How To Stack Your Coins 101
Updated: Oct 23, 2022
Maybe you didn’t save as much money as you had hoped at the beginning of the year.
You want to go into the new year with a better understanding of your finances or learn how to get that aspect of your life under control, but you may have a hard time finding a saving method that works for you consistently.
Or you want to save for something specific in mind.
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One of the valued aspects of life for the BlackBoujeeBeauty brand is Financial literacy and Financial Freedom. Financial literacy has the skills and knowledge that allow you to make informed and effective decisions with your financial resources. Having control of your money is so vital for one's self-development by separating yourself from old habits and creating new routines and methods that work and benefit us and that we enjoy doing.
Having money coming in, whether it be from your day-to-day job, investments, business ventures, partnerships and brand deals, assets, and inheritance, is a luxury that we should not take for granted but knowing how to make your money work for you and knowing where your money is going is an even bigger flex. In today's blog post, we are featuring saving methods you can try and some tips and tricks on always staying ahead of the game regarding your money.
Please repeat after me.
"IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY OR TOO LATE TO START SAVING MONEY"
Now in my early 20's, I sometimes think, damn, I could have started saving way earlier than I did. If I had started saving that lunch money and the Elementary book fair my parents would give me, I might have been up there with Miss Robyn Fenty herself in the coins department. Okay... perhaps I'm exaggerating just a wee bit, but a girl can dream, right? Unfortunately, we still have yet to develop the technology to time travel, so I had to get a grip and teach myself financial literacy.
Tips for saving $$
The first step to getting on the road to creating a better relationship with your money is, Knowing how much money you have available to save and how much money you are willing to save. Going over your monthly income, expenses and bills is a good start on knowing how much you can save based on those factors. If you currently don't have any bills, Lucky you! But remember that an account can also be as small as those monthly subscriptions you don't even realize you're subscribed to!
After reviewing everything and getting a solid range on how much you feel comfortable saving, find a method that works for you of where that saved money will now be allocated. There are so many methods to give your money, and I'll be sharing a few that I have personally tried myself, some that have worked for me and others that may work for you.
Savings Challenges
Saving Challenges is widely popular on Pinterest, and accessible templates can be found all over the internet. Saving Challenges can be based on daily, weekly, and monthly deposits. These challenges usually should be started at the beginning of the year so that you can see your money's growth throughout the year, and what a gratifying feeling! These challenges are significant if you are a beginner in saving. You can find a challenge that works for your budget and eventually move on to the challenges that require you to save even more money in a specific time frame. One of my favorite money-saving challenges is the 52-Week Challenge, where you deposit the dollar amount that reflects the number of the week in the year, leaving you with a cute coin at the end of the year. These challenges are significant if you have a savings goal for saving up for a vacation, paying off some debts, and building up the emergency fund you want to save. These are a great way to start. These Challenges are fun as you can do them with friends and family that may have a similar goal; create your own Savings Challenge that works within your budget. Having people around you that are working towards a similar goal can be more motivation for an individual to achieve said goal.
Out of Sight, out of Mind
One method of saving that I have always found to work for me for years and also requires the least amount of work is the Out of Sight out of Mind rule. A recurring issue that I found myself having is that when all my money was in one bank account with a Personal Checking account and my Savings account that I had easy access to, I would dip into my Savings account if my Checking was lacking in funds, I had to come to terms that I could not handle having easy access to my savings. Hence, setting up additional savings account with a smaller bank or credit union that I didn't have easy access to help me build my savings back up because I couldn't constantly dip into it. If you find yourself having that issue as well, this method could be helpful if you also have an impulse spending habit. Having Direct Deposit set up with this method is best because the money is automatically designated to your chosen account, so you don't have to move money around so much from bank to bank.
Piggy Banking
I know you're probably like a Piggy bank. Really? But let's bring it back to the basics for a moment. Piggy banks, money jars, and whatever else you could get your hands on as a kid are some of the first ways we are taught to save money. As the years have gone on and the piggy banks have been broken into, sometimes starting a routine that we are already familiar with can be helpful. Money is whether you find a dime on the street that holds value. If you have spare change lying around or loose dollars that may be sitting at the bottom of your bag, try investing in a piggy bank, mason jar anything that can hold money. Put those nickels, dimes, and pennies away because, over time, as you continue to pour more and more into it, you are accumulating money that can one day be used for a big purchase. So don't count out the coins you may have to lie around because those coins can turn into dollars and eventually Franklin's.
Envelope Stuffing
One of my favorite ways to save money for specific goals and budget my bi-weekly expenses is cash stuffing with envelopes for my short-term purposes and sinking funds. This method requires the most discipline and consistency to see your hard work pay off and do a little bit of math here and there. Still, it is also fun and cute to see your money grow and get you into saving and budgeting because there is a difference. This method does require you to look at your income first. I budget by my bi-weekly income as I work full time and get paid bi-weekly. Once you have your bi-weekly income logged down, you then want to subtract your bills (i.e., car payment, rent/mortgage, gym membership, subscriptions, credit card bills) that will be deducted from your account during that period from that amount you then look at what you have left. This amount will be what you use to budget your reoccurring expenses (i.e., e.: groceries, gas, medical costs, housing, etc.) once. Once you have dispersed your budget amount to the different areas of expenses, what is now left over will be what you use for your short-term goals and sinking funds.
Short terms goals: shopping trip, beauty items, nails, restaurant outing, birthday gifts.
Vs.
Sinking funds: Saving up for a home, purchasing a car, paying a debt, school tuition, vacation.
The money you put into your sinking funds should be for a long-term goal that will take longer to fulfill than your short-term goals. I like this method because my money is broken down for a specific purpose in each envelope. I can track my progress and log when money is coming in and going out. This method has taught me to discipline myself to create a realistic budget while still allowing me to enjoy the fruits of my labor and not overspend or make impulse purchases. A con to this method is that if your income is deposited directly to your bank, this method does require you to go to the bank to take out the cash you will need to stuff your envelopes. This can be time-consuming if you use more than one bank. To better understand and envision how you can do this at home, check out @TaylorBudgets on YouTube!
Purchase your Mean Girls-inspired Budget Burn Book here!✨
Cash Stuffing Envelope Inserts✨
Reading
Reading is what? FUNDAMENTAL. Reading is an excellent source for getting different perspectives on a subject to better understand why something may not work for us and how we can improve on that. Some Financial Literacy books that have helped me understand the importance of preserving money are
"Broke Millennial" by Erin Lowry
"The Black Girls Guide to Financial Freedom" by Paris Woods
"Get Good with Money" by Tiffany Aliche
Investing
Investing your money is a great way to grow your wealth over time by making your money an employee of yours. Looking at your money as an employee puts into perspective that you must make your money work for you by giving it a specific job. There are many ways to invest your money into different accounts that will grow your money based on an interest rate. These accounts are great for long-term saving and setting up your future.
Stay tuned for an Investing 101 Blog Post 📈📉
If you decide to start a new journey of saving or fixing your relationship with money, please remember this.
"Be patient with your coin" this saying has stuck with me from the moment I heard it, and it serves as a constant reminder for me to be patient not only with myself but with my finances. I heard this saying from content creator @jnaydaily on YouTube, who makes unique content for self-development, furnishing your space, branding, and so much more!
Be consistent. You've probably heard this saying a million and one times, but Consistency is essential in anything we do. When we set goals for ourselves, it can be hard to see the end of that goals due to lack of motivation, procrastination, self-sabotage, and even just life may get in the way of the things we want to accomplish. Affirming to remain consistent and patient with yourself will help boost your confidence and get you to your goals!
Affirmations. I got into the routine of saying affirmations every day, which has also elevated my mind by being kinder to myself through the practice of writing down the affirmations, saying them aloud or having them visible in my most personal spaces. You can also find our Daily Affirmations on Pinterest as well!
Money Affirmations
✨I am wealthy.
✨I am an abundant being.
✨I have many streams of income that support the life I want to live.
✨Money continuously flows to me.
✨My money will help generations and generations to come.
Get in the habit of saying these at least once a day for twenty-one days straight, and see how your mindset transforms.
Manifest
"See it. Say it. Sow it"- BlackBoujeeBeauty.
Manifesting the life you want by visualizing it, speaking it into existence, and planting that seed helps to create a healthier mindset and image of yourself that, eventually, you will grow more and more comfortable showing up as that person you dream of being.
I hope you have found these tips helpful and that they serve you along your journey because we are what? STRIVING FOR FINANCIAL FREEDOM. You got this! I'm rooting for you, sis!
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