You are reading this because you know that it’s never too late to start saving. You’ve heard the statistics, seen the graphs, and read about the consequences of not having enough money for retirement. It’s not just a little bit scary – it will be A MAJOR BUMMER if you don’t save now, like ever. The good news is that there are many ways to get started with your savings plan today!
Consequences Of Not Starting Saving Now
You Will Be Putting Your Future Happiness On Hold. Retirement is supposed to bring you joy, not stress and anxiety.
– Always In Debt: You will never be able to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck.
– It Will Be Harder To Pay For Your Daily Expenses. You might have to work longer, spend less on entertainment and travel, or even move back in with your parents!
– You Have To Rely On Social Security: If you are relying on social security when you retire – it’s not looking good right now. Save yourself the heartbreak of coming up short before retirement.
– You Will Have To Retire Later Than You Want. That means more time not doing the things that make you happy and less time with your friends and family.
– There Are No Guarantees In Life: if the unexpected happens (job loss, illness), then it’s nice to know that your savings plan has got you covered.
-No Peace Of Mind: It can be frustrating and depressing to wonder if you will have enough money for retirement.
14 Ways To Start Saving Now
The good news is that there are many ways to get started with your savings plan today! Here are 14 of them:
1. Save $20/Week by cutting out Starbucks coffee for a year, limiting yourself to one cup per week (if you can).
2. Start With A Small Goal to build your confidence.
Join Acorns, an easy way to invest the change in your bank account for you – plus earn extra money!
3. Set Up Automatic Transfers from your checking account into savings every payday. There are apps that will do this for you, like Qapital and Digit. You can even do this through your bank’s app.
4. Find Saving Accounts: Visit a website like NerdWallet to find the best saving accounts for you based on your age and location.
5. Keep A Jar: Use a cash envelope system or jar method to limit yourself from spending too much money every day/week/month if that is an issue for you.
6. Pay By Cash: It will make you more concerned about your expenditures and you will intentionally spend and save.
7. Cut Out Cable Altogether and utilize an antenna or streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, etc. You can save $100s (if not more!) per year by doing this!
8. Consistent Saving To Buy Something: Put all of your change in a jar every week and then use it to purchase something nice for yourself or your home every month. This is a great way to build up an emergency fund, as well. It’s even possible to save $100s in this manner if you do it consistently.
9. Cook At Home: Limit takeout food by cooking more at home – there are many recipes available online for cheap and easy meals. You can still enjoy dining out, just not as much. Set a limit on how many times per week or month that you’ll go out to eat and stick to it. You can even do this with grocery shopping too if there is something specific that you want to limit yourself to on a weekly basis. Remember that there are always healthier alternatives at home!
10. Find Saving Options: Spend less money by using coupons, shopping around for the best deal, and only buying items when they’re on sale or discounted – use an app like Honey to find discounts online before you buy anything online (this is especially helpful for Amazon). You can also make your own coupons or use a site like RetailMeNot to find the best deals.
11. Use Social Strength: Join an online community of people who are trying to save money, too. It is good for accountability. Here is one example: Reddit/Frugal.
12. Stay Motivated: If you are already saving money but want more motivation, check out list of inspiring quotes and writings on success with savings.
13. Set Up Automatic Deductions from your paycheck or checking account into a retirement savings plan, like an IRA. The money is taken out before you have a chance to spend it on something else.
14. Saving Account For Children Education: Open up an account to save for your child’s education at their future school. You will be giving them one less thing to worry about and help prepare them for success as adults.
Conclusion
It’s never too late to start saving, but you’ll be happier if you do it sooner rather than later. Give the above listed methods a try but the most important things are motivation and consistency. To stay motivated set multiple saving goals from smaller to larger.
