Dear Hivers

Remember your first salary?

It was great to receive the first fruits of your labor, right? I could still remember the crisp feel of the bills on my hands. I was paid. I’m a productive member of the society. I’m on the way to becoming rich!

Boy, was I wrong. How I wish I started saving money when I started working. If you’ve barely started with your career, here are several tips on how to manage money:

Setup a savings account.
It’s not that difficult. If you work for a multinational company, chances are they will open an account for you. It’s usually a payroll account that’s connected to an ATM and a checkbook. It doubles up as a savings and checking account.

If your bank allows it, setup an automated deduction from your payroll account to go into your savings account. It can be anywhere between $2-3 or more, if you can afford it. The important thing is that you have a regular monthly savings!

how to manage money.

Come up with a budget.
A budget is absolutely necessary for a young professional’s life! It helps you be more responsible in your spending habits. It will definitely make you think about where you’re putting your money. If you live from paycheck to paycheck, you don’t have a buffer that can protect you from the harsh realities of life. If you have a budget, you can be aware of all the bills you need to pay and you can immediately allocate funds for those.

Track your expenses.
It’s never easy to track expenses. You’ve probably had that experience of wondering where your money went. I have. And it’s not fun.

But I’ve also had the experience of knowing where my money went. I tracked ALL of my expenses for two years right before I got married. It helped me save money for the wedding. It also helped me become more conscious in spending money. Of course, I had to have a system in place. I documented all my expenses for the day through my mobile phone. Nope, it wasn’t an app that did it. I just stored my expenses in a draft text message in my phone. Then at the end of the day, I entered all my expenses in a spreadsheet I created.

By the end of the week, I knew where I overspent. I also knew how impulsive (or not!) I was for that particular week. And at the end of the month, I pretty much understood my spending patterns and I could compare it with my budget.

Invest.
Whether it is through fund, or some other investment opportunities at work, young professionals need to invest. If you are 23 and you started working, start investing! I’m at least five years late in investing. I’m turning 30 soon, and I haven’t invested yet!

Investing is probably the best thing to do to prepare for the future. Not a savings account but an investment account. Without investments, we are losing money because of inflation.

Earn extra income.
In india it’s not uncommon to hear of young professionals who are supporting their family, meaning Mom and Dad and their siblings who are in college, but if you are a breadwinner, a $1000 is barely enough for the whole month! And mind you, $1000 is already a junior to middle-level managerial salary in the country.

Even if you’re not a breadwinner, it still makes sense to earn extra income. Thankfully, we have the Internet and many ways to make money online. Write. Do some graphic designs. Edit videos. Whatever. Anything that could help pay the bills would be welcome.

Tune out of commercialism and consumerism.
Be aware that most companies are out to get your money. Either through the products or services they offer. Even if you don’t really need something, these companies know that you are vulnerable to the marketing messages they put out there. Of course! They spent hundreds of thousands or millions in consumer research. Then they spent another set of millions to produce the commercials, and millions again to broadcast those commercials on TV, radio and online just to get to you.

And we, unsuspecting masses, believe (most of the time) that we really need those products when in fact we really don’t! So tune out of commercialism and consumerism. You’ll save money.

Be aware of your own financial pitfalls.
Do you have an addiction? An expensive hobby? Or an obsession that costs some money?

My obsession, and financial pitfall, is books. Whenever I’m at the bookstore and I see a good title, I just can’t help it. I might grab a title or two before I leave the store!

Not good. That’s the reason why I’ve been avoiding bookstores lately. I just can’t seem to go out empty-handed. How about you? What are your financial pitfalls?

Live frugally.
Frugal living is largely an unheard-of value these days. What with all the gadgets, restaurants and entertainment products being marketed to us, frugal living seems to be a thing of the past. For grandma! But that is totally wrong!

Take note, being frugal is different from being cheap! Frugal living is more than just saving money, it’s a whole lifestyle born out of the realization that we have finite resources and we need to make the most out of it. It’s a recognition that you don’t need much to live here on planet earth. Try it. Totally worth it!

Managing money is not rocket science. It is an art–a much needed art for living in our generation. Are you managing your money well?

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