Have you decided to adopt the “new year, new me” approach for 2019? Chances are your new year goals have something to do with saving money or saving up for something in particular. We all want to be able to afford the things we love and treat ourselves every now and then, but it often comes at a price – or lack thereof. So, let’s see how we can easily save money this year!
- Start Taking Lunch to Work:
You’ve been saying it for a while now haven’t you, that you would start packing left-overs or make a quick sanga’ in the morning before you run to the bus. Well, it’s 2019 and it’s the new year so you’ve got to put those “I should” “I would’s” to work. Start by planning your weeks meals out day by day then you can plan what meals will be good to take as left-overs and what mornings you might need to wake up that little bit earlier.
- Get a Balance Transfer Card:
If you’re carrying credit card debt, perhaps consider a transfer. As interest rates have been on the rise, it might be worth looking into a balance transfer card before the rates go up any more than they have already.
- Adopt the 50, 30, 20 rule:
An easy way to budget is to adopt this simple rule: 50% of your earnings each week spent on your needs (groceries, transportation, rent), 30% on your wants (movies, going out to dinner, new things) and 20% towards your future planning (debt payments, savings etc).
- Put Money Away:
Putting money away automatically weekly or monthly creates great money habits. Even if you’re only putting away $100 a month, at the end of the year it will add up to $1200! It’s important to get into the habit so that it becomes an automatic response when you get paid.
Saving money isn’t easy and finding the best way to save money isn’t straightforward. It’s about trying different strategies to find the one that’s best suited to you. However, no matter what strategy you adopt, the main thing to remember is consistency and healthy money habits – it’s all about creating healthy habits for yourself.
