We all know that we have to save money. Not only does it provide much needed financial security, but its both a safety net and a nest egg for your future. When your earning days end you need to be in a financial position where you don't have to work any more. Saving money regularly can be a massive challenge though - especially if you are struggling to make ends meet every month.
One of the first and most important steps is to realize the importance of saving money. You need to really understand that your future depends on it and that you need to make it your number one priority. Once you've got that right mindset you can start moving forward. set aside a regular amount that automatically gets deducted from your salary. Even if its a small amount, you must start now.
Once you've got an amount of money set aside for saving, you need to start allocating this money appropriately. By investing it you can ear interest which allows your money to grow without you having to work harder for it. There's a great method that works very well for allocating your savings appropriately. Its often called the Bucket Theory and basically works with 3 "buckets" or piggy banks. Each bucket will receive a percentage of your savings every month.
The first bucket is the safe and secure bucket. This should be approximately 50 to 70 percent of your savings and you need to invest this money in safe and secure investment vehicles such as bonds, mutual funds and money market accounts. The second bucket is your growth bucket and the purpose of this portion of your savings is to go after rapid growth. Typically this will be stocks and shares and the idea is that you will use this part of your savings to get a lot of growth quickly. Obviously it carries more risk, but the rewards are also much higher.
The last bucket is your "fun" bucket and typically is should be about 10% of your savings. With this you are allowed to buy nice stuff - things that makes you feel good. Not only will this encourage you to keep saving but its important that you reinforce the idea of saving.
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Article by John C. Burrow - Please visit John's website for more infromation and advice.