We’ve all made grand plans on how this year or that year is going to be the year that we save our money, eliminate our debt and finally have our finances more liquid, which in turn allows us to utilise our money in a much more efficient manner. However, it’s usually around this time of the year that we’ve made little to no progress towards our intended goal and we’ve saved up just enough to just scratch at our debt or maybe buy an expensive cocktail for that holiday you’ve always promised your significant other. 

In this article, I’ll provide you with some quick and effective tips that have helped me finally get over the hurdle of leaking expenditure faster than I can make it and ultimately help me on my journey towards saving my hard-earned money and having a comfortable cushion in which to operate and experience life as intended. 

1. Track Your Spending:
There’s an old adage in England – “Pennies make pounds” and this rings true when it comes to saving. It is important to track your spending to get a better understanding of where your money is going. Making a budget and tracking your spending is the best way to stay on top of your financial situation. If you are noticing that you’re spending a disproportionate amount of money in any one key area (Whether it be drinks, food or your hobbies!) then monitoring this and cutting this back goes a long way towards reaching your goal. There are a number of apps or even some banks that offer you this feature, whilst we live in the age of technology it would be unwise to not make the most of everything available to us. 

2. Make a Budget:
It is important to create a budget that reflects your financial goals and your current financial situation. This budget must reflect a reasonably attainable goal, whilst it can feel empowering to want to save x number of income, setting too much aside or not taking into account your current financial constraints can have the opposite effect, if you notice you are consistently failing to stay within the parameters of your budget can be demoralising, starting smaller and increasing this as your situation improves is often the better and more linear route to saving. Taking into account your budget will help you stay on track and make sure you are spending within your means. 

3. Set Financial Goals:

As previously mentioned, setting of short-term and long-term financial goals will help you stay focused on your budget. Having goals makes it easier to stay motivated and on track. I personally divide these up into a one-month rolling goal, a checkpoint every quarter year, with my final goal at the end of the year being achievable if I hit all the previous and manage to save a little extra in the meantime. This has worked very well for me so far and allows me to be aware of exactly how much money is coming out and more importantly into my account. As a side note, don’t get disheartened if you miss out on one or even two of your goals, just readjust for next month and learn from your mistakes the month previously. 

4. Reduce Unnecessary Expenses:

I touched on this previously, however, it really does need its own category as it’s the spending that may seem innocuous at the time that can accumulate and affect your goals the most. Take a look at where you are spending your money and try to cut back on unnecessary expenses. This could include cutting back on take-out meals, shopping sprees, and impulse purchases. 

5. Automate Your Savings: 

Automating your savings is a great way to make sure you are putting money aside each month. This will help you stay on top of your savings and make sure you are reaching your financial goals. As soon as my paycheck comes into my account, a certain portion is extracted for my bills, any debt with some being funnelled away into my savings account, not to be touched or seen unless it’s an emergency, this simple strategy is one of the most crucial elements to my saving as if the money does not appear readily available to me then I naturally tell myself that I currently do not possess the means to spend it, a simple psychological trick but it is paramount. 

6. Pay off Debt:
Paying off debt can help you save money in the long run. Whilst you will not see the immediate benefits of this if you try to prioritise paying off any high-interest debts as soon as possible this will eventually accumulate into more money in your pocket as unpaid debts can often levy quite expensive tax add-ons. 

7. Consider Investing: 

Whilst it may seem daunting if you are not knowledgeable on the subject Investing is a great way to grow your money over time. There is a multitude of platforms that allow you to invest without moving substantial sums of money, some websites allow you to invest in real estate for as little as $10, which may not seem in regards to the returns but these can steadily increase as you become more financially dependent.   Consider investing if you have some extra money to spare and it won’t eat into your overall savings goal too much. 

8. Make Use of Technology: 

There are numerous apps and websites that can help you stay on top of your budget and manage your finances. Make use of technology to help you stay organised and on track. There’s a very compact and effective app called Mint, which is available on both the play and google store, this allows you to track your budget and past expenditures, it’s free, it can sync up with a plethora of accounts and even create its own budget categories amongst many other useful additions. Apps such as YNAB offer a more hands-on experience when it comes to setting financial goals even going as far as to include educational pieces on budgeting on their website. 

I hope that these quick and efficient tips have helped to enlighten you on some ways in which you can save and reduce your debt. Here’s hoping for a debt-free and productive 2023. 

About Fintech Generation
Launched in 2018 Fintech Generation provides A.I. technology, A.I. trading solutions and liquidity solutions to both the financial services industry and digital asset platforms.Fintech Generation is a B2B fintech development brand, owned and operated by UEZ Markets Limited. We are committed to consistently showing strong business ethics, maintaining an excellent service reputation, and a good track record in the market, while delivering lower costs of entry for our clients. Our passion, resiliency, and adaptability make us grow bigger each quarter, increasing our customer base and driving our business forward, generating more opportunities.