When it comes to putting money into our savings, we might not automatically think about the benefits of saving money – however, there are loads of advantages to consider. Here are some great reasons to save money.
Emergencies
Most emergencies that crop up can cost money, from an expensive car bill to needing a home repair; emergencies can add an unexpected expense. By saving money into your emergency fund, you will have money set aside for these unexpected expenses.
Without an emergency fund in place, you might find yourself unable to pay for repairs, bills or debt repayments. You might also need to take out additional credit to cover your encounter expenses.
Whilst it is ideal to have three to six months of expenses in your emergency fund, this isn’t achievable for most of us. Even having just £100 in your emergency fund can make a big difference.
Sickness or time off work
Many of us live payday to payday, meaning that any unexpected time off work or relying on statutory sick pay could have a significant impact on our finances. Having savings behind us can focus on recovery from our illness or caring for family and friends without worrying about losing income.
The benefits of saving money – paying for a big life event
One of the great benefits of saving money is paying for a significant life event like a wedding. Whilst you can get married for under £1,000 you might be dreaming of a bigger day that could set you back tens of thousands of pounds.
Many happy couples end up postponing their wedding date because of the cost of weddings; however, if you save up money for your wedding day, you can plan the day of your dreams without starting married life together in debt.
Saving for a house deposit
Whilst getting on the housing ladder might seem like a distant dream, it is one of the great benefits of saving money. You will typically need at least a 5% deposit on the house purchase price saved as a deposit, although it is more common to see 10% or even 20% required.
That means for every £100,000 the house you want to buy costs; you could need to save £5,000 – £20,000 towards the deposit. By putting money away regularly into a savings account, you will be able to work towards a goal of homeownership.
The benefits of saving money – letting your money work for you
While interest rates on savings accounts might be pretty low, there is still some money to be made from the interest on your savings.
You can’t expect to see as much growth as you might get from investing; however, putting your money into a savings account that pays interest your money can work for you, racking up some extra cash. However, there are other ways to make an extra £500 a month.
Use sinking funds to pay for regular or irregular spending
Sinking funds are a great way to spread out the cost of regular or irregular spending, such as Christmas, birthdays and car repairs. To set up a sinking fund, you can use cash or set up online accounts or pots to keep the money in. Then, you can put aside some money into your sinking fund every pay period.
For example, if Christmas costs you £1,000 every year, and you are paid weekly, divide £1,000 by 52 to get £19.23. You would then save £19.23 every week (every pay period) into your Christmas sinking fund.
This means that come November and December; you don’t have to suddenly find £1,000 for Christmas – one of the great benefits of savings in sinking funds.
You can use sinking funds for all sorts of things, like:
- Christmas
- Birthdays
- Holidays
- Attending weddings
- Car repairs
- Insurance – car, mobile, travel
- Car tax
- Home repairs
- Home updates
And many more.
The benefits of saving money – paying less
Have you noticed that you can save money if you can afford to pay some bills upfront?
For example, if you can afford to pay your car insurance upfront for the year, you will pay less than in monthly instalments?
This applies to many bills and things like your mobile phone. It can often be cheaper to buy your mobile phone outright with your savings and have a SIM-only contract than having an arrangement that includes paying for the handset every month.
Have any of these benefits of saving money surprised you?
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