Looking for the best tips on saving

A couple of years before he passed away, my wife’s Uncle Joe pulled me aside and gently grilled me about money – specifically, the dangers of debt and the wisdom of saving.

“If you bank 10 per cent of what you earn, and live on the rest, you’ll never have any money problems,” he admonished me. We’re continuing to follow that example.

But what other great savings tips are out there on this fine summer morning? Save with SPP decided to take a look around for more.

Set saving goals with a specific deadline: It’s one thing to say you want to save a big amount of money, say $5,000, write the folks at Parade. “But no matter what your goal, make sure you set it and give yourself a deadline of sorts. “A goal of ‘save $5,000’ isn’t going to get accomplished if you give yourself your whole life to accomplish it,” the magazine advises.

Invoke the power of price-matching policies: Remember the store that boasted “the lowest price is the law” in their ads? Take advantage, recommends The New York Times of stores that offer to match the prices of their competitors, even if they are lower. “Price matching can occur online via chat, in-store, and over the phone, depending on the retailer. Be sure to check online policies and exclusions to confirm that it’s possible—if it is, you just got the item of your choice at your preferred price from your preferred store,” the newspaper advises.

No spend challenge: At the Mom Money Map blog, “no spend challenges” are seen as a great way to “optimize your money mindset.” Pick a time period – a day, or even a week, perhaps – where you simply don’t spend any money. “I don’t need to spend money to eat well. Have fun. Get that occasional self-care I crave,” the blogger tells us, adding “I’m more handy than I think. I can fix that leaky bathtub faucet myself. I don’t need to hire a plumber.”

Haggling over the phone: An oldie but goodie is suggested by the Money To the Masses blog – negotiating prices by haggling. “If you’re confident enough to pick up the phone, you can save a lot of money just by asking for it,” the blog explains – such as negotiating new contracts for services like cable or a phone plan. “Often, the best time to haggle is toward the end of a contract. You’re likely already checking around for cheaper prices, which you can use as leverage when you go to your current provider to ask them to match or beat it,” the blog advises.

We can advise that when you are haggling for a service in person, offering to pay cash can be a great way to negotiate a lower price.

Visit consignment and thrift shops: The gang at Lending Tree say that “instead of buying new, look for hidden treasures at a secondhand clothing store in town or online.” You may be able to turn your own unwanted clothes or other possessions into fast cash, too, the blog notes.

There are limitless other suggestions, like developing, and sticking to, a budget, to avoid grocery shopping without a list, to not use `retail therapy’ to cheer yourself up, and more. Conscious spending comes through in a lot of the articles – some say use cash rather than debit or credit cards because you’ll see the cash wad thin out as you start to burn through it, which doesn’t really happen with cards.

Any sort of Uncle Joe “pay yourself first” strategy should factor in saving for retirement, too. Pay your future self first! Consider setting up some sort of automated savings plan for your retirement savings so that the money goes into your savings pot before you have a chance to spend it.

This is a nice feature available through the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. You can set up pre-authorized contributions from your bank account, perhaps once or twice a month, or coinciding with your payday. The money you direct to SPP is then invested at a low fee in a professionally run pooled fund, at when it’s time to leave the bonds of work behind, SPP offers you the possibility of a lifetime monthly annuity payment or the flexible Variable Benefit option.

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