UNITED STATES─I have made it a mission in 2020 to change a lot of things to place myself in a better financial spot. I have decided for the first time in years to NOT set resolutions because when you set a resolution, a lot of the time you find yourself disappointed as a result. So I’m making ‘adjustments to my life’ as I call it. The biggest being saving more money! I like to think I’m pretty sharp with money, but even with that said, I want to have more in my bank account.

More for a rainy day, and if I have those days where I just don’t want to work, I can call in sick because I have extra money stashed, so missing a day of work won’t be the end of me. It is so much easier to spend money than it is to save it. Why? Temptation is everywhere we turn. As human beings, we are always going to be inclined to want things. Even if we don’t need them, we see a sale and we just cannot resist. With the New Year upon us, you have to evaluate all the things and get things in order and organized.

For the past 2 years, I have kept all receipts for any items that I have purchased. Why? I want to know precisely beyond paying my monthly bills where the rest of my money is going. Am I spending it on fast-food? Groceries? Clothing? Electronics? Household essentials or something else? Once you know where your money is going, it makes it easier to see where you can cut things out. This is not saying I’m eliminating everything I love from my life because even if I wanted to its, just impossible. However, I can weigh the good with the bad, meaning, think long-term accomplishments.

That is the good thing about saving; you place yourself in a position to gain something that may have seemed unattainable. Perhaps a long-deserved vacation, the car of your dreams, your first house, student loan debt, credit card debt, medical bills, a fancy purse, watch or one of a kind clothing. The list can continue and continue longer than this column, but you get my point. There is something out there we all want to accomplish; there might be multiple things you want to accomplish. The choice is all up to you rather it’s accomplished or not.

Be aware of the income that you are bringing in and bills that have to be paid, and potential ways to save some money here and there. There are always ways to cut down your bills. You just might have to eliminate some things that you just don’t need. I mean do you really need a cell phone and a landline? Probably not. You can probably handle all those calls and any business you need to complete with your cellphone, so why pay two phone bills when you can live with just one? You might save a few hundred or a few thousand a year America.

Like I said in the beginning it’s so much easier to spend than to save, but if you truly want to save, you will do what needs to be done to keep more in your wallet and bank account.

Written By Zoe Mitchell