Both of these statements are great advice that may seem (to some) hopelessly
out-of-date, old-fashioned, and just not realistic anymore. After all, we live in
the world of “Buy now, pay later”, “Easy credit”, “Year-end closeouts” and “You
are pre-approved for you own special Rewards Visa card”. No need to plan for the
future, it’s better to live for today, make your home a castle, and start each day
as if you’ll end it as a millionaire.
NONSENSE. The way to secure your future is simple: save your money. And we’re
not talking just about putting part of each paycheck into a savings account (which
of course you should do); we’re talking about learning to live in a frugal manner,
living within your means, and constantly looking for new money savings tips and
strategies to secure your financial well-being.
Ask any financial expert and they will tell you that the most important thing
you can do is put in place a strategy to hang on to your money rather than spending
it on stuff, things, and other stuff that in the long run drag you down into debt
and disarray.
By now, you may be wondering what saving money has to do with self-improvement.
More often than not, financial issues and the struggle to have more, be more, and
earn more are major contributors to self-doubt, anxiety, and a sense of being out
of control. Learning to save money is a very effective way to achieve self-improvement
and improve your self-esteem.
Money Saving Secret
One idea has been practiced for generations by people without the luxury of extra
disposable income or credit cards, or those who did but understood that it was important
to think of tomorrow today.
Here's the secret: live below your means.
In the book "The Millionaire Next Door", the author points out that most millionaires
actually live like middle-class people. Their technique, as it were, is to do what
most are unwilling to do in today's society. Most people who look the most well
off actually carry the most debt! So really, saving money is about making choices.
Ways to Save Money
So how can you save money? Paychecks can seem to disappear before they’re even
all the way in the bank, so how can you come up with the extra dollars each month
to save, invest, and put money away for the inevitable rainy day? The key is to
save money everywhere you can, in ways both big and small. It’s an idea expressed
very well by Ben Franklin and folks who lived through the Great Depression.
Here are some old-fashioned ways to save money:
- Use a coupon (or two or three) for items you need at the grocery store or
when eating out.
- Carpool or combine errands to save gas.
- Cook extra food for dinner and then freeze the leftovers for another meal.
- Shop the clearance rack.
- Check out garage sales.
- Make that pair of jeans last another couple of months by mending the hole
in the back pocket.
Think about it. There will always be more things you want than there is money
to pay for them, so somewhere along the line you will need to make some choices.
What do you want vs. what do you need? There is a big difference between
these two categories, you know, one that our consumer-oriented society loves to
blur and manipulate in order to get you to buy more stuff.
Things that are not really necessary take on greater importance when they are
depicted as “must-have” or “for the discriminating customer”. Here’s a tip for determining
the difference between a want and a need: whenever you are tempted to buy something,
try using the 24-hour rule. Don’t buy the item right away; instead, wait 24 hours
and gather more information.
Saving money can actually be good for your self-image, good for your pocketbook,
and especially good for your future. Why not give it a try? The worst that will
happen is you'll have more money available than than you did before!
