The Piggy Bank Lifestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Life-Changing Saving Tips

Live a life that enables your tomorrow financially and not endangers it….

Have you ever imagined having the ability to afford anything you ever wanted? Flight tickets to your dream destinations; afford a house in a highbrow area; ride that luxurious car; shop all you want and brands; dine at exquisite restaurants and live life? Pheww! “Em, if only I have the means.” I will say if only you have the culture. Living a financially free life requires cultivating a conservative mindset and enabling a culture of delayed gratification – The Piggy Bank Lifestyle. After reading this life-changing piece, you will feel the adrenalin rush for change. Have you ever tried doing a reality check, adopting a new lifestyle, thinking through that shopping list, and making informed financial decisions to the extent of letting it all out?

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I once said that the decision one makes each day moves one either closer or farther away from self-discovery. Do you agree? Invariably, it takes care of shame, guilt, self-consciousness, and worry about public opinion or stigma. In case you haven’t noticed, you are the only one who is responsible and gives account for the life you lead: you turn a new age, you pick up your bills; you turn down that offer or get up in the morning to beat the traffic to work; and you have responsibilities with family and loved ones. So, why do you have to care about what anyone says? Think about it.

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Shop less and save more

Overlooking the beautiful Downtown spring scenery with spring lovers who make their way around, I kid you not, I don’t notice the label on their shoes or clothes, nor do I smell their cologne or take note of their hairdo. I only see people of different ages and works of life. What does this tell you? You are the only one conscious about you and not the next person. Have you ever sat down to think of reasons behind certain steps you take or do a reality check? It is more like being kind to yourself and truthful in so many ways: taking a hard look at your income and having a re-think on your expenditure. It is such a brave move. I know how scary it can be but you aim to live that dream life, right? To do so, you need to sit down and have that difficult conversation. Another part of having a rethink is checking your lifestyle. We extroverts can be extreme when it comes to the outdoors. Remember, with each outdoor comes a swipe there or a tap here. Some habits may need to be under check: swiping for a cup of coffee when we can help it, shopping each moment the pay drops, or feasting on takeouts. These dings could take one halfway to achieving numerous goals such as paying off a mortgage or a student loan, acquiring that dream property, launching your first SME, or travelling to that dream destination.

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Have you ever had a life-changing encounter that made you rethink some decisions? Having come face to face with reality, you see yourself retracing your steps: tightening up, and backing away from some things you have grown to love; cultivating some form of discipline; adopting a culture; having some thoughts that you nibble on in and out, and sober up with some thought-provoking opinions. Some may decide to live a minimalist lifestyle- living on a budget. This is because you must have grown to understand that there comes a time in a person’s life when there is a need to plan. After all, each moment spent counts: how many years more do you have until your bones grow frail? One becomes more forward-thinking and would prefer to prep their food for the week or month rather than eat out. You try to plan based on what you need rather than a nice to have because you have decided to take charge and be accountable towards cutting costs by all means.

Track your expenditure

The current inflation is like a thick dark blanket over the earth; it suffocates even the extremely wealthy. The government is struggling to keep taxpayers happy, but that being said, what moves have you made to survive these hard times? You have been able to put the cards on the table and made a definite resolution going forward. How do you plan to handle the fact that you still need to feed, clothe, and pay bills? Moreover, now that you are conscious of your needs and wants, you don’t want to feel cheated each time you shop and feel the weight on your account rather than the bag. It is always wise to plan your shopping, be it weekly or monthly. If it is within your means, bulk buying and cooking saves you time, money, and effort. Also, consider checking through applications that compare prices of goods in different stores. Avoid shopping without a list to cut impulse buying. Not forgetting that there are high-earned stores where goods are more expensive than some while you get the same commodity at a relatively affordable price elsewhere. For clothing, try seasonal shopping or target sales. When shopping for clothing, try to pair or match colours to avoid more than necessary. A pair of jeans can go with many tops. Don’t you agree?

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Life in the outdoors

When was the last time you pulled up a financial daily? Your research will assist you in making informed financial decisions, thereby tailoring your financial requirements to your needs or a scale of preference. Like keeping a budget- itemizing what you need in a month or year, the cost, and how you intend to extract those from your inflow of funds. Keeping track of expenditure against inflow and budget feels more like it while avoiding debts. Some form the habit of keeping their receipts or taking logs of expenses with the help of technology- an online statement or a printed copy. You may want to utilize your bank application in financial goal setting towards saving up in bits for travel, buying a home or car, savings/investment, etc. This is automated to set funds aside from your main account and you don’t need to lift a finger; I call it ‘Piggy-Banking Future Goals’. Just in case you mistakenly run into some form of debt or already have loans you need to repay, this may be the best approach to help your situation. You may not be able to do it all by yourself, so consider getting the assistance of a professional financial advisor, those could come at no cost.

Research about finance or get help

Now that you are aware of some of the life-changing financial principles that could help you navigate through some situations, don’t just keep it to yourself, teach someone about taking stock, making hard decisions, and living the piggy bank lifestyle. I hope you enjoyed reading this piece and looking forward to the next one. You could write to me about your thoughts or progress, and probably something you would love to read in the next post. Also, don’t just stop here, feel free to share this knowledge with a friend, family, or an acquaintance.

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