Saving money begins with your mindset and sometimes the hardest thing about saving money is just getting started.
Avoid thinking of money-saving techniques as restrictive — although they can often feel that way.
Depending on how much you want to save, here’s how to do it.
1. Record Your Expenses
The first step to saving money is to figure out how much you spend. Keep track of all your expenses — that means every coffee, newspaper and snack you buy.
Ideally, you can account for every penny. Once you have your data, organize the numbers by categories, such as gas, groceries and mortgage, and total each amount.
Consider using your credit card or bank statements to help you with this. If you bank online, you may be able to filter your statements to easily break down your spending.
2. Budget
Once you have an idea of what you spend in a month, you can begin to organize your recorded expenses into a workable budget.
Your budget should outline how your expenses measure up to your income — so you can plan your spending and limit overspending.
In addition to your monthly expenses, be sure to factor in expenses that occur regularly but not every month, such as car maintenance.
3. Plan on Saving Money
Now that you’ve made a budget, create a savings category within it. Try to put away 10–15 percent of your income as savings.
If your expenses are so high that you can’t save that much, it might be time to cut back. To do so, identify non-essentials that you can spend less on, such as entertainment and dining out.
Tip: Considering savings a regular expense, similar to groceries, is a great way to reinforce good savings habits.
4. Choose Something to Save For
One of the best ways to save money is to set a goal. Start by thinking of what you might want to save for — anything from a down payment for a house to a vacation — then figure out how long it might take you to save for it.
Here are some examples of short- and long-term goals:
- Short-term (1–3 years)
a). Emergency fund (3–9 months of living expenses, just in case)
b). Vacation
c). Down payment for a car
- Long-term (4+ years)
a). Retirement
b). Your child’s education
c). Down payment on a home or a remodelling project
5. Prioritize
After your expenses and income, your goals are likely to have the biggest impact on how you save money. Be sure to remember long-term goals — it’s important that planning for retirement doesn’t take a back seat to shorter-term needs.
Prioritizing goals can give you a clear idea of where to start saving. For example, if you know you’re going to need to replace your car in the near future, you could start putting money away for one.
6. Invest by Choosing a Trustworthy Financial Team
Unfortunately, the recent rash of financial scams reminds us all that you can do practically everything right — including working hard, saving and investing your whole life — and still wind up penniless if you don’t have trustworthy financial advisors in your corner.
We at Ekvity, strive to bring long term superior returns to its clients by guiding investments through the Indian Financial Markets. We provide our clients with financial advisory and execution services and with our professional expertise aspire to be the financial shelter for our clients.
Visit our site on www.ekvity.com to know more about the Pre-IPO and Wealth Management services offer and get your savings to create wealth for you, Today!
