My plan is to start saving money, but when I look in the
mirror I can see signs of aging on my face, whether that has something to do
with the fact that I have run out of my Sunday Riley good genes or because I
have been recently under the weather, but my dwindling supply of skincare products and lack of money makes me slightly
panic! However I know I have to do it, for the future me. I have debts from overindulging
in expensive products, clothes, Christmas and a credit card full from moving
into our first flat 3 years ago! I made good progress with my debts a few years ago and now they seem to be building up again and I have goals as to why I want to pay off my
debts, and start saving that is spurring me on, although I know it is going to
be hard! Here are my tips when thinking about starting to save:
1 Why do you want to save? to just be free of debt and
extra payments that come from borrowing money?, saving for something in
particular? – something really special that will motivate you like a new
computer or moving house for example.
2 Make a plan; add up all of your monthly outgoings, these are
things that you must pay for like your mortgage, bills, phone contract etc. From what is left, work out how much you will need to survive on each month
for things like food, toiletries, travel expenses, this doesn’t include any treats!
3 Once you have worked out how much money you think you could
survive on each month, take it all out in cash (unless it is needed for any
online payments) that way you can visually see how much money you are spending
and once its gone its gone.
4 Track your progress; I use something visual where I can
track my progress so that I can see that I am saving like a chart. By checking your accounts regularly and marking it on a chart like this, it will be a constant reminder and inspiration to save. You could even add a
picture of the item that is inspiring you to save to keep u motivated. Put it in places you are most likely to overindulge like near your computer or even in your purse to deter you when watching a lovely 'un-boxing' or 'haul' video on youtube.
5 Saving like this can be really hard when there are so many
things around you wanting you to spend your money. Look at the obvious: shops – once you enter you are swayed by offers and sales, even if you avoid them completely, they can get to you at home thru emails, adverts, and social media. Try to
avoid the shops and unsubscribe from emails of shops you know you love to buy from, plus
once you are ready to shop, these sites often give you a discount just for
signing up to their emails!
6 If you find that there is something that you really want
then write it down on a wants list and check back a few days/weeks later to see
if you even remembered that you wanted it in the first place. If you do still want it then either add
another picture to motivate you into saving for it, or you could factor things
like this into a separate saving each month. I do this to help me achieve other goals I have like getting all the workouts I plan done each week, I can only
obtain these savings once I have completed a goal – I like to use this for my workout goals
as I struggle with these the most.
Anyway, I hope you found this helpful and please share your money saving ideas and inspiration in the comments!
Thanks for reading,
Lian
