Top 5 Practical Saving Tips to Live By

The Power of Now

It’s almost the start of a new year and it is a common tradition for people to include in their
New Year’s resolution “to start saving money”. But what does it truly take to start saving
money? In this article, I’ll be giving my top 5 practical saving tips for people who are
already earning but can’t seem to get the most out of their pay.
Before we get into detail, we should first address what needs fixing and that is our mindset
towards saving. A lot, if not most, people view saving as something that’s an obligation or in
fact a punishment, but this should not be the case. In order to fully get into the spirit of
saving, one must perceive it as a reward or preparation for a future endeavor which is
financial freedom. Given this, the power of now has a significant impact in our future. If you
want to save, do it now. An important concept to consider is the time value of money.
Tip #1: Set a Specific Goal
One big mistake when it comes to saving is that people have no specific goal in mind.
Whether or not it’s as simple as buying a car to growing a diversified portfolio, you should
be able to assess your personal goals. What am I saving up for? When am I possibly going to
use it? These questions will help you determine how much money you should allocate in
order to reach that goal of yours. Be specific such as: “save for a P5,000.00 weekly grocery”,
“save for a brand new D-max car”, “save P20,000.00 for my 2 nd semester law degree tuition”.
Tip #2: Pay Yourself First
Once you have your specific goal ready, it’s now time to get into the important part of saving
– the method you’re going to use in order to reach your goal(s). If there’s a concept being
repeated in finance, it’s that you need to pay yourself first. What does this mean? It means
that before you do anything with your pay, allocate a specific amount of money that needs
to be kept or saved. It can be a specific amount of cash or a percentage of your monthly
income. This method prioritizes saving money and it’s actually an effective method.
Tip #3: Eliminate Unnecessary Expenses
Get rid of those unnecessary subscriptions and shopping applications on your phone. Ask
yourself: Do I really need this? If this was to be eliminated in my life, can I still go on and
live by life? If it’s something you really need, choose a cheaper alternative. Look for other
options which you can save cash.
Tip #4: Make Your Lifestyle Simple
You know what they say, the simpler the better. This is indeed true especially when it comes
to saving money. It may not be obvious but our lifestyle determines the amount of money
that we get to save at the end of the day. If you want to save more cash, think of foregoing
some things like partying or going out to eat. The important thing to consider is also
moderation. You can splurge on some things once in a while as a reward.
Tip #5: Invest What You’ve Saved
Out of all the tips, this one is the most important. And this is to invest what you’ve saved.
Why? We want to let our money grow! The concept of compounding comes into mind.
Because of the power of compounding, we’re able to save again the money we originally put
plus earnings.