Five Reasons Why You Should Save Money
Whether from friends, family or financial advisors, you’ve probably heard many people say that you should save money. This is good advice! Saving can help you reach your financial aspirations, weather unexpected events and make it easier to invest in opportunities.
What are two disadvantages of savings?
However, there are some common misconceptions about savings that could stand in your way of reaching your goals. We’ll walk you through five reasons to start saving and how to make it easy to do so.
Should I save money One of the biggest barriers to savings is spending too much. Eating out can quickly blow your budget, but cooking at home is often cheaper. Also, limiting how frequently you dine out and eliminating extras like drinks and dessert can cut costs. Try to find ways to cut your entertainment expenses as well.
Another barrier to saving is being too focused on paying down debt. Getting rid of high-interest debt can free up significant amounts of cash. However, it can take years to pay off a student loan or mortgage balance. If your debts are so high that you’re putting most of your income toward them, it may be necessary to prioritize paying down debt for now while still accumulating some savings.
It’s important to set a realistic savings goal that matches your financial aspirations and timeline. To do so, write down your ideal savings target and deadline. Then, divide that number by the months remaining to get a better sense of how much you should be saving each month.