When it comes right down to it, the whole thing is about what motivates you. When it comes to thinking long-term (which is really what developing a steady and regular savings plan is all about), you could start by thinking about the carnage of the last few years. You could think about the jobs situation or how slowly the economy is recovering. I’m not being negative, but it is important to point out that so many experts are suggesting the future will be nothing like the last thirty years.
What can you do?
Just by reading this blog or focusing on people who are interested in saving regularly will be helpful to you.
Brainstorm with your family. Lay out all the reasons that you want to adjust your spending and regular savings. You might be amazed at how good your own family can be at coming up with savings ideas.
If you’ve been reading our blog for any amount of time, you know we believe in negotiation. But we also believe in soaking up spending reductions and making them a part of regular savings.
In other words: Save 12% on your grocery shopping this week using coupons or purchasing “buys”? Take the 12% and push it into a very real savings account as if you had spent it. That’s savings.
Talk to your cable company and reduce your monthly “nut?” Take the amount you saved and add it to what I call “The 1st Bill.” That is a bill you “make-up” and put in the payment column of your family budget each month. The “1st Bill” can be used this way:
Save money by reducing your spending on a bill? Add that amount saved to the “1st Bill.”
Save money by refinancing your mortgage? Take the amount you reduced in your mortgage and add it to the “1st Bill.” This “bill” will increase as you find additional ways to save (or when you get a raise). This increases your regular monthly savings.
But don’t stop there. Brainstorm with your family. Keep a keen eye on ways to save. You will be shocked how quickly you can develop serious savings.
It’s worth it. And you can do it.
HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD
If you think I was born saving money, you are wrong. My own family didn’t believe in saving. They don’t believe in having a 401k. Our people have had “emergencies” all our lives. These emergencies always get in the way of saving money regularly, and our family is not different than millions of other good American families. I was not brought up to save and invest regularly and I have made every mistake you can think about when it comes to money. My parents thought they were shielding me from the realities of bills and worry. In fact, they were isolating me. I have had to learn from my own mistakes over time. I have had to learn the absolute hard way how to get savings on track and make it a part of your life without killing your lifestyle or allowing “it” to overwhelm you. It is my mission to share what I have learned about regularly saving with my own children and also share it with you. That’s why we have a lot of “free” (blogs like http://www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com and http://www.stickyasset.com/blog and groups on Facebook like “Coupons & Coupon Codes”) associated with our mission!
It is our goal to encourage everyone to teach our children about money, managing money, and saving regularly (and automatically. Children should receive lessons about compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future before they face the hard choices of adult life while being subjected to the consequences of the high-speed marketing culture we live in. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor by simply sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.
You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group. You can get our free e-saver newsletter by signing up at http://www.StickyAsset.com/blog.
If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at http://www.middleclassmoney.com.
Good luck to you and your children.
Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!
Loyd Ford
http://www.stickyasset.com/blog
http://www.middleclassmoney.com
http://www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
http://www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
http://www.stickyasset.com
Connect with us on Facebook with these free groups:
“Coupons & Coupon Codes”
“Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves”
All on Facebook – join. It’s free.
The Middle Class Money Path 