7 Serious Ways to Save Money – Not for the Faint of Heart  

Do you truly want to save? Take a serious look at how you spend and then change it. Quit smoking those cigars, take in a roommate, park your car—and you’ll save as much as $10,000 a year. It really is just as easy as all that! 

Are you finding it harder and harder to blame savings shortfalls on your measly pay check? 

Will it surprise you to learn that how much you save has little to do with your income? Well it is very true, in fact. It has more to do with whether you want to save and are willing to adjust your finances to boost your savings. 

A recent study by Venti’s and Wise, “Choice, Chance and Wealth Dispersion at Retirement,” found a very wide range in how much people at the same income levels were able to save for retirement. The study pointed out that it wasn’t just the higher income folks who managed to save the most. Indeed, even people in the lowest income groups were able to save more than some of their middle-income peers—by as much as $100,000.  

What was their conclusion? Persons with little savings on the eve of retirement have simply chosen not to save as much and spend more over their lifetimes. 

The key, then, is simple enough: Spend less than you earn and SAVE MORE.

It is easy to see why some people get into financial trouble. 

Some people don’t stop and think that earning money is only one part of the financial health equation. The other critical part is learning how to manage money and save. 

A big part of the problem for so many is that people just don’t know enough about their own financial reality. They don’t even know what they earn, they don’t even know what it takes to live comfortably, and they don’t even know their true, discretionary income.” 

What can be the solution?  

People need to educate themselves. Sit down with your monthly bills and statements and figure out your real income and outgo. Then, decide if you like what you see. If not, create a realistic plan for changing it. 

To help with the process, ask yourself these four essential questions:

What’s my true and current financial picture? 

·         How do I choose to live?

·         Can my current money support this and how do I really want to use my money?

·         How can I best make use of my money? 

Treat managing your money as if you would any other household chore and allot enough time for it each month. 

Make note that: Many of the financial tools that have made life more convenient—such as credit cards—can promote very bad financial habits and prolong debt when misused. Credit cards should be used ONLY as the cash-management tool that they are and not as a borrowing tool. 

Keep in mind that you are spending tomorrow’s money when you put things on a credit card. You keep locking yourself up and losing your freedom, bit by bit. 

The bottom line on financial health is Stop Spending