Don’t think about it as making money, it’s saving money!
When I work, I never really think of it as ‘making money‘.
I think of it as: ‘making money to save‘.
For me, it’s a simple way of thinking about my money being earned to be saved, not spent.
If I think of it as “making money” it’s like it’s already earmarked to be spent.
If I think of it as “saving money”, it’s as though every paycheque I get, has to be squirreled away after my basic needs are met.
I noticed the change in my mindset when I thought about what I felt when I was a student working minimum wage. I used to work long hours, making all of this money to spend, and I had nothing to show for it except for trinkets at the end of the day.
Instead, I am now working to make money to save, which has totally changed the way I look at my job and why I work.
On that note, I also don’t like receiving huge tax refunds (it means I overpaid somewhere), but when I did receive them because of tuition credits I had, I always put the money back into the retirement fund and/or savings.
So the next time you think about making money to spend, think of it as making money to save instead, and that little change just might make all of the difference.
Erika B.
Great post! I received a promotion at work and I plan to save whatever dollar amount my paycheck is increased. I’ve been living fine without it all this time, so I won’t miss it!