Four Tips to Save 30% More in 2015

Secrets to Saving More Money

Last year was a strong year for the economy, specifically for consumers and retailers nationwide. The real estate and stock markets exhibited very promising signs of progress mid-year and continued to move in the right direction heading into 2015. Even though there was growth in the economy, it looks like many people still don?t know what to do with their money, besides spending it of course, and lack the concept of what money is about. Here are some tips on how to do a better job with saving your money in 2015 so that you can be one step closer to financial freedom.

Identify your excessive spending

Look back at the past year?s credit card and check card purchases and use a highlighter system to identify: yellow for ?needed,? blue for ?wanted,? and red for ?did not need.? Highlight all your transactions and look for specific ones that were wasteful. When looking back at your statements, it is typical that you?ll notice plenty of red your first year doing so. The goal is to take the red amounts and add them to your savings rather than spending it. Most people discover upwards of 40% in wasteful spending and while you can?t cut it all out, most of the red coupled with a few yellow ones could save you 30% more on your yearly budget.

Realize that money lives in the net, not in the gross

The most common mistake people make while working towards their financial freedom is the nonstop need to make more money, while neglecting to correct the balance between their gross and net earnings. When I worked in a high salary job, I did not only focused on making money but I also on closing the gap and figuring out different methods increase my net amount, which included things like from enhancing my tax benefits to figuring out how to make my hobbies into business. I have always looked for a way to add extra savings or a way to turn a liability into an asset. Don?t live with the gross salary. Making $40K a year grossly is not much, but making $35K net is like making $55K a year grossly.

Make sustainable changes, not empty promises to yourself

Make reasonable changes like decreasing how much wasteful spending instead of saying you will never waste money again. For example, if you tell yourself you will not longer eat at a five star restaurant and eat roman noodles in its place, it is very unlikely that you actually keep that change for more than 10 days. Every change is progressive and it is very rare that you will entirely turn the bad around in a week or so. Try to focus on making small changes that over time will add up to big savings.

Always plastic, never cash

While most people enjoy knowing they can pay cash for most things, it doesn?t mean they should. Make your money work for you if possible by leveraging a credit card?s reward programs. I recommend focusing on paying everything with a separate credit card that you pay off each and every month. Do not let it close with a balance. Doing so enables you to take control by having a trail of purchases with no need for receipts..

And remember, the best way to save money in life isn?t by looking at the year to come or the months ahead, but rather looking back at your past spending and saving patterns. The idea is that by looking backwards and understanding your habits, you are able to change them moving forward, and monitor them to ensure history doesn?t repeat itself.

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