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If we are met with a seemingly impossible task, stress is always the first emotional port of call. Unfortunately, having to save money can be one of the biggest stresses we can ever undergo.

Whether you are trying to save money for a vacation. Or you’ve been stumped with a bill that has more zeros on it than you would care to think about. Learning how to save money without feeling the financial stress is something that may seem almost impossible. But, let’s try and get you through this difficult calculation!

Plan Ahead 

It can feel like an impossible task, but by planning ahead, and drafting a budget, it will help you break down the problem.

If you have a deadline in mind or you’ve got to save X amount by a certain time. Being prepared gives you that focus and determination in which to do your best under the circumstances.

Breaking down the problem is always beneficial and will decrease your financial stress. 

We tend to view something like a bill payment as one large number. But, by breaking it down into smaller payments of how you can save the desired amount over time. You’ll get a much better perspective on if this is achievable.

For example, if you have a tax bill due by the end of January. You know how many weeks you have left to save money to reach that goal. Then you can break it down into how much you need to save every week. This will bring clarity and relieve any financial stress you might have had.

Learn How To Start Reaching Goals Each Day

Understand Your Own Spending Habits

Once you know exactly how much money you need to save, but it still isn’t enough. Then, it’s time to understand what your spending habits actually consist of.

It’s certainly possible to get financial help, such as online loans through companies like Bonsai Finance, which is very helpful if you have bad credit and you’re trying to save money. But as far as developing long-term awareness of your financial needs, understanding your spending habits is just as important.

There are many ways we could do this. But the best way to really understand how much you spend on a certain basis is to use cash. I suggest trying this for two weeks, then you will see exactly how much money you take out of your bank account on a regular basis. Because it’s so easy to set-up direct payments, we don’t have a true idea of how much we actually spend day-to-day. Once we understand not just how much we spend, but what we spend our money on. Then we can realize if we are living an unrealistic lifestyle based on how much we earn.

Don’t forget, there are also apps, like Plum, that can break it down for you, and send you daily reminders, so you can begin to build up a realistic picture of your incomings and outgoings. Once you develop this overall, you must take action and positive steps to fix this. Because it will help you save money and decrease any financial stress that you may have had.

Curb Your Lifestyle

Once we’ve understood what we need to save money wise and what we spend our money on, it’s now time to begin making certain changes in our lifestyle.

And let me be real with you, this seems to be the hardest task of all. Because it means getting rid of certain luxuries in life, or swapping them for cheaper alternatives. There are numerous stories online about how people managed to get out of major debt. But they all carry the same moral, that you need to drastically curb your lifestyle in order to get out of debt and lose the financial stress.

If you already have thrifty spending habits, it’s time to look at how you could pay less for the essentials in life. When you develop certain habits, it will naturally result in lesser outgoings. For example, you can stop leaving the tap running while you are brushing your teeth. Or you can start working out at home and cancel your gym membership to save money.

But, it’s important to remember that if you have a short-term goal, that this doesn’t have to be forever.  Tightening your belt can be a very good thing in many ways. It makes you realize that you can actually live on a smaller budget, and you have to be more creative. You might need to learn how to make your food last longer, or drive more economically. And it’s this that actually can have a positive impact on our lives. It certainly doesn’t feel like it at the time, but when we are trying to make ends meet, we are gaining many other things along the way.

Instead of going out and socializing, you can have friends come over for meals. It helps to save money, and you still get the benefit of quality time with the people you care about.

And the coolest part is, once these habits are in place, they are hard to get rid of!

So before you know it, these little habits that we’ve been building up have made us into better people. And we realize that we can celebrate the small things in life, but without a lot of money!

Save Money Without Financial Stress

Having to save money can seem stressful, especially when we don’t have the pay packet to ease us through it. But when we are making these new habits stick. Or drafting up a budget, we can realize that we don’t have to have the financial stress that we once had.

There are things we can do to calm our stress levels in life. But, when it comes to something like how to save money, buying the newest iPhone might not help! But having control over your finances, and knowing that you are making positive steps in the right direction is going to be beneficial to lessen financial stress. At the end of the day, it’s not an advanced calculation!

What steps do you need to take to save money?

Will you use a financial planner to track your expenses?

I would love to hear in the comments below!

Remember... no matter what challenges you face,
Take it 1 Day At A Time.