the Secret to Saving Money

[JimmiG]

There's no secret. To save more money, you have to either buy less crap or earn more money, or do a combination of both.

Provided you earn enough, you can buy enough crap to make you happy while still putting some money away for savings, so you can buy more crap later. This is your purpose in life.

 

[Engineer]

Secret so saving is not spending.

/thread

 

[gophins72]

one way to do it: spend all your time making money, that way you have no time to spend it.

 

[kranky]

Yes, most people who say they have a problem saving money actually have a spending problem. Just stop going to places where you can and will spend money aimlessly. No opportunity to spend = saving. And for many people that works without feeling a sacrifice. It's just cutting out the mindless wasteful spending.

 

[Powermoloch]

o rly

 

[FeuerFrei]

Another tip is to stay off forums where people are enthusing over their new gear. Then you won't be gripped with the urge to upgrade your low-end ... uh ... Logitech speakers that you'd been just fine with.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Your online persona would be more interesting if you developed it a bit further. As it is, you play a role that's just a little too flat and dull to keep people enticed into engaging with it.

Hell, even the "I just farted" type of posts get more than eleven replies in 4.5 hours.

Oh look OP ... your own online persona coach! Must be nice. :awe:

 

[BudAshes]

I'll be damned if I'm gonna leave my kids a dime!!

I need a motorhome with one of these:

Maybe we should just get rid of inheritance all together. Either spend it while you are alive or uncle sam steals it all when you die.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

thats the thing, im dead serious. i had hobbies but have stopped doing them because they costed money. 25$ to play a round of golf??? thats 25$ ill never see again. so ill just have to find new hobbies that dont cost money OR be bored. im thinking maybe of trying walking\jogging instead.

The problem is that the $25 is just paper (or a number) and provides no enjoyment in itself (unless you just like keeping score.) You have to be responsible and save so you can enjoy the future...but when it comes down to it, do you get more enjoyment out of one round of golf or out of a few pieces of cotton paper with presidents on them?

 

[moshquerade]

you can't take it with you.

 

[Bryophyte]

Oh look OP ... your own online persona coach! Must be nice. :awe:

There is no way that the OP isn't just trolling. He needs to work harder on it because he's not very good at character development.

 

[edro]

This thread has encouraged me to buy a new car.

 

[Leopardos]

I didnt try it,
But i know that beeing a life less would save you money,
Go ahead try it, But keep in mind that life is too short to be cheap and not having fun.
And even if you have 999,999,999,999,999,999$ in you bank account, u aint gonna take any of them to your grave..

 

[z1ggy]

Just budget properly. If you make 4k a month, and have 3k worth of expenses (mortgage, other bills, car payment, credit card, etc) then you have 1k left obv. Just tell yourself that everymonth you are going to save 700 of that, and leave the other 300 for things you can buy for yourself. If it turns out you make 4k and have 3.8k of expenses..then try to eliminate some of those expenses if possible ( Try to grocery shop more frugally, etc. ). You don't need to penny pinch to save money.

 

[Fritzo]

Just budget properly. If you make 4k a month, and have 3k worth of expenses (mortgage, other bills, car payment, credit card, etc) then you have 1k left obv. Just tell yourself that everymonth you are going to save 700 of that, and leave the other 300 for things you can buy for yourself. If it turns out you make 4k and have 3.8k of expenses..then try to eliminate some of those expenses if possible ( Try to grocery shop more frugally, etc. ). You don't need to penny pinch to save money.

LOL @ living on $300 a month. My family eats that in groceries every 2 weeks.

 

[Exterous]

LOL @ living on $300 a month. My family eats that in groceries every 2 weeks.

I am sure it was just an arbitrary example without detailed analysis as to the average monthly cost of groceries for an average family in America

 

[Svnla]

How to save money?

Spend less than what you make.

 

[Red Squirrel]

My trick to saving money is having money automaticly go to a saving account each pay. Right now I have 100 bucks that automaticly gets transfered. I don't see that money. My pay comes in, the transfer happens that day. If I have extra money left over by the next pay, I transfer it manually. I started this a few months ago, I have 800 bucks in that account now. Saving up for a new car, have a while to go. I need to find a side way of making money if I want to save faster. My goal in life is to eventually be mostly self sufficient. Can't trust that my company will exist forever or that a future union agreement removes our retirement or something.

Oh and another simple trick... don't hold on to credit. I don't understand why some people insist on holding on to a credit line or credit card balance. Pay it off before you buy anything you don't need.

 

[Numenorean]

The work week kills me.. atleast 30-40 on food in the morning weekly

How the hell do you spend that much a week on food in the morning? What the hell are you eating? Maybe you need to go on a diet.

I have cereal with milk or half a bagel with cream cheese and a small glass of milk or maybe a toasted english muffin with some jam and some milk. On the weekends I may do bacon and eggs or pancakes, waffles, french toast or whatever. Maybe. Of course coffee as well, but that's pretty cheap.

 

[SunnyD]

This also happens to be the secret to losing weight!!! "I'm hungry! I want food! Wait... I can't buy it because I want it. *starve starve starve*"

 

[dank69]

LOL @ living on $300 a month. My family eats that in groceries every 2 weeks.

It looks like he is including groceries in the expenses.

 

[CRXican]

How did you find out my secret?

I'm very selective in what I spend money on.

Went to deposit a final paycheck after being laid off this week and the teller who I know from working there previously said "You have a lot of money for someone with no job"

I said I know, because I don't spend any of it.

 

[CFP]

Money not spent is money not worth.

I'm a psuedo saver. I save until I have enough to blow it all on something I like.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Money not spent is money not worth.

I'm a psuedo saver. I save until I have enough to blow it all on something I like.

This is often what I do as well. I don't put anything I don't need on credit, I rather save up then buy it.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I have 2 degrees in business. One of the things we had to do in Strategic Management was run a mock company on a computer program. In the end, my company had millions of dollars in assets and a very profitable manufacturing facility/distribution chain....and ZERO debt. I lost points because I didn't utilize my available credit resources.

In other words, having debt was considered a good thing in the class....

I started thinking about that and think it's a stupid point to make...but live by it in my personal life because I don't have the capital to buy everything I want/need. I basically play the balancing game between paying off long term debt (mortgage) and short term debt (credit cards) with acruing new debts on those cards for things I can't pay out of pocket...like last-minute, unplanned vacation expenses. (last minute being 45 days or less away)