9 Retirement Secrets Everyone Should Know And Use

The overall goal with saving is being able to tuck away a little money every month or year for financial goals. From establishing an emergency fund, saving for a down payment for a house, or for retirement. Even if you can manage to put away a hundred dollars or so, that can add up a lot.

The only problem is that life has many expenses and there are all kinds of events that can cause financial strain. These days, not only do you have to worry about paying rent or mortgage and supporting yourself, but you also have to handle the financial instability that COVID-19 has brought to all of us.

All of these things make saving feel like an uphill battle, but it doesn’t have to be.

Even amongst this pandemic, there are people we call supersavers. These individuals are actually part of an annual survey that’s released by Principal.

Through this survey, we get a glimpse into the lives of these supersavers and it really shows how we have room to grow our money mindset. These supersavers aren’t all high earners. In fact, a good portion of these savers are people who aren’t pulling six-figure salaries.

While every person’s financial situation is different, the perspective that we can get from supersavers is vast. As such, we’ve distilled some of their tactics down into 9 money habits that you can adopt in your own life to save yourself more money.

 

Follow A Specific Budget

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Out of the survey, it was found that 54 percent of people said they have and follow a specific budget. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise as budgeting is a highly valuable tool and skill to have. There are plenty of apps that you can consider getting to help you with this too.

 

 

You Have To Make An Emergency Fund

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Overall, 97 percent of those surveyed said they have an emergency fund of various sizes. From that amount, 34 percent have three to six months of expenses saved up, 22 percent have seven months to a year, and 30 percent have over a years’ worth of expenses saved up.

Starting out, a good policy is to save up money to cover between three to six months.

Many financial experts suggest this is a good starting point. Nevertheless, having an emergency fund allows you to stay in a comfortable spot should anything serious happen to you. It gives you time to process whatever happened and time to find a way out of the problem.

 

 

You Have To Make Some Sacrifices

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Retirement to these supersavers is about making sacrifices now for the betterment of their future. What this means is settling for less than what they could be having right now. With this in mind you’ll find these supersavers not living the luxurious life.

Looking at the specific details:

  • 48 percent drive older vehicles over newer models.
  • 42 percent own a modest or middle-class home over a high-end or elite home.
  • 39 percent can live without having a housecleaner and do it themselves.
  • 38 percent will often go through DIY improvement projects themselves, rather than seek outside help.
  • 39 percent also forgo travelling and find they’re not travelling as much as they’d like to.
  • 31 percent have high levels of work-related stress.
  • 5 percent admit they’re living with their parents.
  • 13 percent are delaying having a family.
  • 27 percent opt for secondhand goods instead of buying new.

Some of these sacrifices are easier to make, but others are definitely harder to admit to and accept in life. Nevertheless, sacrifices need to be made and they are part of the process of saving for your financial future. You may not have to go to extremes, but in order to save up, some things have to be given up.