can't save money

Do you have a problem with saving money? Are you left wondering how to save money? The only way to overcome this difficulty is to realize and identify the problem first. And let me tell you – you’re problem isn’t that you can’t save money. The inability to save money is the result of something else. Did you catch that? It’s the RESULT and more likely, it’s your fault (but not always).

Before you beat yourself up over your inability to put money away for a rainy day, you should know that you are not alone. In fact, many people don’t know how to save money. If you look at society these days, it only makes sense – but there I go getting ahead of myself. Here are four reasons why people have difficulty saving money. If you can avoid these problems, I would venture to say that you will be able to save money pretty easily.

Why People Can’t Save Money

  1. Impulse Purchases: Are you one of those people that has to get the latest gadgets or the popular stuff so that you can fit in. Perhaps you are and you don’t even know it. Take a moment to think about what you feel like you “need.” If you answered, “I-PAD,” or “Big Screen TV” or something even faintly similar to these popular items, I would venture to say you have been tricked into believing that buying the latest and most popular will buy you happiness. Not being able to resist your spending impulses is probably the number one cause of the inability to save money.
  2. Playing Catch-Up: Another reason that prevents people from saving money is the continual need to play catch up. Most likely you are this type of person if you have massive amounts of college debt. If you have taken out a lot of school loans in order to get a higher paying job – or so you were told – you could have a difficult time trying to save money while also paying off your student loans. The worst part about this position is that it is hard to get ahead. Once you are behind, it makes it that much harder to reverse things unless you make drastic changes.
  3. High Expenses: You may be having difficult saving extra money because you have over-extended yourself. You may be able to still make ends meet, but if you live your life by living in an expensive house or always having a new car, you could find yourself with a lot of regular expenses that keeps you from saving. While some may say that this is the same thing as impulse purchases, but it isn’t necessarily the same thing. This is a result of the mentality that believes your money is yours to spend (now) and you follow this closely. If you get extra money, do you spend it on something right away or do you have to ask yourself what to do with extra money?
  4. Low Income: Another cause of the inability to save money is having a low income. It is easy for the 1% to save money when they make 6 or 7 figures, but if you earn minimum wage and living in an expensive area of the country, it may be difficult to save money no matter how frugal you are. If this is the case, instead of trying to cut corners on your spending, you might want to look into increasing your income. Whether that is finding a better job or creating a side business, it is possible.

Whether you realize it or not, learning how to save money is possible. It may not be easy, but it is possible. Spend some time identifying the cause of the problem and I think you will find that saving money is much easier to accomplish.

photocredit: Images_of_Money via Flickr