As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The next best time, is
right now.
With all the
questions you may have around saving and investing it can make it hard to
actually get started. But the best thing you can do for yourself and your
family is just begin! Start learning, begin acting on the information you find,
assessing the outcomes, and implementing changes to best suit your needs.
Heading into
2016 I knew that I needed to start boosting my savings account substantially as
it was slipping below the minimum threshold that serves as a psychological
comfort zone. The previous year, I had to purchase a new vehicle which depleted
a significant portion of my savings. Compound that with irresponsibly managing my monthly cash flows two years before and I was approaching a slippery slope. With
only 3 months of savings in my emergency account I decided to make some
immediate changes for the year ahead.
Below are
some of the methods that I used to rebuild my savings over the course of 2016 to
just over five month’s worth of living expenses.
Ultimately,
there is nothing novel about what I did. In fact, the actions are all simple but effective methods that you too can use to grow your savings.
Reduce
Cable/Internet Costs
Take a look
at any recurring monthly costs and see if you can cut or eliminate any of them.
For me, my biggest recurring expense is my cable and internet bill. First, try
to switch providers in order to get a one year teaser rate. For me, this was
not an option so I restructured my existing plan to be more affordable without
giving up much in channel selection and actually gaining internet speed.
Cutting this
bill reduced my monthly costs by around $40 which amounts to near $480 in
savings this year.
Change Car Insurance
Car
insurance can be another costly monthly or semi-annual expense. You must remember the US is a free market economy and you can choose who you pay for your
insurance. That said, shop around and see what the competitors of your current
provider are charging for a comparable plan.
For me, I
was able to save 16% this year on my car insurance which added almost another
$100 to my annual savings.
Reduce or
Change Your Phone Coverage
As with the
cable and internet costs, shop around and see if competitors can provide a
better price for your plan. In my case, I stayed with my existing provider and
saved around $31 a month.
This added
another $372 to my savings for 2016.
Eliminate Duplicate
or Unnecessary costs
Check
your financial statements and see what recurring monthly costs can be
eliminated. For example, I changed the terms of my checking account and
eliminated an annoying $2 monthly fee or $24 annually. Obviously, this is not a
terribly meaningful amount of money saved over the course of the year but every
little bit helps. You may find there are other costs that can be cut from your
accounts which could amount to an additional $100 or more in annual savings.
Also,
think about any subscription services you may have used in the past but do not
any longer, then eliminate them. For example, I was using a car and travel
service membership program that my new insurance provider already included in
the costs for much less. So, I canceled that membership and added another $75
to my savings account.
Use Coupons
and Discounts
If there is
only one reason to still check your “snail mail,” it’s to find coupons. Personally,
I prefer to have them sent to me rather than actively looking for them online.
However, there are good resources like RedPlum where you can sign up for discounts.
Using coupons can amount to several hundred dollars in savings a year if your
spending needs are that high.
Additionally,
if you know you need to buy an expensive item for the home, wardrobe, or
elsewhere make sure you shop around for deals. Do comparison price shopping and
ask different venders if they will match a competitor’s price. I have found
that limited-time discounts on big ticket items work well for me.
Save Your
Tax Refund and Refinance Your Home Mortgage
If you are
eligible for a Federal tax refund, do yourself a favor and put the majority of
the money in your savings account. This is simply the fastest way to
meaningfully boost your account value. For me, this provided a significant increase
and accounted for around 33% of my savings growth in 2016.
Also, if you
are a homeowner plan to refinance your mortgage before interest rates begin
moving up over the next few years. Consider refinancing your 30 year mortgage
to a 15 year term with a lower interest rate. In doing so you can lower your
monthly payment, thereby increasing the amount of cash you have left over each
month to save.
Set a Goal to
Only Buy Essential Items
This may be
the most challenging of all the tips I have to share with you because it
requires a large amount of discipline. That is, you need to exhibit a high
degree of will power in order to withhold from buying nonessential items. For
example, the clothes you, and I ;),
really want!
However, it
is important that you give yourself the opportunity to enjoy small, routine
rewards like your favorite coffee or a meal at your favorite restaurant. Otherwise,
starving and depriving yourself will cause you to end up on a financial binge
later on and you will be no farther ahead on your path toward your savings
goal, or possibly even behind!
In total,
from the tips above I grew my savings account by 60% this year! Again, I added another two months living
expenses to the account and created some psychological comfort.
Start using some
of your down time this weekend or around the holidays to look at your bills and
find ways that you can reduce your own costs. Think of the steps you need to take today in order to chip away at reaching your financial goals by a
specified time. Remember, small accomplishments add up to big accomplishments.
Then, review your savings goal regularly. Envision yourself having that number you want in
your account and make it your reality.
Feel free to
let me know how it goes and if you have any other suggestions.
As always,
if you have questions or comments, feel free to send me a message. Thanks for
reading.
John
Comments
Post a Comment