How to be smarter about your savings
You don’t have to have a lot of money to be smart with money. Being aware of your financial strengths and weaknesses then planning your goals around it is a form of being smart with your money. With determination and consistency, you can develop your skill and see your savings grow. Here are just some ways how:
Automate, automate, automate
With the vast amount of mobile banking applications available, you can start to automate your savings, automate your bill payments, automate your other processes. Mobile payment apps are designed to store your funds digitally to allow you to transfer money to family, friends, or merchants. Some examples of these apps are Paypal, Venmo, Paxum, Zelle, and Cash App.
With these mobile applications, you can easily move your money to where it needs to be at the least time and effort. Many applications now offer automated savings and repayments, so you can just sit and relax and let your digital wallet do all the moving. Just set the date where you pay your bills and deposit to your savings account.
Set a goal
Setting realistic goals that you can stick to pushes you to be consistent. Once you see your savings grow, it gives you the extra push to be better and aim for higher amounts. It makes you think that skipping the extra meal is worth it because the money is going to something better. But you should not restrict yourself too much when you are trying to save. You can reward yourself by eating your favorite food when you hit a milestone. No matter how big or small that goal is, there is nothing better than achieving it.
Invest
Merely saving your money in a bank does not make it grow. Yes, there are interests, but do not expect for it to be high enough. You can opt to invest a portion of your savings to make your money grow. Just remember to invest only in what you can afford to lose. Before dipping in investments, read up first on the basics and determine your risk appetite. You can start small, and when you have enough knowledge, you can start investing higher amounts.
Track your spending
No matter if you are a big spender or a thrifty person, tracking all of your expenses is essential in being a smart saver. Being aware of your spending habits gives you a wakeup call that you need to change your behavior and be a smart spender. You can track manually by writing it down in a notebook or set up an excel sheet where you can just type in all your expenses.
Being a smart saver can help you in the long run and make you prepared for any emergency that you may face. However, do not be complacent enough and just leave your money stagnant in a bank account. Do ample research and educate yourself of possible ways to grow your savings. Everyone started at 0, so don’t worry if you feel like you are left behind.
