Happy New Year to you and your families. Can you imagine that we are almost at the end of January and February is reckoning. Do you seem tired and exhausted of it already? Why?
MONEY SAVING PLANS
My sincere apologies on digressing – I am not a money matters expert but sitting down with my Mrs on New Year’s day, we just started talking about money saving challenges available so . . .
If saving money is high on your list of New Year’s Resolutions, there is a simple way to ensure you have a nice nest egg at the end of 2023, without it, feeling too punishing.
Is your financial situation undisciplined, unrestricted, and impulsive?
THE 365 DAY CHALLENGE
Apartment Therapy has unveiled a foolproof money-saving approach – the 365 Day Challenge, which could net you almost £1,500 ($2 023) over the course of the year by putting aside a small sum of money each day.
Every Sunday, you put aside £1, on Monday it’s £2 and so on until Saturday when you put away £7 before starting again at one the following week. This amounts to £28 ($38) per week, and £1 456 ($1 976) a year.
Because it’s a case of saving just a few pounds, the plan should not feel like too much of a burden day-to-day.
52 WEEK CHALLENGE
Anyone who’s searched for a way to save more money has probably heard of the 52 Week Challenge. It’s a way to slowly build up your savings throughout the year—you start by putting aside $1 on week one, $2 on week 2, and so on until you reach week 52, putting aside $52 that week. In total, if you follow the 52 Week Challenge, you’ll save $1,378 (£1 000) by the end of the year. Easy enough, right?
OTHER WAYS TO SAVE MONEY
Just saving loose change has persuaded many people that they are able to save. And when they become convinced that they can save, they find other ways to build an emergency fund or save for other goals.
Establish your budget. Are you looking for an easy way to begin? On the first day of a new month, get a receipt for everything you purchase. Stack the receipts into categories like restaurants, groceries, and personal care. At the end of the month you will be able to clearly see where your money is going.
Budget with cash and envelopes. If you have trouble with overspending, try the envelope budget system where you use a set amount of cash for most spending. And once the cash is gone, it’s gone.
Don’t just save money, SAVE. There’s a difference between saving money and saving money for your future. So don’t just spend less, put the money you save into a savings account to plan for other expenses or emergencies that can leave you financially better off.
Save automatically. Setting up automatic savings is the easiest and most effective way to save, and it puts extra cash out of sight and out of mind. This means saving automatically. As millions of savers have learned, what you don’t see, you won’t miss.
Choose something to save for. One of the best ways to save money is to set a goal: choose between a short-term and long term goals! Start by thinking of what you might want to save for—anything from buying a lap top to a vacation—then figure out how long it might take you to save for it.
Aim for short-term savings goals. Make a goal such as setting aside $20 (£15) a week or month, rather than a longer term savings goal. People save more successfully when they keep short-term goals in sight.
Save your loose change. An easy way to start to save is to collect your loose change. By being aware of the loose change around you and making a conscious effort to save it and gather it in one place, you will soon reap the rewards of your new saving habit.
Use the 24 hour rule. This rule helps to avoid purchasing expensive or unnecessary items on impulse. Think over each non-essential purchase for at least 24 hours. This is particularly easy to do while shopping online, because you can add items to your cart or wish list and come back to them a day later.
Treat yourself, but use it as an opportunity to save. Match the cost of your non-essential indulgences in savings. So, for example, if you splurge on a smoothie while out running errands, put the same amount into your savings account. And think of it this way, if you can’t afford to save the matching amount, you can’t afford the treat either.
Watch your savings grow. Check your progress every month. Not only will this help you stick to your personal savings plan but it also helps you identify and fix problems quickly. These simple ways to save money may even inspire you to save more and hit your goals faster.
Everyone has the ability to save. At America Saves, they say “Start Small, Think Big.” You can start with only $10 a week or month. Over time, your deposits will add up. Even small amounts of savings can help you in the future.
WHERE CAN YOU SAVE YOUR MONEY?
Keep a Cash Jar: Some people feel more productive, savings-wise, if they use cash. If that’s you, and you’d prefer to physically put a dollar (or however many you’re supposed to put aside depending on which day of the week it is) aside every day, try keeping a money jar in a place you’ll remember to drop cash into every day, like on top of your dresser—you’ll see it when you’re getting ready, so you won’t forget. At the end of the week (or month, if you prefer), just deposit the cash into your savings account.
Use a Money App: If you’d rather keep things digital then a money app like Qapital or Acorns will be of great help. These banks are a new way to bank that makes it easy to save and invest money for stuff that matters.
Qapital, for example, lets you set up automatic transfers in the same dollar amount every day, every week, or every month, and has the traditional 52 Week Challenge transfer rule. Always make your homework before committing yourself.
If you don’t mind remembering to put aside money everyday, you can simply transfer the dollar amount for that day into your account with your preferred app—think of it like a digital cash jar, no deposits required. Or, if you’d rather set it and forget it, you can simply set up a recurring automatic weekly transfer of $28, and let your money basically save itself. Minimal effort required, and at the end of the year, your savings account will be nearly $1,500 richer.
Enough of money matters, dear folks . . .
Lastly, whilst doing some chores, one of these chain whatsApp messages popped up. It read:
Welcome to 2023, The Year of Nothing – IF you do NOTHING.
This month’s most popular text trending on phones, WhatsApp, and Facebook inboxes is all about ‘Happy New Year or Wish you a prosperous 2023’. Now, thank you, but that is the most useless yet popular message all around the world. It is not about wishes, it is about action!
Pastors will be busy dishing out all types of ‘messages of hope to their respective congregants, The Year of Breakthrough, The Year of Prosperity, The Year of Victory and whatever as their God tells them, but listen, 2023 is a Year of Nothing – IF you do NOTHING! All the sweet sound messages will not mean anything until you do something yourself.
My message to you friends and folks is: PPP – Pray, Plan and then Pursue. God will only bless what you work on according to His will. Do not be religious but be realistic! Take action and do not keep repeating the same things year in and year out, yet you expect different results. Otherwise 2023 will be like 2017, 2016, 2015 or whatever or even worse. 2023 is just a number, it is not enough to just wish each other a happy one. It will not bring happiness unless you find something that will make you happy.
God has never rewarded idleness. Look at all successful people around you, they all had to do something, they never just waited and hoped. Set up your goals and then prepare, then take up appropriate action.
Do not fear failure. When you try and fail, be happy because you have just learnt one way of not doing things.
Listen to constructive criticism but do not underrate yourself. You are not useless.
Everyone who is normal in the world can do something. It is not about your government always, it is not about God always, it is not about your friends and relatives, it is about YOU. The old say as a man thinks, so he is.
Remember God told Abraham, ‘Look North, South, East and West. As far as your eyes can see, I will give you and your children that land forever!’ Here God was giving Abraham an open cheque. He says you can do anything as long as you believe. Only you, can limit yourself.
So folks, I pray for all of you that God opens your eyes so that you will see limitlessly in 2023.
I am not wishing you a happy 2023, I am praying for you, instead.
Walk in love, believe and be diligent in all you do. Start today, set your goals and move! WALK THE TALK!
Another chain message I came across read like . . .
2023 INSTRUCTIONS
- Do not be casual in anything you do. Put your best in everything you do. God does not bless mediocrity, average or break-even.
- Serve God like never before without looking at what people say. Look continuously to God who is the rewarder of your service.
- Sacrifice. The quickest way to turn from captivity is sacrifice. Sacrifice provokes God to act.
- Balance devotion and duty. Grace does not take away responsibility. Balance devotion and duty.
- Stay spiritually and visionary focused.
Again, I repeat: Welcome to 2023, The Year of Nothing, IF you do NOTHING.
Good luck in all your endeavours in 2023.
As of old: Be EMPOWERED and EXCEL
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