Search

Roadblocks to Saving: Not Treating Yourself (Sometimes)

How to Save????

Welcome to our new guest contributor, Alexandra from Real Simple Finances. She’ll be writing about saving money.

Enjoy Part 1 of the Roadblocks to Saving Series

Part 1 – Roadblocks to Saving: Not Treating Yourself (Sometimes)

Part 2 – Roadblocks to Saving Series; Not Planning Ahead

I have to say it. Get the tomatoes ready, because you may not like it. Not buying yourself things can cause you to spend more money.

I know, I know. It’s counterproductive, you may say. It shows a lack of willpower when you buy things you don’t need! (Hey, not everyone is born with the the brain of a saver.) I’m here to argue for the healthy habit of treating yourself, the smart way.

Without a plan in place, this idea could go awry very quickly, so let’s lay down some ground rules first!

cheap rewards
Save money with ice cream sundae reward!

1. You must have a reason for the reward.

By this, I mean that you should have reached a finance goal, be it meeting an emergency fund value goal, paying off a debt, or hitting any other milestone you may have set for yourself. It is always a bad idea to justify a purchase with the phrase “I deserve this.” Trust me, I’ve been there. I think I deserve an awful lot more than my bank book does! When you decide to only buy rewards with a specific reason in mind, a lot of your random “but I’ve worked so hard” purchases will cease.

2. Your reward should be planned.

Let’s say that your ultimate goal was to add another $1,000 to your emergency fund. You should already know what reward you are going to get when you reach that goal. By promising yourself something ahead of time, you eliminate the chance that you will make an impulsive purchase (or multiple impulsive purchases!) when extra money comes your way.

This step will also give you something to look forward to in addition to meeting your goal. Sometimes paying off my debt isn’t fun, but knowing that I’m getting something (however small) can get me excited about my goals again.

3. Your reward should mean something to you.

Rewarding yourself in a way that is boring isn’t much of an incentive to meet your goals. Don’t promise yourself that after paying off $500 in debt you’ll take your cat to be groomed, unless that’s a) something that’s incredibly motivating to you or b) incredibly needed, and there’s no way you can afford it otherwise. Frankly, I’d rather pick up a kit and groom my own cat, and get myself a pedicure.

4. Your reward should not undo all the work you put into meeting your goal.

Do not add $1,000 to your emergency fund only to decide you deserve a new car, especially if that new car will add an additional expense to your monthly spending. Before you know it, that $1,000 will probably be gone. Instead, make a deal with yourself: “Hey, self. When I save $1,000 toward my emergency fund, I will take my next $100 and put it in the new-car fund!” (Or buy seat covers for your new car, or get a massage if cars aren’t your thing.)

Of course, there are a few things to remember when choosing rewards:

The reward doesn’t have to be big. In fact, it probably shouldn’t be! I’ve been wanting to get a specific bracelet for a while. The bracelet costs $30. Is that a frivolous purchase? Yes. Is it something I would enjoy and wear often? Yes, and yes. If I paid off $500 of my student loan debt, I would absolutely feel fine with purchasing a bracelet. In fact, it might mean more to me when I know that it symbolizes a step in my debt pay-off journey.

Maybe you like eating out on the weekends. How much money would you save if you didn’t eat out for a month? Try it, I dare you. Instead of spending money eating out, try putting that money toward a debt payment. At the end of the month, go out for dinner once.

You don’t have to reward yourself for everything! Rewards can get out of hand quickly. Instead of giving yourself a small present every time you save $100, save your purchases for bigger milestones. $500 or $1,000 increments are always good to start at if you really need some motivation, but if you’d prefer fewer, bigger rewards, I encourage you to set your goals higher: Promise yourself a reward after you pay off your car payment.

As you can see, by using rewards to motivate you to meet your financial goals you are actually saving money on impulse purchases! The money you save by not treating yourself to brunch every Sunday can really add up. When you finally get your brunch reward, you’ll enjoy it that much more. Promise.

Be sure to stop check out Part 2 – Roadblocks to Saving Series; Not Planning Ahead

Alexandra is the owner of Real Simple Finances, where she writes easy finances tips for real people. In addition to fighting off student loan debt, Alexandra is a university English Instructor and will be graduating in May, 2014, with her Master of Arts.

Do you reward yourself when you reach a goal? What types of rewards do you use?

image credit; widimedia_google_images

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *