Did you actually intend to spend less money in the new year? And yet the first pair of sneakers has landed in the shopping cart again. These four tips make saving easier.
The new year is still young – and yet the first people are likely to have already broken their good resolutions. If you’ve been planning to save more money, we’ll give you four effective strategies.
Saving tip 1: The 52-week challenge
The principle is simple: money is thrown into a piggy bank on a fixed day of the week. And always one euro more than in the previous week – starting at one euro. This is a fun way to amass a small fortune, says Kathleen Altmann from the Association of German Banks. Those who remain consistent can take a whole 1378 euros from the money box on New Year’s Eve. That’s enough for a nice holiday, for example.
Saving tip 2: The five-euro trick
The idea: don’t spend five euro bills, save instead. Whenever a new five-euro bill lands in your wallet – put it in the money box. What comes together at the end is less calculable, but over time a lot should accumulate, says Kathleen Altmann. Of course, this trick also works with other denominations, such as one or two euro coins.
Saving tip 3: The consumer diet
Sales and clearance sales like to tempt people to make impulse purchases. The tip: don’t be influenced by discount campaigns. Instead, the wishes are put on a note and looked at again after a month, advises Kathleen Altmann. If the wish still exists, you can strike. Otherwise, the money saved goes into the piggy bank.
Saving tip 4: Round up in your favor
Whether eating out or shopping: Every time you treat yourself to something, you round up the amount and put the difference in a piggy bank. And this is how it works: If the new T-shirt costs around 24.99 euros, calculate with 30 euros and put 5.01 euros into the money box.
Of course, you can also round up, says Kathleen Altmann. And of course the money doesn’t necessarily have to go into the piggy bank. It may even make more sense to put what you have saved into a call money account, for example. There it can now often bring in a small amount of interest again.
