With the right knowledge and attitude, you can make your bank account grow faster.
“If you have trouble putting money aside
in a savings account, maybe the solution is to stop struggling and put
things on autopilot,” says a Money Talks News financial expert, Stacy Johnson.
An online report by http://www.moneytalksnews.com gives seven tips on how to grow your bank account.
Pay yourself first:
Payroll deduction is among the best fixes for struggling savers. With
this approach, you have money automatically taken from your pay cheque
and transferred to a savings or retirement account. Your employer may
even allow you to directly deposit pay cheques into multiple accounts.
Send any additional income from raises,
bonuses, cash awards or other windfalls straight to savings. If your air
conditioner breaks down or it’s time to take that cruise, you’ll have a
nice sum of money waiting for you in the bank.
Round up your savings:
Some banks have programmes that automatically round up debit-card
purchases, and then transfer the extra amount into your savings account.
You get a treat now and “keep the change” to save toward another treat later.
Save your change: The
low-tech version of the round-up programme is stashing away spare change
at the end of each day. Keep it in a jar, mug, glass or piggy bank.
When the container is full, turn that change into a bank deposit. Stacy
says he turbo-charges this plan by stashing singles as well as coins.
Pay with cash: Using
cash automatically makes you spend less compared to plastic. An
oft-quoted Dunn & Bradstreet study says people spend 12 to 18 per
cent more when using credit cards instead of cash.
If you’re worried about schlepping back
to the ATM to reload your wallet, you will be less tempted to spend
more cash than you planned. You will be more inclined to pass on a
higher-end model of a product. Also, you will stick to your shopping
list and resist in-store temptations to buy more items than you
intended.
Use rewards credit cards:
If you must use a credit card, use one that offers cash back or
rewards. Then, you’re earning cash or equivalents without effort.
Bank your discounts:
What do you do with all the money you save buying bargains? Check your
receipts. Most now conveniently tell you how much you saved on a sale
item compared with its regular price, or how much you saved by redeeming
coupons.
Add them up. Did you buy a cheaper generic and save a bundle over a name brand? Track the difference.
Make it a habit to reward yourself by placing all the money saved from those bargains into your savings account.
Automate your transfers: Check
with your bank or credit union about how to set up automatic transfers
from your current account to your savings account. This is another way
of making sure you pay yourself first. You can even set up sub-accounts
and label them for special goals, such as “college fund” or “new car
fund.”
Now that your savings are on automatic, relax and watch your balance grow.