Be The SAVE-ior Of Your Own Happiness

Being frugal is one thing, but saving money is something else. We should all do it, and we all know we should do it, but tucking that little bit of cash away at the beginning of each month or the end of each week is hard. Saving doesn’t offer up the same instant enjoyment that spending does. Plus with the fact retirement can be a long way off and, well, that lacks a certain urgency.

However, it is imperative you learn how to start saving for retirement as soon as possible. You really want to get into the habit. It will take some of the stress off that final week of every month. You’ll be able to stop worrying about how much money is left at the end of the month. You’ll be able to lap up that extra bit of financial freedom and breath a sigh of relief when that little pot saves your bacon.

Saving for retirement doesn’t have to mean saving millions. It could mean you save $5 a week. Or that you decide to transfer the exact price of a cup of coffee into your savings account every time you fancy coffee. It could be that you adopt the 52-week challenge, which will see you get into the saving habit and save up $1378 by the end of the year. Amazing! All it takes is creating a budget, knowing your income and reducing your living expenses.

However, this can be hard without motivation. We all need a carrot or stick situation to get us going. So here are a few motivating ideas to get you saving for retirement:

Saving For Retirement

You will want to have saved enough to create a passive income stream that can afford you that comfortable lifestyle you always wanted to have. But it is not just about saving for the good times because the more you have tucked away, the more choice you will have when it comes to care and homes in your glory years. This will make a huge difference to you when you get to that point.

Debt Attack

Chances are you have debt. Whether a student loan, a credit card, a mortgage or even payday loan. Well, why not start saving up your money so that you can pay these days down, or even off. Think of it as an investment, and a wise one. By paying off your credit card debt, you are probably going to be saving yourself 10% on interest fees. This is the same as investing your money in stocks that provide you a 10% return on your investment. Pretty neat, huh?

But paying off debts isn’t just a matter of paying down what you owe now, it is also about freedom in the future. Debts can stop you from being able to purchase a new car unless you know a really decent bankruptcy company. They can stop you from being able to get a mortgage on that vacation house you liked. Debts can stop you from being able to get a business loan that will allow you to make your great idea a reality. That is why so many top accountants and business professionals will always promote the idea of paying off debts as a priority.

Travel The World

The idea of saving money to do all those mundane and ‘normal’ things like saving for retirement may not be for you. It may not flick that switch to get you motivated into saving, and we couldn’t blame you for that. So why not save up for that trip of a lifetime.

Research companies that will get you more bang for your buck, and satisfy that niggling need to explore and embody that childhood desire to be Indiana Jones for a summer.

So many people think you need to be a banker on Wall Street to achieve this dream, but it can be done for cheap. It can be a matter of going on Skyscanner and looking for the cheapest flights. Then work out exchange rates and reading travel blogs to learn how to save money on things like accommodations and food. That’s got to be reason enough to start saving!