Sometimes, being frugal can be hard. When you’re lacking motivation, you can slip up and splurge. We’ve put together a few nifty little tips to help you stay on track and save.
Piggy bank savings
There’s something to be said for the good old piggy bank. There’s something about them that almost incentivises you to start adding all your spare cash in there. The best way to make the most of a humble piggy bank is by putting increasing or decreasing amounts of money in there every week for a year. You can start with $1, the next week $2, and so on and so forth. You can also do this backwards – there are 52 weeks in a year, so start with $52, then $51, and work backwards from there. By the end of that year, you’ll have saved $1,405!
Separate accounts
A good trick is to separate your bank accounts so you can see where all your money is going. If you have one account for bills, one for saving and one for spending, this will ensure that you never overspend.
Take cash out
This is another great method for organizing your money. At the start of every week, take out the exact amount of cash you’ll know that you need for the week. This will help you to stop spending money on unnecessary purchases.
Hide your credit cards
Easier said than done, but a good little psychological trick to play on yourself is to “hide” your credit cards in your closet. This will help your mind to get in the habit of budgeting and only using your credit cards when you really need them. That way, you can focus on successfully paying them off!
Test drive new budgets
Before deciding on a big new expensive lifestyle change, try out your new budget before making any big decisions. For example, if you want to buy a new car, try saving the amount you would be spending on paying off the car every month. Do this for long enough to see if this is a doable amount for your family budget, or if it puts too large of a strain. This is a great way to see how the costs will affect your money.
What are your favorite tricks for saving money?
