Do you ever find yourself wondering if there is a magic formula to saving?

Does it seem that everyone around you knows the secret to saving successfully except you? It’s not unusual to feel unconfident about saving, no matter how much money you earn. Confidence doesn’t necessarily come with having a lot of money. Rather it comes from building healthy financial habits and using the resources you know are available to you – this is your financial confidence! 

A great place to start building your financial confidence is to set up automatic savings. When you are saving a dedicated amount of money every week, every month, or on some other regular interval, you can begin to feel a sense of control over your saving habits. Whether you are saving just $5 or $10 a month or more, it’s the fact that you’re doing it automatically that is important.   

Saving automatically is the formula for successful saving for anyone – including you. Getting started doesn’t have to be a hurdle either. Consider which one of the following two strategies would work best for you and follow the steps we’ve outlined. 

1. Instructing your employer to split your directly deposited paycheck into two or more accounts at your financial institution with one account being a dedicated savings account. 
2. Directing your financial institution to automatically transfer money into your savings account.  

For option #1, contact your employer’s payroll department to set up split deposit, telling them how much you want to save per paycheck, and follow their instructions. 

If you want to use option #2, contact your bank or credit union telling them when and how much money you want automatically transferred into your savings account. 

By utilizing either of these automated saving methods you can feel confident about building a healthy habit of saving. Imagine how good it will feel to see money accumulating in your savings account on a consistent basis. Instead of that voice in your head telling you that saving is hard, you’ll be able to say with confidence, “I am saving regularly!”  

America Saves has a number of resources that can help you get started saving automatically: 

1. The Spending and Saving Tool to help you get a clear view of your finances and determine a realistic amount you can save regularly 
2. ThinkLikeASaver podcast where you can learn about making saving easier, saving in spite of inflation and many other topics designed to support your saving habit. 
3. The America Saves Pledge, which can help you make a saving plan and receive ongoing support through emails and text messages 

So, remember your unique financial situation calls for you to make the choices that will work best for you and your family, which will ultimately increase your financial confidence and help you continue making informed choices throughout your saving journey!

Each individual’s financial situation is unique and readers are encouraged to contact the Credit Union when seeking financial advice on the products and services discussed. This article is for educational purposes only; the authors assume no legal responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of the contents.