can just do themselves. Instead of spending a lot on gardening services, just set the budget for that and put that into your savings account. Then do mow your lawn by yourself or get your family to chip in with the task. Not only is that good exercise, but it will also be healthier for your bank account. Scan the list of things you pay for and see which services can be weeded out and done alone.
Saving is definitely not an easy task. But once you get the ball rolling, there will be a ripple effect which you will greatly benefit from.
Photo Attribution
Featured and 1st image by 401(K) 2012 [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
2nd image by Francisco Anzola (Hats!) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
