Saving is Easier Than Making More Money.
Here’s Why....
We’re all in some way caught up in the pursuit of money. Buying that espresso machine you’ve been salivating over for the past few months, sending your kids to school, going on a much-needed holiday, affording an operation to resolve a medical issue, updating your wardrobe, buying a house... meeting all of our wants and needs in life are the end goals. Money is what gets us there.
So, given the choice, who wouldn’t want to make more money? Who doesn’t want more money in their pocket at the end of the month? You don’t need to be materialistic or an incorrigible shopaholic to feel this way.
But, here’s the thing:
We’re all so focused on making more money that we forget there’s a much easier and more realistic way to have more money. And that’s to save it! Here’s why....
You have direct control over the actions, habits, and decisions that can save you money, and you can start saving today.
You do not have direct control over how much money you make right now and there is no immediate way to start earning more.
Sure, you can study part time, shoot for that promotion, take on extra assignments, or work two jobs; and while all of these efforts will eventually put money in your pocket, they require hard work, perseverance, and oftentimes, personal sacrifices.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with aspiring to earn more. In fact, it’s the hallmark of ambition, which is a fantastic attribute to have. The problem is, people tend to fixate on the goal of making more money, rather than saving money, and the consequences can do more damage than good.
People who try to increase their income can overextend themselves and this can result in stress, poor physical and mental health, exhaustion, and not having enough time for friends, family, or themselves. Another problem is complacency. Making more money isn’t easy and if you become discouraged from putting in the extra effort and making the necessary sacrifices, it can become tempting to just give up, which means giving up on saving too.
We should all aspire to earn more, but saving money by spending it intelligently and according to a budget or plan is a far smarter, more achievable, and immediate way to put money in your pocket:
- Swapping out your morning store-bought cappuccino with a homemade thermos flask of coffee can easily save you R100 a week, or R400 a month.
- Shopping at Clicks during their “Pay Day” monthly sale can, at a bare minimum, save you R100 on toiletries and other essentials.
- Eating out only once per week can save you a considerable amount of money, depending on how often you eat out and how much you typically spend when you do. But, for example, dinner at even an affordable family restaurant can easily work out to R200 a head, which equates to R800 a month if you eat at home instead.
From these arbitrary examples alone, which require very little sacrifice or effort, you’re looking at a monthly savings of R1,300, And you can start saving this amount of money today simply by exercising some restraint and planning your spending wisely.
Even a savings of a few hundred Rand per month is incredibly beneficial, not to mention easy to achieve, and will help you build wealth you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Slow and steady wins the rat race!
We should all have our sights set on earning more but this shouldn’t absorb 100% of our focus, especially when saving is a much easier and achievable way to put money in our pockets. Remember, if long-term goals pave the way to success, those short-term goals are the mortar that holds everything together.
