Have you always wanted to save a chunk of your income but never really figured out how? Do you find yourself spending the money you promised yourself before that you would save?
Here are tips from MSN Money about the ways to start saving.
Step 1: Retrain your brain
Saving money is a state of mind. Before you can start, you have to renounce the spending — and stop believing you actually need all the stuff you've been spending money on.
The next time you want to buy something, take the P50 or P100 out of your wallet, and stash it somewhere. See? That's called saving. You don't end up with stuff; you end up with MONEY. To retrain your brain, start thinking about the following:
Accept frugality as your savior. Become a closet cheapskate and emulate your frugal friends. Note that they fix the shower curtain instead of buying a new one. Sit down with Depression-era relatives and ask about economizing.
Seek inspiration. Get thee onto MSN or Google Search and type in "living cheaply," "frugal living" and "voluntary simplicity." Be inspired by the gazillion Web sites devoted to living on less!
Cry poverty — with style. Learn handy phrases like, "Let's eat somewhere cheap." And "Cab? No, I'll take the bus this time." It's less embarrassing than you'd think, because more people are in your shoes than you think!
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