My great friend Menos Hiras used to talk to me all of the time about the importance of saving money, something which to be honest, I ignored for quite some time. Ever since I have known Menos he has had a great attitude towards financial management and his ability to save has been pretty inspirational to be honest with you. It was this time last year that I decided to seek some advice from Menos, and he helped me to put together a plan for kickstarting my savings in 2019. Menos has been such a wonderful help and thanks to him, this year has been a real financial success for me. His tips and guidance were essential for me, and I wanted to pass on some of those tips for you, so that you can make 2020 the best t can be.
Saving With Debt
There is a temptation to think that you won’t start a savings plan until you are debt free, but this is not a smart idea. Whilst it may cost you more in the long run regarding interest, the fact of the matter is that if you decide to attack the debt rather than save, you are far less likely to do it. Naturally if you are in big debt problems then this will be your first port of call, but if you have debt on credit cards or personal loans then continue paying as normal, and focus on your savings goals.
Change the Facts
The best piece of advice which I learned from Menos was about my salary, and how to pretend that it isn’t there. As we make more money we spend more, and ignore the chance to save. With this in mind then, a great idea to get your savings off the ground is to simply pretend that you earn less than you do. Let’s say you are making $80k now, pretend that this is $65k and dedicate yourself to saving the other $15k. If you were demoted tomorrow you would still survive on that $65k, and in living within those means you can make a huge contribution to your savings.
Focused
Starting a savings plan is not as easy as simply setting up an account and then transferring a certain amount into each month. This is about you being completely focused on saving money in every aspect of your life. You should be managing your daily spends, looking into your service providers and trying to get a better rate, and limiting spending money on large items that aren’t necessary. Having a savings pot gives you great power, both in terms of spending, investing and giving you the peace of mind that you are financially covered regardless of what happens. In order to get that savings pot, you have to be completely dedicated to saving your money, spending less, and being financially astute.
Get started now and in just 12 months you could have a great savings pot available.