5 Simple Ways to Save Money to Purchase Your First Home (VIDEO)
Saving money to buy your first home can be an exciting and exhausting task. Whether you might be in the first stage of seeing how much you can save each month or in the last process of saving money is key. Saving for a home is not an easy task but is doable. Here are 5 speedy ways you can save up for a decent down payment to buy the home of your dreams.
1. Find a Second Sorce of Income
Working a side job never hurts anyone turn your spare time into moneymaking time. If you can’t get a side job because you have kids try selling the old things that you don’t use anymore on websites like eBay, Etsy, Amazon, or eBates. The income won’t be as much and consistent as a side job but at least you’ll have money coming in and that’s the goal.
If you have a lot of small items or bulky things like furniture try having a yard sale. Yard sales are known by many people for having decent furniture for sale.
2. Pay Off Old Debt
Paying off rent and old credit card debt should be your first priority; this will improve your debt-to-income ratio when buying a house. Paying off debt will also with your credit score and we all know how important credit is when buying a home.
Stay away from stores that might trigger you to spend on the things you don’t need. If you like to shop for clothes in your spare time avoid places like the mall or shopping centers.
3. Reduce Your Utility Costs
Reduce your utility bills or an entire bill completely. Do you really need the Spectrum bundle that has cable with extra channels, blazing-fast Internet with a landline that you used once since you got it? The answer is a big fat NO. Reduce your utility bills costs by cutting off the landline; get basic cable and the Internet with the lower megabits per second.
4. Put More in Your Savings Each Month
Saving the most you can afford should be tip #1.1 instead of #2. Get into a habit of transferring money into your savings account from your checking as soon as you get paid. Once you’ve determined how much you can save you’ll have an idea of how much time it will take to reach your down payment goal.
We all have daily expenses like gas, groceries, and bills but saving the most you can is key to getting the keys to your future home.
5. Reduce Expenses
Overspending is easy but making money isn’t, this is why you need to stay on top of your daily expenses. Before pulling out your debit or credit card, ask yourself how badly you need something. Try limiting yourself by leaving your debit and credit card at home and having cash with you. This will limit you to only spend the amount you have on you and not over-spend.
If you wash at night and hang your clothes on a rack or furniture it will be dry by the morning. Whenever possible try taking public transportation. The average bus fare is $2.00 and most of the time it will take you from one side of town to the other. It’s easy to buy an extra of this or go large on a meal instead of small but by seeing the damage in your bank statement you will think twice next time.
