Your saving habits might not be working out for you – why? Simply because they’re not the ones you should be aiming for! Sometimes all you need to do is think about things a little more thoroughly, and make some simple changes here and there to ensure you’ve got more cash in your savings account in the new year. And doesn’t that sound nice?
So, without further ado, we’ve got a couple of tips to help you with taking a look at your saving habits. Keep them in mind if you’re worried about your finances at the moment, seeing as Christmas is coming and that’s a classically expensive time for us all!
Maybe you just need to pick up a piggy bank once again? For all the spare change? (Pexels Image – CC0 Licence)
Maybe it’s Time to Bank Differently?
First of all, it might be worth your time to make sure you’re banking with the right people, and have the right benefits and interest rates on your side. After all, there are quite a few banks out there, and you really can chop and change as you like – you can even get a cash bonus for choosing to open an account with a new bank, and moving all of your money from one to the other!
Have a look around at your options – plenty of online banks exist out there now, beating out the traditional competition by offering low to no interest rates, as well as a lot more access to your money. Of course, you might receive fewer benefits, but you can also check out some Green Dot reviews if those matter a lot more to you.
Are You Putting Away Too Little, or Too Much?
It can go both ways. Sometimes we’re so obsessed with being able to save our money that we cut out all non-necessary forms of spending. But what’s enjoyable about that? Because when you want to take your family out for a meal, or have a night out with friends, any spending you do is going to weigh heavily on your conscience. All in all, you won’t enjoy yourself at all, even when you’re perfectly allowed to!
At the same time, of course, you need to be sure you’re saving a good portion of your regular income. You never know when a rainy day is on the horizon, and for peace of mind, a financial safety net will go a long way. If you don’t know how much to save month by month, aim to put away about a fifth of your paycheck – if you can’t manage that at the moment, even just the last 5% of your income going away will take you much further than before.
Your saving habits might need some changing and rearranging, and it will be a lot easier to do so than you might think. Sometimes you just need to take a look at your habits, and see how they’re ruling your life; changing your finances is often uncomfortable.