 How can such a small, four letter word become so daunting? We hear it everywhere these days: Save. It’s important. That simple? Wrong. Saving takes effort and we all have to learn how.
Where to Start?
Single brush strokes paint the whole picture. Preparing to start is simple: what do YOU need to do to SAVE more money? Take a deep breath and make that all-important first step. Here are some ideas:
Be Fashionably Cheapskate
Spending less enhances the success of long term saving. Every little bit saved accumulates. Review your spending habits regularly. The needs versus the wants will soon “jump out at you,” making it remarkably clear just where exactly money can be saved. Do you really need magazine reading material delivered to your doorstep?
Close store accounts. They’re handy for helping to build a credit record, but are those benefits giving you as much to concern yourself with as your regular accounts to be paid? Make it a special treat to take advantage of sales instead. The small amount you’ll save soon adds up.
Budget
When we need to save more, a push can often feel like a rather harsh shove. Human beings are naturally visual creatures. When we can see precisely how much money we have coming in, as well as how much is going out, areas where we can save more are easier to identify.
Budgets have a knack for becoming habit forming. Once we all adopt a habit, it’s difficult to break. Saving long term without this handy little helper will definitely make it all the more difficult to do.
Dining In and Dining Out
There’s a chef in all of us. It comes with practice and lots of it for many! What a money saver it can be! Would it cost you more to make that cup of coffee at home instead of purchase one en route to work every morning? Fast food is fabulous and suits most of our lifestyles. It is not, however, a need. It’s a business based almost entirely on want. We all want convenience. Plan ahead for your need to eat. It may work out cheaper, and more nutritional for your overall health and well being too.
Smart Shopping
Shopping need not be a chore or something to feel guilty about. Enjoy it, but with your head firmly in place. Take advantage of the savings, however small, at your disposal. Shopping online can also offer some saving benefits. Sales make good business and they are plentiful. Shop around. You never know what you might find in the way of saving, but be wary of pitfalls. Not everyone may be as honest as you are.
Needs versus wants: the temptress will always be lurking in the next shop. Remind yourself that where a want takes the place of a need, not a dime is saved.
Put Money Away
Saving doesn’t just mean counting the pennies in your piggy bank. Make some solid contributions too. Structure your saving routine. Small fixed amounts can be put away at intervals that suit your pocket. Once in the habit of doing this regularly, motivation, too, is acquired. You may end up putting away larger amounts later on.
About the author: Bronwen is a copywriter based in Johannesburg. She loves to write and is keen to lay down foundations in pursuit of a career in writing, copywriting and/or journalism. She also has a keen interest in conceptual and fine art photography, travel and tourism, as well as creative writing. She is currently taking a diploma course in copywriting through a UK based institution, and aims to develop a successful career in the magazine/media industry.
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