Tip #2: Discpline

5 'o clock and its time to go home - well, for the others at least. I think I'll be staying a here a little longer. I have to give a little extra work, so I can earn a little extra pay. There's a new gadget coming out next month and I want to be the 1st to own one. Whoops! Stop right there and think about this: why am I working so hard to earn money that I am so eager to get rid of? Frankly speaking, your biggest obstacle to saving money is yourself. Previously we talked about how to have control over your money spending, but now we will talk about how to have control over yourself.

So you have made a budgeting plan, but somehow you find it a little hard to stick to it. The first few days of sticking to the budget may have seemed fine but there are some days you just find it difficult to resist the urge to spend. "That coffee just seemed so irresistible.”” That cake was calling out to me from the shop window." Well ok, I do admit it is quite hard, but it’s not hopeless. "So what do I do now?" you might ask. Then here's the answer DISCIPLINE.

Unlike when we were kids, we don't have grown-ups to watch over how we spend our money. So here's my advice: create a scenario wherein you will be forced to discipline yourself. Imagine a train without a railroad, with nothing to guide it the train could end-up anywhere. With a railroad however, the train is "forced" to stick to its path to reach its destination. Here are some practical advice:

• Take only what you need: If you have made a budget of how much you spend each day then take only what you need for the day do not take any "extra." With only that amount each day you will be able to learn how to live within your means. You will learn to live with what you have. In this way, you are "forced" to discipline the way you spend your money.
• Set aside your savings: As soon as you recieve your pay, allowance or whatever it is you earn income from, automatically set aside the money for savings, place it somewhere you can't reach. My bank currently has a feature that can automatically transfer a specific amount from my salary account to my personal account at a set time. I use this feature so that each time I recieve my pay, my savings will automatically be transfered to my personal account.
• Keep you savings out of reach: Or at least keep it some place where you can't conveniently access it. Let's say you have 2 ATM cards, your personal account and your payroll account, then do not always carry them both around. As much as possible, just bring the payroll account with you and hide your other ATM card. Time may come when you might be tempted to touch those savings in your personal account, but if its not readily accessible to you then it might help put a little restraint on yourself.