Saving money? Easier said then done?
@XxCodyScenexX (38)
United States
March 21, 2011 9:10pm CST
Okay, I usually don't make that much money at all, and to start off with, Im a bad saver when it comes to money. When I have money, I tend to spend it right away when I get it. The only time that I really do save money is when there is something that I really really want then I will save it. I need to start saving money, bad. What usually happens is that I will buy something then after I do, I will see something that I wish I would have saved for it. Then I am upset because I didn't save my money for that but at the same time I still am glad that I bought what I bought but then I wanted to get what I wanted also, and I have a bad thing about choosing what I want to buy when it comes to money also. So where I am going with this one is, Is there any easy, fun, any way to save money?
4 people like this
20 responses
@Angelgirl16 (2171)
• United States
22 Mar 11
I don't have a problem saving because I spend all my earnings, I have trouble saving because I have real financial responsibilities to take care of. I don't remember the last time I had extra money to just go out and purchase something for fun. I do think it is important to save if you don't have serious financial obligations, and a good way to save money is to, in January, go to the bank and open a Christmas club account and when you put money in it you cannot take it out, without penalty, until Christmas. Another way to save it to put some money away in a CD, certificate deposits, which has the same rules as the Christmas club; you can't take it out without a penalty.
Above all, when it comes to saving you have to have self-discipline.
@Monkeyrose (2840)
• Canada
22 Mar 11
I usually put money in RRSPs. (registered retirement savings plans) How it works is that all the money you put into your RRSP you aren't taxed on for that tax year. When you withdraw the money you are taxed on it. So the idea is to not withdraw it until retirement. When you are retired you are not working and have a low income so you won't be taxed very high. Its a pretty good system. I've put about $4,000 in them in the past 3 years.
@lakshmi11 (278)
• United States
22 Mar 11
I always had a fixed small amount of money I was saving. It is an amount that I don't feel missing in my day to day life. At some point in my life when I was younger it was just $1. I put that on the side every time I received a paycheck.- It went automatically to a special account. Over the years this adds up. You can in time decide to put it on a Bank CD or find another way to let it grow.-
If you see something you so badly want to buy, tell yourself that the opportunity will come again and you are able to live without this thing a little longer. This will give you the opportunity to think about what you do with your money.-
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15394)
• United States
22 Mar 11
I understand this. It is easy for us to say we should save but where do we find money to save or turn around we spend everything in the wallet already. I think the way for me to save money is put away the money before you are going to spend it.
1 person likes this
@sender621 (14893)
• United States
22 Mar 11
I usually have good intentions of being a good saver when it comes to money. It seems though that i am a better spender than a saver. I am doing better at it but I still have a long ways to go.
1 person likes this
@jeffreyallen (298)
• United States
22 Mar 11
I dont know if there is a fun way to save money. You just gotta have control. I`m kinda the same way, but I`ve noticed that if I`m not out like at wal-mart or at the mall, I won`t have the impulse to buy. Out of sight, out of mind. Goodluck.
1 person likes this
@jfranco1124 (13)
• United States
22 Mar 11
Well whenever i get my paycheck i usually set a portion of it to pay my bills, some in the bank, and then i have a fund for something i want for fun. If there is something i want i can use that available fund for it. I have a pretty well paying job, so this not be such an issue for me, but you should try that method! Hope this helps!
1 person likes this
@tonyllenium (6252)
• Italy
24 Mar 11
it is not so easy starting from your point of view but if you want save may be before buying you should consider your shopping for a little bit more about time and so in this way you can understand if you need really the object you are buying or you can wait a bit before buying it and so in this time you are saving...surely if you are an impulsive shopper this topic is not easy..
@marguicha (223825)
• Chile
30 Mar 11
If I overspend at the super one day, I make cheaper dishes the next week. I don´t heat all my house in winter and wear warmer clothes so I´m not cold. There are many ways to save on gas, electricity and other house bills. This year I began my first vegetable garden. I did not save a lot as I´m still learning, but had the pleasure of eating awesome veggies for free.
I could use up all the money I earn but I prefer to live on a budget and use my online earnings to travel once a year. I just came back from a two week vacation at Aruba. I only used my online earnings. The goal is the fun for me
@santos_mlirs (271)
• Philippines
22 Mar 11
It's really hard to save money these days. With the rising prices of prime commodities in the market, the utility bills and a lot more obligations you have to pay, gosh! i really find it very hard to save. After all the checking and balancing, there's no more excess money to save. Oftentimes, i even find myself short of cash to finally settle all my obligations. When i am able to save money, something will come up and i will be able to pull out my savings again. Really depressing!!
1 person likes this
@offlimits (596)
• Philippines
22 Mar 11
I used to be so good with these kind of things.. when I was younger. Haha. But now I tend to spend my money right away too, not that they're expensive stuff or anything, but I get little money than I used to. With that little money I think, what the hell, I have the need to spend it, so I do. But of course it would also be good to save, because sooner or later I might really need it more than I do now. So I try to think hard first before buying anything.. I'm not being impulsive with things anymore. I leave money aside at home where I can't see it (and of course where anybody else won't see it either), and I keep a coin jar at least to collect some extra change that I have. And more importantly, I keep a list of things that I need and rank them in order of priority. Good day!
@deadfieldy (131)
•
24 Mar 11
The only solution to this issue.. is control to yourself.. its not that hard.. i know there,s a lot and lot of stuffs and things that tempts you to buy.. I used to be a spender when i was young but now.. seeing the real situation in real life make me think twice...
@sweet_pea (3322)
• Philippines
23 Mar 11
Treat your savings as one of your expenses. So after you received your money and pay all of your bills, allot a portion of it, even a small sum, to a savings account. It is like a forced savings. This little amount in the long run would get bigger. But as you say easier said than done. It will take a lot of discipline on your part if you really wanted to save. Good luck!
@nj_1022 (251)
•
23 Mar 11
I am in the same situation as you. During the time that I am single I think it is okay but now that I have a family, I really need to discover on ways to save money especially now that I have kids. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
@xien2xien (1382)
• Philippines
22 Mar 11
better try to save money for emergency things you see in the store will remain in the store but thing like emergency like health should take as priority better save some for that instances its never wrong to buy thing you want that's the reason why you are working so hard but be sure to save money for the things you need and not the things you want......
1 person likes this
@splizzviz (4)
• United States
16 Apr 11
There is NO easy or fun way to save money. My suggestion is to only buy things you need and just save to save money no just for something you want. I would also open a bank account and get a way-to-save account. this way every time you spend a little you save a little. Hope this helps
@Monkeyrose (2840)
• Canada
22 Mar 11
I am terrible at saving money. I'm so broke right now and have to learn not to spend it.
I tend to buy alot of takeout food. I buy it even though I have my own food.
I need to really stop because I'm planning on traveling this year and not working so I'll need the money to live while I'm traveling.
@rosekiss (30414)
• Eugene, Oregon
23 Mar 11
With the economy being the way it is, it is much harder to save than it used to be. I try to save money too, but I end up spending it when I shouldn't. What I do now, is I let my paypal account build up some and then I don't end up spending it. the times I have used it was to help pay bills when I came up short. thank goodness, that hasn't happened all that much thank goodness. I don't make all that much either, so for me it is extremely hard to save, but I hope to find other ways to make money so I can have enough and not worry about it anymore. Good luck to you and happy mylotting.
@sublime03 (2339)
• Philippines
22 Mar 11
What I started doing is putting my money with a passbook without a card so I cannot withdraw my money right away all the time. That way I can track how much money I get to put away and it would be a little harder to get money like at night when the bank is closed. Just my little way of keeping my hands off of my money. But then again, it really depends on you on how in your little ways can you save money. Yes it is hard but when you start small and then it grows on you to save a little more than the first time you do then you'll be saving in no time.
@knicnax (2233)
• Philippines
22 Mar 11
if there was, or if i knew of one, then I wouldn't be sharing your problem! Haha! I'm a trigger-happy kind of person when I spend. Right now, I'm saving up for a car and I'm giving the money to my mu, that way I don't get to spend it all. I also have to cut back on my expenses. I can't eat out as much as I can, and can't spend a lot on friday nights. It's very uncomfortable, but when I imagine myself driving my own car, it helps me feel better. haha
@Sanitary (3968)
• Singapore
22 Mar 11
Saving money is easier done then said. It's all about mindset. If we place spendings as priority in life, one will never be able to save money. However if savings is top priority, there are chances of us saving twice with the same amount of salary. First comes from first day of receiving salary, putting aside small portion as savings. When the rest are used for spending, by end of the month, if there are some leftovers, they can be saved for the second time.
That's another way to save money as well, by getting a job with really low pay. When one is able to get by with that low pay, when they find another job with much higher pay, savings will definitely be seen in the bank.