Don't Take The Easy Way Out

There seems to be a growing trend in our society where people are demanding maximum results with little commitment from themselves. Take weight loss for instance. Individuals will spend thousands of dollars on gimmick exercise equipment and fad diets in order to lose weight. The problem is, losing weight is not an easy process. It takes a strict regiment of exercise and a proper diet to burn the stored up calories and limit the intake of any further calories. There is no one easy exercise or secret diet that will magically make you lose weight and keep it off. The process is really simple, so why are so many people looking for the easy way out?

Faux Saving

We can apply the exact same logic to budgeting and saving money. People can use gimmicks like automatic withdrawals and rounded up debit transactions to help them save money. There is just one slight problem with this system of faux saving. When the undisciplined saver sees the extra money stored away in a separate account, they suddenly have an overwhelming sensation to spend it. Now they have to start all over “saving” there money and the cycle continues when it’s spent again. There is a no easy way to save money, just like there is no easy way to lose weight or do anything worthwhile in life.

The Riddle Of Saving

“The true art of saving money cannot be taught, it can only be learned.”  Steve@The Loonie Bin

Since any fool can save money, it takes a true saver not to spend it. For me, saving money has become second nature thanks to my experiences in life. I needed a down payment for my first house so I saved for it. I didn’t have mommy or daddy hand me the cash, I taught myself how to prioritize my spending.  Did I want the latest video game system or a new house? Did I want fast food or a new house? My goal of home ownership outweighed my wants and eventually I had enough saved up for my down payment.
Using this system of prioritizing spending as allowed me to be smart with my money even when I don’t currently have a goal to save for. It has changed my complete outlook on spending money so now the question that pops in my head is, “Do I really need this item, or am I wasting my money?” These 5 second reflections take the impulse out of shopping and has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. You might consider it a gimmick, but to me it’s more like a self taught exercise that makes me stronger the more I use it and the best part is it was free to learn!

Don’t Bother Preaching

Have you ever tried to tell someone how to be smart with their money? They are eager to listen and learn the tips and tricks to make it easier, but are extremely disappointed when they find out it all boils down to discipline and common sense. A lot of people ask me how to make a budget or what’s my secret to saving money and they somehow end up feeling gypped after even though it was just free advice. That’s why I’m very hesitant to tell anyone whenever they ask, and could be why I get worked up when writing about the subject of saving money. Like I mentioned earlier, I taught myself what I call prioritizing my spending. It’s not easy telling yourself “no” to something you want, even though you could easily afford it. It takes a lot of discipline, but in the end you realize that you don’t really need a lot of the things we want.

This article was written by The Loonie Bin. If you enjoyed this article, please consider subscribing to his feed.