How to Save More Money

Simple Secrets to Save More...

Having money in the bank is a great feeling. Learn how to save more money and you’ll have more freedom, more fun, and more future choices available to you. Here are four
simple secrets on how to save more money.

1. Don’t Spend

You want to learn how to save more money? Stop spending. Yeah, you want to punch me right now, don’t you? I’m serious though. Forget coupon cutting and discount stores – just stop buying stuff.

One of my good friends complains constantly that she never has any money, yet every time I stop by her house she has done some new form of decorating. All she needs to do is stop this incessant spending for six months and she would have a good chunk of change saved up.

If you want learn how to save money, go extreme and try a financial fast. Literally, you will stop buying anything and everything except the bare necessities.

Once you have money saved, you can slowly add back in some spending money.
For ten more tricks on how to save money check out:
10 Ways to Save More Money
Secrets to Living Happily on Less

2. Make It Automatic

The next thing you can do to save more money is to make it automatic. People who want to learn how to save money find ways to save automatically. The key to making this work is to pretend like you never had the money in the first place. Here's a few ideas on how to save more money through automatic savings:

Ask your employer if they have a program where you can contribute a portion of your paycheck directly to a credit union or bank savings account.
Ask your bank if you can set up an automatic deposit where a specific amount transfers from your checking account to your savings account each month.
Or, if you don’t want to deal with the banks, create your own form of a piggy bank (to keep it more secure consider a safe) and each time you get paid, put some in your piggy bank.
The concept of automatic savings is often called "pay yourself first". Find an way to pay yourself first, and you’ll be on your way to saving more.

3. Only Use Cash

A great way to learn how to save money is to stop using plastic and start using cash. Debit and credit cards are convenient, but using them can make you lost touch with the value of money, and plastic money makes it easy to over spend.

Try using only cash for a few months and see what happens. To make this work, realize if you don’t have the cash, you don’t have the money. You can get creative and barter or trade, but if you don’t have the cash, you can’t buy it. Then challenge yourself, and see how much cash you can still have at the end of the month.

4. When You Do Have to Spend

When you have to buy something, think first. Think about all the ways you might be able to get what you need for less. Is there something you have that you don’t need any more that you could sell? Is there a friend that could lend you the time you think you need? Have you checked your local Goodwill Store?

Here’s a quick review on how to save money:

Stop spending. Try a financial fast to get off to a great start on saving more.
Make your savings automatic, and always pay yourself first.
Only use cash.
When you spend, find ways to pay less
Once you’ve got a handle on how to save money, your next step is learning how to spend. Start by creating a values based spending plan.