It can be difficult to curb your spending habits in favor of saving money. The following 4 tips for saving money is a great start. The first thing to realize is that your current spending habits have been established for some time and it will take some changes in your lifestyle to get you quickly back on track.
Changing your ways is very possible and before you know it you will be planning for tomorrow, today.
#1- Curb Impulse Buying
Oftentimes, one of the hardest challenges is to stop impulse buying. This does more damage than you realize and stopping this will really enhance your savings. Develop a budget and stick to it is the best of the 4 tips for saving money.
Preparing a list before you go out will help, but to really achieve maximum results you will have to make a separate list of wants and needs before considering any major purchase.
We all have wants, but having to save for them will help you to realize the importance and expense. Learn to pay cash for daily expenses.
#2 – Don’t Use More Than Half Your Credit
Credit cards a great invention; however, it is too easy to get caught up with them. First of all, if you have more than three it is time to dispose of some. The 2nd of the tips for saving money is to keep only major cards and limit this to a couple for emergencies.
Some cards offer a transfer of balance from another card; take advantage of this and cancel the other cards. If your balances are high, they are affecting your credit score, so you want to pay more than what is due and never have more than half of the credit line used.
#3 – Save More When You Can
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When it comes to establishing a savings account, start out small with whatever you can afford. Then as your salary grows, contribute more and more.
You will see your savings grow in no time and then when an emergency does arrive you will have your savings to bail you out instead of a credit card with interest.
Get in the habit of returning the funds to your savings as if you had put them on a card and give yourself a deadline. Make saving a minimum of 20% of your take home earnings a priority.
#4 – Eat Out less
Eating out puts a strain on your wallet and is really unnecessary spending as you can bring your lunch to work for a fraction of the cost. There have been times when I’ve spent over $200 per week eating out at restaurants. Once I scaled it back by 50%, I was able to start saving an additional $400 per month!
A great tip to saving more money is to bring your lunch to work a few days a week and reduce eating out to once or twice a month as a treat.
Buying coffee can also really add up. Why not invest in a portable coffee cup and make it at home to take with you instead?
Saving money really does not have to be difficult, but you have to first determine where your problems lie. Make sure it’s not that you’re living above your means. If this is the case, earn more or cut back.
Whether you are an impulse buyer or you simply spend too much, recognizing the problem areas will help you learn where to cut down. It will not happen overnight but before you know it, you will be saving like a true pro.
