1. Don’t waste your money.
Every dollar that you waste on something you don’t need (like cable or new clothes or a bigger TV) is a dollar that you cannot save for your future. Cancel your extra monthly subscriptions and anything else that you really no longer need. Run outside instead of paying for a gym membership.
2. Plan ahead and have a savings goal for retirement.
Make a plan to save money for your retirement. Having a written plan is the first and most important step to long-term financial success.
3. Become debt-free as soon as possible!
Paying off your debt is essential to being able to start saving money long-term. How can you save money if you’re constantly paying for credit card bills, a new car, a bigger house, or old student loan debt?
4. Eat all of your meals at home.
Instead of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner out at restaurants, commit to eating all of your meals at home, every day. This will likely save you around $500 per month if you are currently eating out daily. Look at your current bank statements and calculate how much you spend on eating out at restaurants each month. You might be surprised at how much you are really spending on food!
5. Get a piggy bank and save your change every day.
This might sound like a small step, but saving your change each day and watching it slowly grow will motivate you to keep saving. Make a plan for that extra change. Take it to your bank monthly and put it directly into your savings or retirement account. Every dollar helps!
6. Look for buy-one-get-one-free deals on groceries.
Many grocery stores offer buy-one-get-one-free deals on everyday grocery items and these savings can really add up! Many of these deals happen during the middle of the week so stock up then for canned goods and pantry items. Groceries are a large part of any budget, so even saving $20 per week on groceries will add up to large savings each year.
7. Use cash instead of your credit card.
It is so easy to spend frivolously using a credit card and not even think about how much you’re spending. Credit cards are also really terrible for impulse shopping so stick to cash: it forces you to only buy what you can afford.
8. Set up an automatic payment to your 401K or equivalent retirement account.
Determine how much you will need for retirement by using an online retirement calculator. Then set up an automatic payment for that amount each month. Just set it to a reasonable percentage, many people choose 15-25% of their income, but that depends on personal financial goals for retirement. But remember, do not change this unless you need to for an emergency that is not covered by your emergency fund.
9. Always think long-term.
Instead of thinking about short-terms wants, think about long-term financial goals like retirement. This will motivate you to keep saving your money long-term. This will also keep you on track. Saving money long-term for retirement is important and it does take planning! Start saving your money today and set yourself up for a successful and enjoyable retirement! Good luck saving your money! What are other ways that you save your money long-term?
