Money saving basics for moms

Benefits of money saving

Savings are the main line of defense in a world dominated by changes, where income is constantly changing, and prices are continuously growing.

The best percentage for savings

The best percentage for money saving is 12% of the monthly income. There is attest called the endurance test, which indicates that there should be an amount equaling four months of income set aside as savings. In case the monthly income stops for any reason.

Money-saving basics for stay-at-home moms

Any positive money management a stay-at-home mom is doing and any amount she can set aside is good money-saving. An essential tool for moms is establishing a spending chain, where the month is divided into three parts, each part consisting of 10 days. Then divide the ten days into five circles, each circle consisting of two days, then set a spending amount for every two days. If she spends half of the set amount, what’s left is her saving, and repeating the pattern throughout the month. This tool helps stay-at-home mothers to save 10 to 20% of their monthly home expenses. In addition, a mother’s success in managing her home finances is considered saving, and not having any debts is saving as well. 

Money saving for working moms

Working mothers are 37% more likely to save money than stay-at-home mothers since they put the effort into making it. The main advice I always give working mothers is to save, save, save, then spend. Spending on luxury goods, which are things we already have and don’t need. For example, buying a new handbag when you have seven or eight handbags, makes this one a luxury good! Spending on such goods should not come from the basic income but from any excessive income. Spending from the main income should only be on essentials, such as food, gas, and bills. For successful money saving one should: Stop spending on luxuries, and reduce spending on essentials to increase savings.

Managing the savings

Once we start saving, we immediately start thinking about investment! The first step is turning spending into assets. Like turning rent, into a mortgage payment, making your home an asset. This mortgage monthly payment is considered a saving, and not a debt. But it shouldn’t exceed the spending abilities of the family and become a financial burden instead. Buying the house, you live in is an excellent way to make yourself save money.

Saving for retirement and education

It is essential to save 8% of the income towards retirement and education plans for the children. You can commit to monthly payments to a retirement plan, and after a few years, you can get a salary that will help with the children’s education. It is noteworthy that these programs are beneficial and in case one can’t commit they can be harmful. In case of cessation of monthly payments, you can only get back 16% of what you paid.

Gold as saving

Savings mustn’t be as money since it gives us an appetite to spend it. And its value declines with inflation. Putting savings in pure gold that is in the form of ounces and bars instead of jewelry is an excellent option. Gold jewelry loses some of its value in manufacturing costs.

Other money-saving options

Tangible assets such as:

- Real estate: house or apartment.

- Land.

- An investment portfolio of stocks: saving in stocks as an investor, not a broker. The broker buys stocks and sells them once their price is up. The investor keeps the stocks for an entire year, to reap the profits and benefit of the price increase over time.

A word on cryptocurrency

I don’t recommend saving or investing in cryptocurrency which has become popular lately. This type of currency changes all the time and is not safe to be considered savings.

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