How you ever thought of saving for retirement? Saving for retirement takes discipline and patience. You need to ensure that you have a plan on how you will be saving every month.
You can try the 26 week money challenge where you cut down on some of your spendings. You need to access what is a need and a want. This way, you can know what to prioritize when spending the money you had budgeted.
The annual spending expenditure for a retired person seems to be decreasing with time. In 2017 the expenditure dropped from $64,972 to $54,997 between the ages of 55 and 64.
1. Plan A No Spend Year, Month, Week Or Day
Planning is everything; you need to have a way of curbing your spending. Small goals at first, are suitable for a beginner.
Be Prepared
Since you are breaking off from your bad spending habits, you need to be prepared that things might be a little bit tough. If you are used to spending and buying things at impulse, you will find that this change may prove difficult to you.
The no spend rule doesn’t mean that you don’t spend at all. There are some basic things that you have to spend your money.
Determine The Length Of The No Spend Period
Putting your spending on a leash is difficult if you are used to spending money all the time. If you are a beginner, you should start by setting small goals.
You can’t start by saying that you will not spend for a whole year. This will be difficult for you to keep up, and you will feel like you are being deprived of some basic needs.
You can try by taking baby steps and not spending for a week or a weekend. This helps you save up a little, and you can manage your finances.
Be Creative
If you are that person, who gets bored and finds themselves off to the mall or spending money with friends. This is the perfect time for you to be creative. Letting go of some of your habits can be tricky and hard, but when you get creative, you find that it’s easy.
Instead of hanging out with some of your friends at happy hour you can try taking a walk or bike riding. This will be a great hang out session as well as a perfect work out opportunity.
You can try volunteering in your free time. This will teach you compassion and will keep you occupied.
Reassess Your Needs And Wants
Sometimes you might be spending money on things that are not a necessity without even noticing. You can find that you spend a lot of money on coffee, which may seem like you need it. While you could save the money and make coffee from your house.
If you start saying no to some of the things, you will realize that they are not something you need. You can do away with going out to watch movies and instead watch Netflix.
Additionally, this could be the perfect time for you to figure out your spending habits and how to control them. You can figure out where most of your money goes to and if the things you get are wants or needs.
2. Why You Need To Try A No 26 Week Money Challenge
A no spend challenge can help you if you are planning to start a savings account. Additionally, a no spend challenge can help you pay off a lingering debt that has been stressing you out. All you have to do is plan out what a necessity in your lifestyle is and what qualifies as a luxury.
After putting your spending on a leash, you can learn a lot about your spending activities. This will make you come up with a plan and learn how to make great spending choices.
Moreover, having a no spend challenge can help you break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. This helps you learn how to save for a rainy day and not depend solely on your paycheck.
Also, it can help you break an addiction if you are addicted to shopping, gambling, or drugs. The no spend challenge can help you break off this habit since you will be controlling your spending and buying only what you need.
The no spend challenge can help build a healthier emotional habit. Some people result in spending money when they get stressed out. This is not the best way to handle your emotions.
You can find hobbies to distract you from overspending. Try looking for some interesting things that you can do that don’t involve spending any money. You can try running and biking with your friends.
3. How To Save For Retirement
There are ways you can start saving for retirement if you are on a small salary that won’t overburden you.
Save A Percentage Of Your Salary
You need to save around 10% to 15% of your gross salary. This savings will come in handy when you face a challenge or in a predicament. 10% of your salary does not seem much at the moment. With time the cash will build up, and this will guarantee that you have something for a rainy day.
You should start to save for retirement in your 20s to ensure that at the time you are retiring you have enough money to survive on.
What Amount Should You Aim To Achieve As Your Nest Egg During Retirement?
You should aim to save enough money to serve you during your retirement. You should save up enough to replace around 70% to 85% of your preretirement income.
This will ensure that you lead a comfortable life after retirement. The saving s should take into account that you will not be paying taxes or covering some work-related expenses like commuting costs.
How Big Should Your Nest Egg Be When You Compare To Your Final Salary?
You should aim at accumulating savings that are 8 to 10 times your annual salary. If you have this kind of amount in your retirement account, you can be able to replace around 85% of the preretirement income. This will ensure that you don’t burden your family when you retire.
Bottom Line
Take up the 26 week money challenge and learn how to save. This challenge shows you the art of saving. You learn how to control your spending and to choose what necessity to you is. Visit our blog to learn more about how to save for a rainy day.