What Is Saving? Meaning, Importance, Types & How to Start | Article #9

What Is Saving? A Beginner’s Guide.

Saving is one of the simplest and most important financial habit you can develop.

you earn money for today, but you may need money for future may be for unexpected expense or emergency, planned purchase or important financial goals.

Instead of spend your recieve money you had keep focus on to keep aside money for future use.

this is called saving.

In simple words:

Saving means to keep aside small amount of money for future use instead of spend immediately.

Example:

if your income is about 35,000 per month. you has to immediately keep 5,000 month aside before spending on any penny from it.

Saving do not start with huge amount of money it may be start with very small amount of money.

For beginner, the Most important thing is to develop the habit of saving regularly.

Why Is Saving Money Important?

Saving Can gives financial safety net and help to prepare your future needs.

Some Important Reason to develop saving habits.

1. Saving Helps You prepare for Unexpected Expenses

LIfe is a full of unexpected moments.

For Example:

  • Vehicle Repairs
  • Unplanned Travels
  • unexpected bills
  • job lay offs
  • Home repairs

If you keep lumpsum amount of money aside for something unexpected events or emergency events.

this is why we called emergency fund and it is starting point.

2. Saving Helps You Reach Financial Goals

Many Goals Require Money.

Example:

Goal: Let’s say want to buy ₹50,000 worth PS5.

it is not save in one time directly one time money comes I will buy it.

Keep it simple way, Put a Side money Every month let say ₹5,000.

₹5000 X 10 months = ₹60,000

now go and buy it.

The amount amount may change as per your income, expense and goal time horizons.

The important is to start your saving towards your goal with smaller and regularly steps.

3. Saving can Reduce the need of borrow

let say you required urgent 15,000 for any important payment.

Car break down and you have tmororrow important meeting at your job. to attend meeting at right time. Car repair should done by today so that you go to office tomorrow on time.

In this situation you have no saving, first ideas comes to your mind is to borrow money from relative or friends.

If keep aside saving for this type of situation you have to just tap and transfer to service account without taking any new debt,

saving gives you this type Financial Flexibility.

saving willgive you this financial relaxation and without financial debt and keep you been prepared for future substances.

4. Savings Helps You Build Financial Discipline

Saving is not just one time amount gather and doing nothing after achieve this amount.

Example

someone just achieve amount of saving ₹35,000 and stop it from next pay month but other side somone regularly save ₹1,500 evem after achieve saving goals after ward also.

Consistency matters.

You can increase you saving over peroid of time to improves situation.

5. Saving Gives You More Financial Choices

Having money gives you more choices in life in nevery situation.

Example:

  • Planned purchase for your wants
  • Pay your important expenses
  • work toward your financial goals

Without saving, even smallest amount goes to unexpected expense feels lot of pressure.

Saving gives great sense of financial choices and flexibility.

What Are the Different Types Of Saving

All Saving not go for one purpose at a time.

For Beginner, give purpose to your saving to keep going it:

1. Emergency Savings

Emergency saving are money that kept aside for emergency situation.

Example:

  • Urgent medical bills
  • car repairs
  • home repair
  • loss job
  • urgent family financial situation

Purpose of saving should be stronger that even you get good discount any shopping still stick to your saving.

clear goals is to use for emergencies on;ly.

2. Short Term Saving

Short Term saving is for goals to achieve in next month to three months. Require this types purchase very soon.

Example:

  • Buying phone
  • starting a paid courses
  • planned trip
  • uncoming expenses
  • buy a laptop

3. Medium Term Saving

These types of saving goals required some more time to achieve goals.

Example

  • Buying Vehicle
  • Large planned purchase
  • International Trips
  • upgrade skill courses

these may take some ltime to achive but stick to it gives you money you get target.

4. Long Term Goals

Some saving requires longer time period.

Example

  • Buying Home
  • Education Aboard
  • Retirement

Long term goals, Keeping money aside may not enough

This types of goals requires invest in asset and work on assetto achieve long terms goals.

Saving and investing are not same thing.

Saving Vs Investing: What Is the Difference

Beginners often get confuse saving and investing.

Basic Difference:

Saving

Money is generally set aside for future use and emergency or planned goals.

Investing

Money is put into asset with expectation of growth over time.

Example

If you are planning for a goal for long term goals with many years away, just by saving that long term goals cannot achieve it.

Investment will comes in a way growth your money over period of long period time.

In Simple word investment will helps you grow your money with time for long period.

Investment can be done with your understanding of risk tolerence, income, saving and nature of investing risk.

How Much should You Save?

There is no amount that is perfectt for everyone.

Your saving capacity factor depends on:

  • Your Income
  • Your Saving
  • Your Expense
  • Your Debt
  • Your Financial Goals

People only able to save 10% of their Income.

Example:

Monthy Income: ₹50,000

₹50,000 of 10% is ₹5,000 only. start smaller amount for saving habit and later increase it.

How Can Beginner Start Saving Money?

New to saving, keep the process simple.

Step 1: Choose a Saving Goal

Give your saving purpose

example:

I want to Build ₹50,000 for a emergency fund

specfic target of saving makes saving easy.

Step 2: Decide on Regular Amount

Choose a amount realistically save on regular base.

Example:

5,000 for 50,000 salaried person is small amount to save.

Consistency is more important than choosing unreal amount to save.

Step 3: Save Soon After Receiving Income

Instead of waiting untill end of month and keep saving whats remains end of month, keep saving soon after receiving your income.

keep a saving early as income comes.

in simple words, pay yourself first

And than rest of it goes to your essential expense and personal.

Step 4: Keep Saving Separate

Keep saving money aside from regular expense money.

Put money in another bank saving account so that you can not touch or spend in daily money expense.

If you cutoff easy access this account and untouchable this account. It is easy to save the money easily.

Step 5: Track your Progress

Check your saving regularly

Example

Monthmonthy savingtotal saving
january₹5,ooo₹5,ooo
Febuary₹5,ooo₹10,ooo
March₹5,ooo₹15,ooo
April₹5,ooo₹20,ooo
May₹5,ooo₹25,ooo
June₹5,ooo₹30,ooo

Consistency is a key of saving habit.

Common Saving Mistakes Beginners Should Avoid

Saving Without a Goal

If you do not know the goal saving, after some amount saving you spend immediately.

Setting an Unrealistic Goal

tsarget should be suitable and realistic with your income, expense and saving capacity.

Using Saving for every wants

saving is for emergency not for every normal spending like shopping.

Ignoring Emergency Saving

Before focusing on long term goals, be prepared for enough emergency fund for unexpected situation or needs.

Camparing Your Saving with Others

Evryone have different income, expenses and situation in their life.

Your Financial Progress should measured in your own situation.

A Simple Saving Strategy For Beginners

You can start with three simple catgeories:

1. Emergency Funds

Money for unexpected situation.

2. Short-Term Goals

Money for planned spending for very soon for next or next to next month.

3. Long Term Goals

these money are for longer period time and it’s may takes around years and years.

Investing may helps you to grow your time over period time with higher returns.

These simple step simply say that without purpose for saving is just collecing money for dust.

FAQs

Whats is saving?

Saving means Keeping some amount of money aside every month for futre unexpected expense, futre financial goals and Needs.

Why Should I save Money?

It is Preparation of unexpected expenses, achieve future financial goals and reduce dpends of borrowing money.

Is Saving the same as investing?

No. Saving is to put money aside for future needs or wants. investing is for putting money into asset for long term period to growth of money and risk will be there.

How much money should a beginner save?

there is no such fixed amount that beginner should start. It depends on your income, expenses, saving and financial reponsibility but try to consistency keep saving regularly.

Where should I keep my savings?

There is no such fixed place to keep your saving. It’s all about in emergency how easily accessible your money without any delay or fine.

Link this article to:

What Are The 5 Main Areas of Personal Finance?

What Are The 5 Main Areas of Personal Finance?

Personal Fiance is very vasy topic. It Include much more than simply saving and investing in stock markey

To manage money effectively it helps to understand different areas of financial life.

In this article we will divided into 5 Main Part of Personal finance.

  • Income
  • Spending
  • Saving
  • Investing
  • Financial Protection and Planning

All these 5 Parts are connected to each other. Undersatand and related to it gives clear and helps to manage your money effectively.

Think of your financial life like a journey

Earn money →Spend on needs → Save for Future → Invest for long-term goals → Protect your finances from uncommon situation

Let understand simple finance terms:

1. Income:The money you earn

Income is the money come to your bank account in every month

It can be single stream of income or it can be more than One stream of income evry month.

  • Salaried job
  • Rental Income
  • Freelancing income
  • Interest income

Why is Income Important

Income is the starting point of Personal Financial Journey.

It helps your detremined how much money we talking about:

  • Saving
  • Daily expense
  • Investment
  • Loan Payment
  • Financial Goal

Example:

Suppose your salary is around 40k Inr.

It is a net pay that comes to your account every month.

Next Question how to use it?

Key Lesson

Understand your income before spending and investing your money.

Articles: What is Income? Types of Income explained.

2. Spending: The Money you use

Spending means it is about money that use to pay good and services.

Common Expenses

  • Rent
  • Groceries
  • Food and Vegetables
  • Education
  • Enterainment
  • Mobile
  • Transportation

Spending is necessary and important part of life.

Types of Spending

Spending mainly divided into two types

Essential Spending

These important spending without this we can’t live without it.

  • Food
  • Rent
  • Food and vegetables
  • Basic Transportation
  • Necessary Bills

Personal or Optional Spending

  • Entertainment
  • Lunch or dinning out
  • App Subsribption
  • Shopping

Both are part of life. But essential can’t reduce in spending it is fixed but in option spending we can change as per require.

Key Lesson

Spending with understand you know where your money goes.

Article: WHat is Expenses? Fixed Vs Variables Expenses

3. Saving: Money kept for better Future

Saving is small portion that kept aside before spending it.

Saving useful for:

  • Emergency
  • Short term goals
  • Planned Purchase
  • Unexpected expense

Example

As above we taken 40k this time same here and putting 5k before you spend or paid bill of month.

This amount may variable accordingly to your income, fixed expense and medicial bills etc.

Why is Saving Important?

Saving gives you freedom of stress free living and time to thinking about major decision in life like job change, loss job and pay bills for medicial Expense.

It help mostly when you need important time Emergency for unexpected financial decision.

Key Lesson

Saving Helps prepare for future needs and unexpected expenses

Article: What is Saving and what is it important?

4. Investing: Money for Long Term Growth

Investing mean Putting money into asset with the goal of Growing your wealth over time.

Common investment option like:

  • Mutual funds
  • debt fund
  • bonds
  • stocks
  • FD/RD
  • Post Office Deposits
  • Gold
  • Silver

Investing Is differen from saving money.

Saving may focus more keeping for future needs while investing is for long term period of time and different of risk factor.

Why investment is important?

People invest for long term goals:

  • Higher Education
  • Retirement
  • Buying house
  • Future Financial Goals

Example:

One father of two children start investing when both children was born for just 5K for both children. Fast Forward After 20 Year for higher education father get good lumpsum of money by doing nothing just sit and keep patience to grow money over peroid of time.

Investment Return are not Guaranteed.

Key Lesson

Learn about your goals and risks Before making investment decision.

Articles: What is Investing?A simple Guide For Begineers.

5. Financial Protection and Planning

This fifth area focus on preparing for future goals and financial risky.

good income and saving can be affected by just a one unexpected spending.

Financial Protection and Planning includes:

  • Building a Emergency Fund
  • Buy personal and family insurance
  • Debt managment
  • Planning for major purchase
  • Prepare of retirement corplus

Financial Protection

Financial Protection is reducing the financial impart of certain risks.

For Example:

Unexpected Medical expenses or major events can affects your financial life.

Depending Family members and your own insurance should be cover all your expense for medical in your city expensive hospital.

Understanding your risk and take step for them is good signal of financial life.

Financial Planning

Financial Planning is proces of Planning and thinking of long term and future financial Goals. Create a Plan Work toward them.

Your Goals Like:

  • Buying a Home
  • Education
  • Retirement
  • Start a Business

Key Lesson

Protect your Finance from major Risky and Planning toward your finacial Goals.

Article:

What Is a Emergency Fund?

What Is insurance?

What Is Financial Planning?

How the 5 Areas of Personal Finances Work Together

The five Areas are not separate to each other. they work together.

Example:

Step 1: You earn income

You receive ₹40,000 Per month

Step 2: you manage your spending

You used in necessary and Personal Finance

Step 3: You Save

Before spend you keep small amount of portion aside from income before expense.

Step 4: Investing

You may have a Long term financial goal to explore investment based on your risk tolerence and need.

Step 5: Protect and plan

You prepare for unexpected emergency that can affected your financial life and planning for long term goals like buy a house, higher education for children, retirement.

This is complete approach to managing your personal finances.

Simple Personal Finance Framework

Five step simple Framework

Income → Spend → Save → Invest → Protect & Plan

This doesn’t mean to use same framework you can change step as your suitable ways.

Personal Finances decision depends upto many factors

  • Income
  • Saving
  • Investment
  • Debt
  • Financial goals
  • Risk tolerence
  • Family Responsibility

The goal is to understand all five areas and improve your financial goals.

Which Area Should beginners Focus on first?

IF you are complelty new in Personal Finances, You do not need to learn everything at once:

Do it in this order:

  1. Your income:

Know how much you earn per month.

2. Your Expenses:

Know your money goes out.

3. Basic Budgeting:

Spread it for needs, wants, and saving with plan as per income.

4. Start Saving:

Keep aside small amount of money every month.

5. Protect money and Planning

Learn basic insurance and debt managment to protect unwanted situation.

6. Keep learning more:

Above basic done with it now keep learning for bigger risk and investing.

FAQs

What are the 5 main areas of personal finance?

  • Income
  • Spending
  • Saving
  • Investing
  • Financial Protection and Planning

Is Budgeting one the main areas of personal finances?

Budgeting is an important money manage tool help to manage income and expense. It support sevral areas of personal finance,in spending and saving.

Is insurance part of peronal finance?

Yes. Insurance is part of personal income. it’s protect your saving from emergency or unexpected expense. it is not ruin your saving and investing.

Which area of Personal Finance should I learn first?

Beginners should start with from income and expense of your monthy pay. Goes on after saving, investing and insurance and keep learning.

Do I need Higher slary to start this Personal Finance Framework?

No. This is a Beauty of personal finance frame work it can be you from lower to higher Salary. Go with step by step and tick to it plans.