INTRODUCTION
If ever there was a habit which needs to be acquired from a young age it is the habit of saving money. It is a habit that will help one achieve financial goals. There are so many advantages of saving money as compared to just spending everything you make and if you are able to save something each week then you will be better off financially in the long-term.
The advantages of saving money
The ability to save for all the things you need will put you in a much better financial situation in the long-term. It will mean you pay less for whatever you are buying and places you in a less stressful situation. Mind you some borrowers just don’t care that they are in debt as long as they are able to pay it back.
The crunch comes when there is a job loss or some health issue arises and there is no money in the kitty to pay the bills.
A person who has set up their finances properly will factor in these types of emergencies in making their financial plan.
Saving money is a no-brainer; here are the five main reasons for not borrowing.
1 NO DEBT
Borrowing money for the things you need or want puts you in debt. It means that you are indebted to someone else. Sooner or later it all has to be paid back along with the interest. The debt is not going away until it is paid off so there is no point in burying your head in the sand if you are indebted to your creditors. Creditors have every right to expect repayment of their money whether they are the bank or other lending institution or a family member.
2 COST OF BORROWING
There is a cost attached to borrowing money and that cost is interest which is sometimes referred to as “Dead Money.” Paying interest on the stuff you buy on credit adds to the cost of the item. The habit of purchasing goods on credit adds up to a massive amount over the course of your lifetime. That interest money could have been used to build a nest egg. Commercial debt is the worst type of credit spending because the item which has been bought on credit loses its value as time goes by. Another name for commercial debt is dumb debt.
3 READY MONEY FOR EMERGENCIES
Emergencies crop up from time to time. The car breaks down, the washing machine needs repairing, you suffer a tooth ache and need to go to the dentist, you need a new pair of spectacles. There could be anyone for a number of reasons for financial emergency. If you have money set aside for these then you can tend to these emergencies without worrying about whether you have the money to pay for them. Every responsible person has an emergency fund on hand to cushion them against financial shocks which can occur from time to time.
4 A NEST EGG FOR THE FUTURE
Saving money means you are able to build up a nest egg for the future. If you are a responsible person you will have a retirement scheme of some kind where a portion of your pay goes into the fund. In New Zealand it is called Kiwisaver. I can not stress enough how important it is to be enrolled in Kiwisaver if you are from New Zealand. The government incentives make this scheme a no-brainer. Your country will have its own scheme with it’s own benefits.
5 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SPECIALS
If you have no money then you will not be able to take advantage of specials. That does not mean you should spend money on something for no other reason than it is special. Your own common sense and self control should be employed here.
6 A DOLLAR SAVED IS A DOLLAR MADE
There is a saying that a dollar saved is a dollar made. The truth is a dollar saved is better than a dollar made because you do not pay tax on a dollar saved which is not the case when you make a dollar. Every dollar which you save can be working hard for you in whatever investment you place it in.
A competent money manager will not have any room in their vocabulary for such words as debt, credit, credit card, loan, lay-by, or hire purchase. In fact these are all dirty words to the person who wants to get financially ahead.
Having said all of this, there can be times when borrowing money can be worthwhile.
But…
And it is very big but.
You have to be absolutely sure that the payoff is worth your while.
Take a student loan for example; You need to be absolutely sure that the type of job which the course qualifications assist you with is something that you really want to do, otherwise the whole course will be a waste of time and money.
ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
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