5 great ways to save this year

Building a savings strategy is always a wise move, regardless of your wealth. You won’t find anybody who regrets compiling a savings plan to give themselves a better financial cushion. But of course, there’s never one fixed method that works for everybody, and it depends wholly on your circumstances, risk appetite and how much capital you have to work with.

Some products are great for investors and savers on both ends of the financial scale. However, some are specialist products designed for people at either end of the market, so we will cover a broad range of ways to save so you can see what suits you.

#1 – Savings bonds

 For somebody with less money but who wants a reliable and low-risk long-term product, savings bonds are a good call. However, they also apply to people with more significant amounts of money who want to avoid putting excessive capital into riskier investments.

With two savings bonds available from the Treasury website, you can head over and see whether an EE bond or a Series I bond is best suited to you. While these are the most common, private banking institutions offer similar bond products. A Treasury bond is when you lend money to the government and they promise you a rate of return. The same applies to banks that offer this product.

#2 – Savings accounts

If you want to take out a savings product but want to look elsewhere instead of bonds, plenty of banks offer competitive interest rates on savings accounts. With so many variable rates and terms knocking about, it might be a good idea to talk with somebody over the phone to discuss the available products. You could even try to go into the physical bank – if any are left in your area.

You can have a fixed-term savings account where the interest rate is usually higher but you will not be able to withdraw it or will face penalties if you do. More flexible accounts will have lower rates of return but you can access your money more efficiently.

Banks can often change the variable rate based on any central banking policy that increases or decreases the interest rate, so you must also watch economic news. You can also keep updated with other factors that impact your savings, such as inflation news.

Although the United States hasn’t witnessed the same high inflation levels as the United Kingdom, it is still higher than the central bank and government would like it to be.

#3 – Effective lifestyle changes

Cutting down on things that are bad for your health doesn’t just help you physically but helps you mentally, too. We know it is easier said than done but if you cut down on harmful physical activities like smoking or drinking too much alcohol, these are great ways to save money.

If you are a heavy smoker, you will feel better physically and the extra money you will have available can be an eye-opener. In addition, there are cost-effective ways to exercise, such as jogging, which will help boost your mental health – and cost nothing.

Even cutting down on junk food, so you have it only on the odd occasion, causes small, effective changes that will ultimately stretch your bank balance further.

# 4 – Focus on paying off your debt

This doesn’t just apply to the usual debts; people have loans, credit cards etc. If you’re looking to save money, one way is to try and focus on paying off any debts you have accrued. If you’re struggling with debts, you can look to consolidate them or consult a debt specialist who can set up a payment plan to help you rid yourself of this financial burden more quickly.

If you have a lot of your debt on a credit card, you can discuss a balance transfer or other products with your lender or bank to see if they can supply you with a product or plan to save some more money and pay your debts off faster.

#5 – Cut down on streaming services

Once upon a time, there weren’t 15 streaming sites, all charging you $20 a month. Some people will subscribe to all the top platforms, and they’re shelling out over $100 a month to keep up with many TV shows and movies that they don’t even have time to watch.

If you decide which ones you will use more than others, you could save yourself hundreds of dollars annually. If you want to catch up with particular TV shows, you can subscribe for a month or two again later.