Inspiration to Actually Start Saving Money (Or to Keep at It)

Do you need to be kicked in the butt to start saving money? I know I do.

When I have been spending money like it’s my job and need some inspiration to get back on track, I often look online for something someone has said that could help me. Pinterest is pretty much the first place I turn.

Things that inspire me to financially fast

• Testimonies of other people who have done great things when saving money like retiring early
• People who have paid off a huge amount of debt in a radical way
• Something that sounds very doable for me or a new concept
• Extra ways to make money
• Radical lists on how to save money
• Lists of DIY or clever repurposing ideas with things I have in my own house or that I can get at Goodwill.

One of the most inspiring things I have read and done for jump starting frugality in my home is a financial fast or what other people call a spending freeze. This is where you make a budget for a set amount of time (A month, week, weekend, a couple of days) and stick to it. Absolutely no impulse buys or anything outside of your budget. And you have to trim your budget down to the bare bones of what you need for that time to get you by.

A lot of people eat only what is in their pantry and fridge during this time. Which is also good so you can use up things you have. Some people prepare cheap and easy freezer meals for this time. Some people eat a super cheap meal plan to lower their food budget more than usual. Or you could do a combo of both.

You can use this time to see how much you can save on groceries and utilities and household products. Can you water down your soap to get by? Are you measuring your laundry soap? Do you NEED fabric softener or dryer sheets? Can you dry your clothes on a line? Scraping everything out of the bottom of the jar and not wasting anything etc.

Why we should do a financial fast?

It’s good to do a financial fast every so often, especially when spending starts creeping up. When you make a point to not spend anything other than the essentials for a little while and not veer from your set budget, it forces you to consider all wants vs. needs and it resets your thinking. After the fast you continue to consider what is a want and what is a need.That way when you see something you want, you are slower to buy it and more likely to make a wise choice instead of a impulse buy.

Benefits of spending money only on specific days

This is a great concept. If I choose to only spend money on Fridays, I have to wait until that day to make a purchase.

• It gives me more time to weigh whether something is a want or a need. When I make hasty money decisions, often times they are not the right decision and I end up regretting them.
• You save on gas because you are making less trips to the store throughout the week.
• You have less chances to make impulse buys
• Less likelihood of picking up an illness and germs from public places

The waiting game…

Another great thing to do is wait for a purchase as long as you can. Make due with what you have if you can. Let that item sit in the online cart and see if you still feel like you can’t live without it in 30 days. This works for online purchases as well as purchases from brick and mortar stores.Time always helps me to put things in perspective. Especially the bigger purchases.

Pinterest

Make a list, scrapbook or a Pinterest board, specifically for inspiration on saving money so you can revert back to those as soon as you need to without having to find new articles each time.

Me personally…

My spending and saving comes in spurts, it seems. But there are some aspects of frugality that have just become a complete habit over time. We live on much less than we used to. We don’t even notice the difference. Like always searching for a sale on something we want to purchase. Finding something else to do besides going to the store when I’m emotional. Not having cable or Netflix, just using Amazon Prime and watching way less on the TV. Turning off things in rooms we are not using.

We live on much less than we used to. We don’t even notice the difference.

Not running the water when we are not using it. Skipping the appetizer at a restaurant and being satisfied with just the entree as well as ordering from the less expensive items. Earning gifts cards to eat out at restaurants. Planning a menu and spending WAY less on groceries than I even did before we started shopping all organic at Whole Foods. So on and so forth. I have a list of Ultimate money saving tips where you can find my personal list of money saving ideas that I use when I need to radically save money. Usually something I do after my spending has crept up.

The biggest things about saving money is disciplining yourself. It takes a certain mindset. You have to get past emotional and impulse buying. I keep a collection of articles and posts and ideas that inspire me to save money so I can go back to them regularly. Do you have any awesome tips that help you focus on saving money? What are the biggest things that have successfully helped you save money and pay things off?