By Mashum Mollah
Saving money is something that is challenging for most people. It is especially challenging when you are on a tight budget.
Most would plan on starting their savings but got stuck up with their daily expenses and do not begin to save anything. Many of them also don’t realize they’ve got money blocks. They hold this belief or fear that keeps them from earning enough money. But what are money blocks? Money blocks are a mindset or a series of thoughts, or feelings that prevent you from achieving financial success. Thinking that you have to be rich to afford a beautiful house and wondering how you’ll be able to pay off your debt are examples of money blocks related to limiting beliefs. Believing that you won’t be able to save money is another example.
However, you can beat those money blocks. Saving money may require a little extra of your effort. Here are some tips that can help you jumpstart your savings, even on a tight budget.
1. Eliminate Unnecessary Spendings:
People get to spend more than they intended sometimes. The reason for this is that they do not separate their wants from their needs.
The first thing for you to do is to separate your needs and set aside your wants. Pay close attention to your spendings and try to prioritize your finances.
If you practice spending wisely on your necessities over your wants, you may notice that you are already saving money in the process.
2. Eliminate Debt:
Saving money is even more challenging when you are drowning in your debts. The best approach that you can tackle first is to pay off your high-interest debts.
After paying off your high-interest debts, in time, you will be able to save more. Some people would not dare pay their debts aggressively. They think that it would burden their monthly expenses.
But if you keep on paying debts in lower amounts for a longer time, this will significantly affect your expenses negatively. You might not be able to save money earlier. And you will be stuck in a situation where you spend money on necessities and paying debts.
3. Review Your Budget:
Reviewing your budget might be a little of a hustle for some busy individuals. However, if you are not doing this, you should probably start doing so.
Our lifestyle changes every time thus changing our expenses. That means your budget in the past might not suit your past budget in the present time. It’s the reason why reviewing the budget is helpful with your savings.
4. Track Your Spending:
After setting up your budget, the next thing that you should do is track your spending. Sometimes, we might not realize that we already overspent on something.
Monitor it regularly and make adjustments according to your needs. It will help you manage your expenses wisely. It will give you ideas on how much you spend in a month. Nowadays, tracking your spending is way easier. You can use mobile apps and memos to help you monitor your spending regularly.
5. Save Your Extra Paychecks:
Some people get their salary monthly, while others get paid biweekly. For those who earn biweekly, there are chances for them to make it three times a month.
But some diligent individuals earn monthly, at the same time, make additional income through part-time jobs. These people made it possible to earn extra paychecks.
The question is, what are you going to do with the extra money you earn? Should you buy something for yourself? Or save it for future needs?
Here’s a tip for you. Set aside your extra income and save it after paying off all your credit bills and other household bills. It’s more effective to build personal and emergency funds.
Just look at the calendar and evaluate which months you will receive three paychecks. Assess your schedule, then plan. Control your spending, and you will see the result of it. Slowly, you’d be able to settle what needs to be resolved.
6. Set Up a Sinking Fund:
Your daily expenses may not always go according to your budget plan. When these unforeseeable circumstances happen, we often have to spend more than what we have planned for.
These unexpected expenses will turn into a headache if we have not saved for those finances ahead. If you are not prepared for unexpected expenses, they could worsen your financial situation.
There is no way for you to foresee those expenses. That is why you need to set a sinking fund in your monthly budgeting plan. Your sinking fund could be your Christmas or holiday fund, car maintenance, and medical bills.
To set up your sinking fund, you’ll need to revisit your monthly budget and determine which category you want to cut to have extra money. For example, if you feel that you don’t need to go to the gym every month, you can discontinue your subscription and reserve the money for your sinking fund.
However, when determining what to cut from your budget, you should ask yourself whether you actually need or just want it. That way, it’ll be easy to build your sinking fund.
7. Do the 50/30/20 Budget Rule:
The 50/30/20 budgeting is one of the most effective techniques, especially for those who are on a tight budget.
50% of your monthly budget should go to your home necessities, including housing, utilities, transportation, and groceries.
Your wants would instead use thirty percent of the budget. Simultaneously, the 20% portion of it would be your savings or fund to settle debts. That could be for your credit cards, loan, emergency fund, or retirement fund.
8. Cut Utility Use:
There is no way for us to eradicate our utility bills. It goes together with our necessities. But there are some ways that we can take to lower our utility expenses.
You can minimize the use of your electrical devices or appliances. You can also turn off your AC when not needed or when you have to go out of our house. Again, try to use utilities that are energy-efficient to lessen your electric consumption.
9. Take Advantage of Free Stuff and Cash-back App:
Online marketplaces are on the rise these days. Because of that, the number of cash-back apps is also rising. One way to save money is to utilize those cash-back apps. Some of those cash-back apps will ask you to scan your grocery receipts.
Another way to save effectively is to take full advantage of promos, sales, and free stuff. Using those free stuff, especially on your necessities, will significantly help with your savings.
10. Start a Side Hustle:
Cutting some of your expenses may not be enough when it comes to saving money. To effectively save on a tight budget, getting a side hustle is the best thing to do.
Try to at least increase your income by getting side jobs. Or you can run a small business, which is a good source of passive income. For example, if you have a passion for writing, apply for some writing jobs online. The good thing about these kinds of jobs is that you can work anytime you want from the comfort of your home or wherever you are. Or if you love baking, you can sell baked goods online or to local businesses. You might even hit a big jackpot and make your small business your primary source of income.
If your concern is the starting capital for your side hustle business, you can seek help from the Yishun money lender. If you feel any hesitation or fear, you can check the moneylender review. You’d find out how the money lender caters to the needs of the borrowers.
11. Sell Things You Do Not Use:
Decluttering and selling things that are of no use is one way to earn income and save money. If you have something at home that you no longer use, you can sell them on Etsy, eBay, or other online marketplaces.
Nowadays, Facebook is another platform where you can sell goods or products. If you have things at home that you are not using anymore but still look and work fine, try selling them out.
12. Stop Using Credit Cards:
To take you out of your debts, you need to stop making more debts. So the first thing you need to do to be out of debt and save money is to stop using your credit cards.
Credit cards usually take a high-interest rate. It could make you more indebted to banks and financial institutions. So, as much as possible, try to focus on paying your debts first.
Once you have paid off all of your debts, you will be able to save even more.
13. Create Goals:
If you easily get discouraged about saving money, the best way to keep the motivation is to create goals.
Try to make goals for a specific amount of money that you want to save each month. Set aside unnecessary spending like eating out, and put that money in your savings instead.
By creating your monthly goals, you can monitor and see how much you can go with your savings.
14. Do a Savings Challenge:
Another way to keep you motivated with your savings is to do a savings challenge. Some challenges that you can do is by inviting your friends or family to save along with you. A little competition can help get your motivation up.
Even if you are on a tight budget, there is no excuse for you not to save money. All you need to have is a little more determination. And try to apply all these effective ways that can help you get through your savings journey.
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