Warren Buffet said that ”Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”
But in reality, one of the biggest global issues is actually saving money. According to some statistics, on average, 70% of Americans find it hard to save $1000. And there is more! Around 45% of people end up saving nothing. So, if you feel that it’s just you who always fail to reach their saving goals, take a deep breath! You’re not alone in it.
We don’t want to encourage it. Instead, we want to help you save money because it is your roadmap toward financial independence and success. But only you can decide to consider saving practice as an opportunity to get rid of financial restrictions or consider it as a barrier in the way of your spending freedom.
Just imagine earning your dream vacation or having enough funds as an emergency backup instead of piled-up credit card debt! Obviously, the first scenario is more satisfying. But, the real trouble is how to start and take your first step toward saving! We have the answer: Money-Saving Charts.
If you want to save money while having fun, saving charts are a great option. You can create one comprehensive saving chart with different saving goals inculcated, or you can opt for making several, each one for specific goals. Either it is for emergency reserves or planning vacations, or shopping, money-saving charts are a fast and convenient way to follow your savings goals.
What are Money-Savings Charts?
If you already don’t know about the psychology of writing your goals, there is good news for you! According to psychological studies, you are more likely to fulfill your goals and get your dreams to come true if you have a habit of writing your goals.
A money savings chart is just about it. These are printable charts which are a great tool to track money-savings goals. We will look into how exactly does it work!
For instance, a money-savings chart will encompass your weekly or daily saving target in dollars or whatever currency you use. Now, you can assess the balance amount every time you add some funds to savings.
Money savings charts are convenient and easy to use. They work like vision boards that continue to remind you of your goals every time you go through them, and you can focus on your goal.
Top 10 Instances To Use Money-Savings Charts
As fun and useful thing a money savings chart sound, it is even more than that. Here are top 10 chart ideas you would never wish to miss for getting started with money savings! All you need is a spreadsheet or a notebook, a pen, and ta-da; you are ready to save money.
1. 52-Week Savings
When you are a beginner, a 52-week savings chart is an ideal thing you can go for. For instance, in the beginning, you are falling into the temptation of spending instead of savings. This chart is not going to be heavy on your budget. Instead, you won’t even feel as if you are saving. And by the end of 52 weeks, you will have an emergency fund of $1378.
This 52-week savings chart starts with $1 in the first week, and you keep on adding one dollar to your weekly target every passing week. For instance, in the first week, you will save 1$, 2$ in the second week, 3$ in the third week, and you go on until week 52 with a saving of 52$ for that week.
At this point, you will have a decent amount of $1378 for a luxury purchase or backing up any emergency. A plus point is that you will have become so habitual of saving money in just one year!
2. Emergency Savings
Having an emergency fund is crucial for your survival in case of any unforeseen event. Besides, it is equally important to your overall financial well-being. If you want to save yourself from high debts arising from uncertainties, emergency savings are like a savior for you. General practice for emergency savings is to reserve 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in your savings.
For the emergency savings charts, you need to calculate your monthly expenses. For instance, your monthly living expense is $2000. Now you need to save around $8000 to $12000. This figure might overwhelm you, but if you put everything in the right block and work strategically, it is more than possible.
You don’t have to come up with this fund overnight. Just put a certain percentage of your monthly paycheck aside. For instance, it can be 10% or 20%, which can be 200$ a month or 50$ a week. Sounds easy, right?
3. 26-Week Savings
You can reach the target of a 52-week savings plan in just 26 weeks. Yes, of course, you can save faster. 26-week savings chart is all about it. At the end of these 26 weeks, you will still be able to save $1378. All you have to do is add $4 every week to your saving target instead of an additional $1.
You will save $3 in the first week, $7 in the second week, $11 in the third, and finally, you will pile up $1378 by the 26th week. The 26- week saving chart will comprise columns with the additional amount each week, balance, and a column for tick marking the completion of your weekly deposit.
4. Saving $10000
Anyone will envy having an extra $10000 in your savings fund! But only a few will be able to achieve it, since discipline and consistency are keys to achieve. Depending on how much time you want to save $10000, you can breakdown the target monthly, weekly, or even daily.
For instance, you want to save $10000 in one year, which means you will need to save $833.33 every month, $192.30 per week, and further break down $27.47 per week!
But, if you are doubtful if you can save this amount with your current pay, nothing to worry! Dreaming to achieve big requires doing big things! You can start a side hustle to bring home an additional income for reaching your financial goals faster. The $10000 saving charts are your go-to companion for bigger goals.
5. Spare Change Savings
We often ignore the importance of change we get at a convenience store or a gas station. What if we tell you that you can save a lot for your rainy days with petty cash. With the spare change savings chart, you can make a lot from your spare change just lying around.
In the spare change savings chart, there are columns one of which is specified for ideas of saving change. Another column corresponds to the amount saved due to every saving strategy and, of course, a balance column.
To make spare change savings more fun, you should regularly check your laundry, car, bag etc., for any leftover change. These change savings are a great savior for an unforeseen emergency.
6. House Down Payment Savings
Owning your house is the biggest dream anyone sees while growing up and taking responsibilities. No matter what you do and how much you earn, buying your own house is the top priority. But, you cannot just go and purchase unless you make a 6-figure income annually.
You must be capable of paying down payment for the house, or else you will have to go for private mortgage insurance; that is not a good idea ultimately. With the help of a house down payment savings chart, you can save money for this specific purpose.
For making this chart, you must know how much money will be required on average for a down payment. You need to identify how large a house you can afford and the average cost. Let’s say, your planned house will cost you around $200000. And average down payment varies from 5% to 20% in some cases.
That means you need to save a total of $10000-$40000. The next question to answer is that how long from now you will buy the house. If we say, you want to purchase house two years from now. All you need to do is divide the required funds by 24 to get a monthly saving target.
7. Vacations Savings
After working so hard, you deserve a luxurious and relaxing vacation!
But for that, you will need plenty of funds in your account.
And we are pretty sure you won’t opt to press yourself under debt for a vacation. In that case, it would be just a vacation, not a relaxing vacation.
You can enjoy the vacations only if you are relaxed. So, for that, you need to save money. You can create a specific money savings chart for meeting this saving goal. Choose the destination you want to visit, estimate the cost you will bear during your stay, and put that information in the vacation money savings chart.
Once you have found out the total cost, you can divide it by the number of months before vacation. For instance, your vacation will cost you $2500, and you want to go on vacation eight months from now. You will have to save 312.5$ per month- pretty much a practical and achievable goal it is. You can further break it down to a weekly goal. Get set for your vacations with the vacation savings chart.
8. Dream Wedding Savings
The wedding day is the most memorable event in the life of anyone. We want to make it even more memorable by making maximum efforts in everything. Either it is money, costumes, food, or anything, you can still make your wedding memorable without exploiting the budget.
You can save money for your dream wedding with the help of the dream wedding savings chart. While going toward a dream wedding on a budget, you will need to know all the costs. The method is as simple as for vacation saving goals.
Calculate total costs and divide them into monthly saving goals. To keep you on track of a budget-friendly wedding, we want to let you know that an average wedding takes away cash of around $34000. And it’s what research says—so good luck with your budget-friendly wedding-saving goals.
9. Christmas Money Savings
Christmas is the event we wait for during the whole year. But it is also true that we are always worried about the financial aspects of Christmas. We never want to spoil this memorable festivity by the shortage of money.
You have to meet your family, friends, and greet them with gifts and presents and all of that need money. In fact, you must know that more than $1000 is spent by an average person on the event of Christmas for traveling and presents.
To stay on budget, you definitely need to save money for this event. Christmas money savings chart will help you with that. Plan your Christmas expenses and break it down to the number of months you want to save money. The earlier, the better. So, make your Christmas money savings chart right now.
10. Saving $1000
Making a money savings chart only when you have a big purpose is not a norm. Instead, you can also meet your short-term money-saving goals with the help of savings charts. If you want to ignite the natural saver insider you, you can make small money-saving goals and log them into a money-savings chart.
How about creating a short emergency fund of 1000 dollars?
In this way, you won’t get overwhelmed with the huge figures and still manage to save around $1000 a year. But, you can also save this figure in fewer months depending on when you need it. Make it 3 months, six months, nine months, or a 12 months money-saving chart.
For instance, you will save $200 every month to make a total of $1000 in 5 months. So, let’s get started with such a money savings chart.
Saving Money Can Be Fun!
You can only develop good habits and routines if you add a little flavor of fun and convenience. And for the habit of savings, money savings charts are that flavor. To stay ahead of your financial goals, make the money savings charts and comply with them. Also, try to spice up it even more by adding financial vision boards that will keep you on right track and focused on your goal.
[…] Also read our 10 Money-saving Advices To Help You Save Money […]