Money-Saving Habits That We Could All Benefit From Developing
Everyone needs to put aside some savings to use for either a rainy day or their long-term future. Doing so provides you with a safety net that enables you to continue to enjoy a good standard of living almost regardless of what happens in your life. Developing good savings and money management habits now will really help you in the future. Here are a few tips to help you to do that.
Diversify the savings vehicles you use
It is always a good idea to diversify the way you save. You could, for example, open a stocks and shares ISA as well as use a regular cash savings ISA.
Doing this enables you to tap into the fact that the markets tend to perform better than straight savings do. But, that is only the case over the long-term. If you have just stocks and shares ISAs and have to cash them in at the wrong time you could lose out. Potentially, you could end up with less than you put in.
Be prepared for emergency situations
Having to suddenly dip into your savings can become necessary for all sorts of reasons. For example, if one of you falls ill and can no longer work. So, it would be really unwise to have all of your savings tied up in stocks and shares. Most financial advisors would tell you to only start investing money once you have built up a reasonable emergency fund.
Budget and track your money
If you are not tracking what you spend and living to a budget you are setting yourself up for a more stressful life. A recent study, carried out by the University of Arizona, showed that young people live within their means do this are happier and more satisfied with life than those who don’t.
Knowing where you are financially, makes you feel more secure. It gives you the confidence to know that you can afford to cover all of your bills. If for some reason, you are having a bad month you can adjust what you spend to get you through this situation. So that you do not end up wasting your hard-earned cash on bank charges and credit card interest.
Living on a budget also makes you less materialistic. It gives you a better understanding of what is important to you.
Get into the habit of buying good quality clothes
Rich people have certain habits that the vast majority of the population do not. One of the biggest differences is that they are not afraid to spend extra to buy something that is well made. They know that investing in their appearance reaps rewards. It boosts their confidence and leaves a good impression with people that they meet. This helps them to get on faster in life.
The other advantage of buying good quality clothing is that it lasts for so much longer. Provided you choose wisely you will be wearing your bespoke shoes for years rather than months. Plus, provided you look after what you own, you can easily sell it on. That is another habit that a lot of rich people developed when they were younger.
Founder of this eponymous blog, focusing on men's fashion & lifestyle.