3 Great Money Saving Ideas for You
A savings account is one thing, but saving money on your everyday purchases is another. Here are a few tips on how to save money in your everyday life:
- Negotiate – When you are buying a home, a car or anything that is negotiable, make sure you are prepared to negotiate aggressively. If you don't have negotiating skills, feel free to look around at your local bookstore and read up on the subject. Books that cover sales techniques are usually full of great negotiation techniques and their counter techniques. The more prepared you are, the more money you will save.
- Stay In! – How often are you going out to eat? Even if you're a couple without children, in general people can't afford to eat out more than they stay in and cook. Keep track of your restaurant expenditures for a month and you'll be shocked at how much money you can save by learning to cook at home!
- Ignore Branding – Manufacturers of everything, including food, clothing and everything else spend millions of dollars on marketing and branding. Don't fall for it! Get generic versions of your favorite products – they are probably just as good.
It's hard to implement a savings plan when you are spending your money unwisely. Implement better spending habits and money management techniques and everything will get a little easier.
Starting to Build a Savings Plan for the Future
A savings account is a great way to start saving money, and to keep an eye on your short term goals, but a savings account is not going to help your money make money – the key to an early retirement.
- CDs, IRAs, Long Term Investments – These options are relatively low interest and short term. For instance a CD is an account into which you put your money for a set time during which you cannot remove it. Once the CD matures, you will have earned interest of a certain amount. IRA's are tax sheltered accounts where you can put pre tax or post tax dollars. You can't remove money from them, without penalty, until they mature. Longer term investments like stocks that you don't touch for a number of years may yield a higher return than a CD.
- Short Term Investments – Short term investments in stocks and the like can offer a higher return more quickly but they are riskier. You may be in a position to not earn any money or to lose money in these situations.
- Trusts & Annuities – Trusts and annuities keep you from withdrawing your savings too quickly. This can ensure that your money will last throughout your retirement.
Be smart about your money management. Use programs like these to build wealth through interest bearing accounts.
Comparing Savings Accounts from Different Banks
Opening a savings account is no longer as simple as running down to your local bank and coming home with a sturdy bank book. Now you need to compare interest rates, fees, online vs. local brick and mortar. Here are some tips on good questions to ask your bank before you open a savings account:
- What's the Interest Rate? Savings accounts yield interest from the bank, so find out what interest rates they are offering. Obviously you want to go with the bank that will offer the highest yield. A key to smart money management is making your money work for you.
- Security? Don't be afraid to ask about your bank's security policies. If you are using an online bank in particular, you need to make sure they have the best security possible. Don't put your money where it won't be safe.
- Minimum Balances – Does the bank require a minimum balance for maintaining a savings account? Protect yourself from unwanted fees by making sure there are no minimum balances or fees associated with dipping below that balance.
Ask these questions when you are shopping for the right savings account and bank.
Everyday Money Saving Ideas You May Have Missed
We're all barraged with money savings gimmicks nowadays, but how many of them are you really taking advantage of?
- Coupons – We all get local circulars in the mail with coupons – but who wants to take the time to go through the coupons? If you take 10 minutes to go through those circulars and you end up saving a combined $3.00 on products you already buy, how can you be going wrong? If you go the supermarket once a week, that's $12.00 a month and $144.00 per year!
- Specials, Sales and Tax Free Buying – We all get stuck with big purchases every so often like a refrigerator or a new washer – but those big dollar purchases don't have to break your bank. If you need to finance, make sure you choose a store that offers the best interest rates, without prepayment penalty. After all, there is nothing wrong with borrowing free money! You should also keep your eye out for tax free holidays and clearance sales. If you can buy last years model new, or avoid paying taxes on a big ticket item, take advantage of it!
- Ride Sharing and Carpooling – Stop spending all that money to drive into the city. Investigate options that can save you money and the environment to boot. Ride sharing, car pooling, taking the train or van sharing services are all great options if they work for your lifestyle. You can nap on the way into the office, or if you take the train you may even squeeze in some extra work!
These are some of the lifestyle changes you can make to improve you ability to complete your short term goals.
Using a Mortgage Savings Calculator for your Refinance
A mortgage calculator can help you make smart decisions about saving money. For instance, if you are considering a refinance of your mortgage in order to save money, how can you really assess your savings without using a mortgage calculator?
With the right mortgage calculator you can plug in loan terms, interest rates and loan amounts and calculate your monthly payments into the future. This will allow you to not only compare the new payments to those you are currently making, but also to any other loan options you may have.
Once you have your new loan payment and you choose your refinance loan, you can build a savings plan that will help you create a strong financial future for you and your family.
Setting Short Term and Long Term Savings Goals
Savings and goals go hand in hand. Without goals, why would you save? If you want to reach your goals, you have to prepare. How do you set goals? What kind of goals should you set? Why are long and short term goals so important?
- Short Term Goals – Short term goals are really important for people who are trying to start good savings habits. By setting short term goals, you'll see your accomplishments and be spurred on to greater achievements. Short term savings goals are just what they sound like and could be related to weekly or monthly savings deposits, commitments to brew your own coffee or make your own lunch or just getting your finances in order so you can make sure you have a savings account with the right bank.
- Long term goals – Paying for college, retirement – these are long term goals. Long term goals prepare you for large financial burdens or dependency down the road. Long term goals are about savings, but they are more about using your savings wisely and letting your money work for you. You can also extrapolate the success of your long term goals by adhering to and managing your short term goals. You may not think that putting that $5.00 away this week will ensure a successful retirement, but you'd be wrong. Every little bit counts.
If you take the time to plan for savings, you'll build your savings up and maintain them. Set realistic goals for yourself and you'll see your financial health bloom and grow.
Health Savings Accounts from the Federal Government
An HSA (health savings account) is a tax sheltered savings account specifically designated for health related expenses. The deposits into to your HSA are entirely tax deductible and your HSA will work in conjunction with a low premium, high deductible HMO or health insurance policy. If you don't use all of your HSA funds towards medical expenses in a given year, they continue to accumulate and they build interest towards your retirement.
The benefit of using an HSA in conjunction with an HMO or health insurance policy is that your HSA allows for more flexibility in terms of the doctors and providers you use.
The best way to assess if this is a good option for you is to see how much you spend annually on health insurance vs. how much you are actually spending on doctor visits, prescriptions and other medical expenses. By comparing these numbers, you may see that an HSA will save you money in the long run. Saving money means better money management.
Starting a College Savings Plan for Your Children
College is a cost that looms on the horizon for so many parents. Coming up with and implementing a college savings plan seems like an arduous task, but it's what you need to do to keep your kid out of debt when the time comes. No one wants to saddle themselves or their kid with a mountain of educational debt. You have a couple of college savings options available to you:
- Several states offer prepaid college programs. Some programs even allow you lock in a tuition rate for a state college or university system. They can also be tax deductible.
- Create a special savings account for your kids before they are born, or when they are a baby. Consult with a financial planner for which bank or interest bearing account will be best. Put in a set amount each month or year. The longer you have, the longer you can save.
- UPromise is an innovative college savings plan that allows you to make traditional deposits into a college account but also partners with various retailers so when you shop at those locations, you can earn money for the account as well.
College savings accounts take discipline and although college seems so far away right now, before you know it, the bills will appear. Do yourself a favor and be prepared!
Using a Compounding Savings Calculator
It's hard to calculate how much you can save without concrete numbers. You should consider using a compounding savings calculator. These savings calculators will help you by taking compounding funds and interest rates into account when trying to planning for your savings goals. You will need information on hand to make use of a savings calculator.
- Initial Deposit – Many people begin their savings by depositing a lump sum into their bank account. It can be called an initial deposit or an initial investment.
- Length of Time You Are Planning to Save – Long term projections and answers require long term goals so you'll want to set a goal, usually a number of years, that will help you assess your savings situation.
- Periodic Contributions – You need to input how much money you plan to periodically put aside into savings.
- Rate of Return on Your Investment – Are your savings in an interest bearing account? If so, then what percentage rate will you gain from it?
- Compounding – Your bank can advise you if your savings account compounds interest quarterly, monthly or annually.
The process of gathering all of this information will benefit you in more than one way. Not only will you be able to successfully use a compound savings calculator, you'll also have a much better handle on your savings goals and plan.
