Sleep on decisions
Avoid making impulse purchases by promising that you will sleep on the decision. Set a limit. For example, you could tell yourself that any purchase over $200 requires 24 hours of decision making.
Make mindful decisions
Take a step back and make sure you take the time to ask yourself “is this a need or a want”.
Look at your daily transactions
Doing this will help you become more aware of where you stand financially. As you see your monthly credit card increasing or your chequing account decreasing this might help you take your spending more seriously by seeing its immediate impact.
Make a budget and stick to it
Like any project in life or work, you need a plan. If it’s a free for all there’s a huge lack of control over the situation and you’re only setting yourself up for failure. Make a budget and check over it a few times. Make sure it’s realistic and make sure you are allotting some money for “fun” that way you’ll be less inclined to indulge in a big purchase.
Set up an automatic deposit into your saving account
This can easily be done through online banking but if you need help visit your local branch and ask them to assist you. Set up an automatic deposit from your salary into your savings account. Let’s say you make $1500 bi- weekly and you allot 30% to your savings account, instead of a $3000 monthly salary it’ll feel like you only have $2100 monthly salary and that’s what you should create your budget based on. You can decide how much of your pay cheque to allot to your savings but this a sure-fire way to make sure your putting some money away.
We hope these tips help you save up for your goal, whether it be trip, a down payment on a home or a big purchase. Good luck!