1) Paying yourself every week : – this is perhaps one of the best way to start budgeting for yourself. You can do that on a weekly or a daily basis. Keep aside $25-$50 or any amount of your choice and put that in a safe place. This is an amount that you are trying to save from your budget and use it later. So you won’t touch this money unless or until there is some serious emergency and you are in dire need of money. This kind of saving money will also help to minimize or eliminate your impulsive spending habits. By saving $50 every week, you can actually save $200 in a month and $4800 in two years. Of course this is not including the interest, but still this is a good money-saving opportunity.

2) Minimize your shopping habits : – people who love shopping very frequently can actually save a lot of money every year if they minimize their shopping habits. Before you spend money on anything, you must ask yourself first whether you really need it or not. Many a times, people buy things that is actually not required urgently, and therefore it leads to wasteful spending. One pair of jeans, a sweater and one pair of shirts can be enough for a few months, so just buy what you absolutely need and pass on those items that aren’t necessary.

3) Use your bank’s own ATMs : – it is always recommended to withdraw money from your own bank’s ATM machines. Whenever you withdraw money from other bank’s ATMs, they will charge you a fee. This can build up to a good amount in a year, just in fees, which can be easily saved.

4) Keep an eye on your spending : – it is a good idea to track your spendings on a daily basis. Write down every single dollar you spend. This will give you a “birds-eye” view and see where your money is exactly spent on a regular basis. You can refine your spending habits seeing this list and essentially save more money from your regular expenses.

5) Keeping your credit card balances to the lowest : – On an average, most of the credit card companies charge 15% – %20 in interests and fees, if the outstanding balance is not paid in full every month. Therefore it is important to pay off those pesky credit card dues as soon as possible.

6) Using your debit cards regularly instead of the credit cards : – Get in the habit of using your debit card rather than using your credit cards. Debit card is linked with your checking account, so whenever you make any purchase, you are sure of having that money in your checking account. Using a credit card can be quite expensive if you are not able to pay the full amount within the due date.

7) Rolling over the 401K when you are in between jobs : – Whenever people are changing jobs, they will be in a situation whether to roll over their retirement funds or to withdraw it since it is a good substantial amount. It is always suggested not to withdraw the retirement funds because it is that money that can be used in your old age. Moreover you will have to pay fines and penalties for an early withdrawal and it will take away almost 40%-60% of your savings. This is like giving your hard earned money to a stranger for nothing.

8) Avoid getting too many credit cards : – People having multiple credit cards and if they are not able to pay the amount in full are getting charged in more interests and fees by different banks. A person having just one credit card is in a much better situation than another person who is having 5 or 6 credit cards because he is paying more money in interests and fees. It is good to have one or two credit cards because it will help you to build credit and used during emergencies, if these credit cards are managed properly.

9) Checking your credit report at regular intervals : – it is always recommended to check your credit report once in six months. In many cases, credit bureaus are reporting inaccurate negative information on consumer’s credit report. This can often hurt your credit scores. If you find any inaccurate information on your credit report, get it solved with the credit bureaus to improve your credit ratings. Many a times, people are not aware about the unsettled accounts, or accounts that are still open/active when they should be closed. Pay attention to these items when you are checking your report.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 16th, 2015 at 6:48 am and is filed under Financial planning, Money and Banking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.