by Siew Cheng Hoe

Created on: June 21, 2009   Last Updated: June 22, 2009

Saving money is a habit. Excessive spending of money is also a habit. When habit becomes a part of us, it becomes a lifestyle. Do make saving money into a lifestyle, and kick off the addiction of excessive spending.

You can make saving money a lifestyle. As with all good habits, the starting is tough.

You have to keep reminding yourself: not to spend money unnecessarily. You have to chant, I must save money, I must save money until there is nothing in your brain, except these four important words.

Do you remember how you chant I must win, I must win whenever you think of the sport events when you were young? Do you remember that you chant, I must study hard, I must study hard weeks before the examination?

It is a pity that you have not done the same with saving money. If you have a kid, do make your kid save money. Do cultivate the habit of saving money when the kid is young.

It is never too late to make saving money a habit. You just have to keep on chanting, and controlling your spending habit.

Whenever you are hungry, and you are in the queue to buy the set meal, chant, I must save money, I must save money. You are likely to forgo the upsize, and order just the cheapest option.

Whenever you are shopping for groceries, you should chant, I must save money, I must save money. You will watch out for the cheapest brand, and forgo your favorite snack.

When you are cultivating the habit of saving money, do not go out with those friends who cannot save money. They will corrupt your thinking, and make you spend more than you like. Do go out with those friends who are famous misers. Try to draw them out, and learn how they pick up the saving habit. You do not need to become a miser, you just need them to control you from spending money.

At the end of the month, calculate how much money you save. Keep the money in loose change, so that you can hold the coins and feel the achievement. Parents use this trick to teach children to save money.

Since you did not pick up the trick when you are young, you have to pretend you are eight years old. Stack the coins up high, and feel the power of money. You can do this as often as you like. You feel good holding and touching the coins. You also know that your effort to save money yields results in the form of a heavy piggy bank.

As time passes, you will feel the same joy in seeing the money accumulate in your bank account.

Once saving becomes a habit, and becomes a lifestyle, you will acquire a reputation for saving money. Your friends may tease you about it. However, they respect you for cultivating the habit of saving money.

So folks, do make saving money a lifestyle.

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