Love conquers all; except Poverty
Mae West
I laughed at myself, one sweet afternoon, after a conversation with a dear friend and mentor; Esther Ameh.
We had just concluded a brainstorm session on how to recognize potential investment opportunities in our environment, and she made a funny remark: “You see clearer when you have no money”
Few years before that day, I remember been seated in a wedding reception; and as the youngest on the table, I was allowed to take home the pack of fruit juice on that table.
Upon returning home that evening, I realized that drink was all I had to take for the next few days, before any funds would come my way. I broke down in tears that evening, lamenting and asking myself, why my life was like that. How come I was always in want and need for my basic needs?
Then, I decided to become more deliberate about my finances. From that decision, my journey to learning how to save money effectively also began. I knew I definitely was doing something wrong, and I wanted to find out what it was.
MYTHS ABOUT MONEY SAVING
- Savings do not equate to wealth
Wealthy people emphasize character and intangibles, above physical resources. Savings might not give you all the financial resources you would need to be free; but, it inculcates in you, the discipline required to sustain incredible measures of wealth.
Savings culture teaches you how to delay gratification, make timely decisions and prioritize, among many other things. These are traits needed for greatness.
- I never have enough to save from
Although I attest to the fact that there could be extreme financial droughts experienced people, that they can barely meet their financial needs; I desire to address as an issue of perspective.
The ability to give isn’t restricted to material things alone. Sustain a paradigm that there is always something to give. You are not the worst person living on earth.
Start giving out your time, energy, then, resources would follow. This helps to eliminate want as an excuse. With this paradigm shift, you could live on minimal resources, yet be able to put away a token in savings.
- Savings and Investment is quite complicated
The truth is whatever you do not understand, will seem complicated to you. Decide to be genuinely interested in understanding how it works, and we will work you through.
WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY SAVE MORE MONEY
- STOP USING DIY’s METHODS AS A MEANS TO SAVE COSTS
Sounds ironic right? Do It Yourself (DIY) methods are extremely helpful when they are used for domestic purposes. They are greatly discouraged when they become a means to save cost for professional services.
For instance, you have a wedding to plan; and as opposed to contracting an affordable wedding planner to work with your budget and make all you will need available at the stipulated time; you decide to do it yourself. Chances are likely that you would spend more, trying to cut costs; as most of your activities would be based on probability. You probably will not conversant with the market price, value or quality and quantity needed.
You save more effectively delegating activities you are not learned in, to professionals.
Closely related to this, is settling down for sub standard products, as a means to cut cost. You always spend more on maintenance, repair and replacement, than you would have, if you had appreciated quality at the first instance.
Learn to outsource the utmost quality, yet affordable human and material resources at whatever level you presently are at.
- CREATE A PIGGY VEST ACCOUNT
This is not an advert for an Application. It is the recounting of methods that work with proven testimonies.
As a personal principle, I dissuade and disengage from using banks as a savings platform. Piggy vest is a platform solely dedicated to savings, accredited Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
With Piggy Vest, you can save for as low as #50 (fifty naira, Nigerian currency) and as many times as possible with just a simply click on the App. You also have several investment plans on it, that makes your savings appreciate.
Piggy Vest also has target savings features, that enable you plan towards a major event or occurrence in your life. You can save towards a marriage, a car, a building project etc. Much more is the fact that you can save with other people in a group towards an event. It spurs you up to being committed to the cause and encouraged to give more.
Because you can save as low as possible, for those extra balances, that aren’t easily withdrawn in your account, easily spent on phone recharges, it can easily be put away in savings.
Piggy vest has an Auto Save option where as soon as monies enter into your bank account, you can a percentage away immediately, into savings.
There are withdrawal dates that run 4 times in a year. However, you can work on your piggy vest account settings to set your personal withdrawal dates. Whenever, you withdraw on dates that aren’t set for withdrawals, you lose some part of your money (5%). This helps to limit careless withdrawals from your piggy vest account.
WHAT YOU NEED TO OPEN A PIGGY VEST ACCOUNT
- A working bank account
- Access to internet
You can open an account here.
- SET SAVING GOALS
Nothing else measures your progress as goal setting. Nothing excites you as setting goals and achieving them. Goal setting is one of the most powerful phenomena there is in life. When goals are set, you attract unconsciously all that is required to achieve the goals.
When you have a desire to have a particular sum of money, you run it through a SMART analysis.
S: Specific sum of money you desire.
M: Measure how viable your dream savings is.
A: Achievable. How achievable is your desire based on the mental, human and physical resources you have?
R: Realistic. How realistic is your dream savings with the consistent stream of income you possess?
T: Time tagged. What is the time target for you to actualize this goal?
The more specific you can get with your goals, the clearer they will be, and the greater likelihood you have of achieving it.
THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE
The 80/20 Principle states that you save 20% of all monies that come to you, and dedicate 80% to expenditure.
I encourage this rule for savings, but personally, I go beyond it. For my savings culture, I do a 60/40 rule, and then, for any money that comes to me unexpectedly which isn’t part of the normal flow of income, I save 70% of it.
Do you know?
That having a target for the amount of income you desire does nothing to you? It changes NOTHING! If you were earning #100,000 (naira) and it tripled to #300,000 (naira), without a significant change in your savings and investment, it all is a waste?
Desiring to increase in income, which will automatically make you increase in expenditure is not enough; seek instead to increase in Savings. Have a SAVINGS TARGET. In my opinion, your tangible wealth is measured how much you can successfully put away without fretting.
This post is aimed at inspiring you to begin a journey to Financial Freedom. Let’s end want, and a consistent state of lack.
Do you have questions, observations and suggestions you wanna share? I absolutely would love to hear from you!