Buying a house is one of the most exciting things you will ever do; however, saving for that house, well, not so much. Which leads to the question, “how can I save for a house without it taking years to accomplish my goal?” Learning how to save for a house can help you make the necessary lifestyle changes needed to do just that.  And it all begins with educating yourself on what you could be doing to save money for your goal. Learned habits that won’t take away from your normal monthly budget or cut too far into your disposable income.
What habits will help me save for a house?
There are plenty of new habits and lifestyle changes you can implement into your daily routine that will help you save for a house. If you want to learn how to save for a house, without sacrificing too much, you are going to need to spend some time educating yourself on exactly how to go about it.
1. Aggressively look for coupons and other discounts.
Coupons are a great way to save loads of money on just about anything you buy. And you don’t have to wait for them to hit your mailbox either. There are plenty of coupon websites you can subscribe to, as well as sites like Retailmenot.com and Ebates.com and others, that will provide you with coupons (if there are any) and other cash back and savings offers. All you have to do is pull up the site and add the store or coupon you are looking for into the search bar and the system will give you a list of every discount or coupon that’s available. Of course, you should still scour your mailbox and the local store flyers for print coupons as well.
2. Â Choose banks and credit card companies that offer cash back.
Many banks and credit card companies offer points on their cards, for purchases that, when a certain number is reached, you can exchange them for cash back. If you use your credit card to make all your purchases, then repay the balance immediately as a credit card payment, your points will quickly add up and can be exchanged for cash. This is like getting free money.  Just don’t let those purchase amounts sit on your card. You will need to repay them immediately for this to work. Otherwise, your purchases will accrue interest, which would defeat the purpose entirely.
3. Give yourself a 30-day waiting period on all big purchases.
As humans, we want everything now. We don’t want to wait. Which paves the way to plenty of bad purchases for things we really didn’t need or ultimately really didn’t want.   Give yourself a 30-day waiting period before making any purchases that are not every day or general living expenses. If after 30 days you find that you truly do need a particular item, then go ahead and buy it.
4. Have a skip one rule.
Missing just one of anything will make missing that something less traumatic and hardly noticeable. If you go through the drive thru every day for breakfast, skip one day a week. If you get a latte every afternoon, skip one day a week. If you go out to eat several times within a week, skip one day. If you go out with your friends several times a month or a week, skip one. This rule can be applied to just about any unnecessary expense in your life and the skip only one part of the rule makes this extremely easy to do. By doing this, you will save an unbelievable amount of money each month without even trying. This is probably one of the best money saving ways to save for a house.
5. Drop the soda habit.
How many sodas do you and your family drink every month? It’s probably a disturbing number once you actually think about it, and other than the fact that sodas are really bad for you, they also cost a lot of money. You may not have ever thought about this expense because it’s only a few dollars here and a few dollars there, but those dollars quickly add up. So drop the soda habit and drink water. For example, if you take a family of four out to eat and they each get a large soda, you will pay anywhere from $8.00 to $15.00, depending on the establishment. Now take that amount and calculate it by how many times you go out to eat in a month. Now you’re talking about a lot of wasted money. Why not drink water and pocket the savings?   And that’s just the soda savings from going out to eat. You can skip buying sodas altogether for additional savings as well.
6. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
Ask your employer if they can deposit part of your paycheck into your savings account. It doesn’t have to be an extremely large amount. You don’t want it to be a strain on your existing budget. But, if you just put a small amount of each paycheck into your savings account, you won’t have the chance to spend it and you probably won’t even miss it. However, it will add up very quickly and you will be pleasantly surprised when you check your savings account at the end of the year. Additionally, you can continue this habit after you’ve moved into your new home to use as your emergency fund for unexpected home repairs and replacements.
7. Â Get crafty.
It’s almost always cheaper to make something than it is to buy something. And it’s really not all that hard once you get into the habit. Why not make homemade gifts for birthdays, Christmas and other gift giving events. It will be cheaper and your friends and family will appreciate the gesture. You could also: make your own bread (it’s really easy to do), make your own butter, condiments, shaving cream, skin lotions and really just about anything else. And, of course, eat at home more often versus hitting the drive-thru or going out to eat. You can easily grab a yogurt or breakfast bar on the go and skip the drive through or you can make an egg sandwich by buying English Muffins, cheese, eggs and ham at the store to make your own (again, this is really easy to do). This is another way to mange huge savings without really trying all that hard.
The Bottom Line
There are plenty of lifestyle changes you could develop if you want to learn how to save for a house. It’s relatively easy to make a few small changes that will have a big impact on your goal of saving money for your new home. And if you do it right, you probably won’t even notice and therefore won’t feel deprived or slighted in any way. Give it a try, you might be surprised at just how much money you really can save this way.
