How far do you plan? Are you a spur the moment person or have you already mapped out the next five years? If you’re more the former rather than the latter, consider these eight tips to start saving for the long-term:
Vacation
42% of Americans have gone into debt to pay for a summer vacation according to Credit Karma. If you’re a millennial or Gen Z, that number kicks up to more than 50% for your peers.
YOLO, right?
Sure, but you CAN avoid this! Start saving a little bit every paycheck for your vacation this summer or even next winter. Maybe you’re looking outside at the endless stream of rainy days and you’re thinking to yourself “Man, I wish I was in Hawaii, Mexico, or Phoenix right now.” You COULD BE a year from now — just start today.
Car Repairs
Yes, saving for car repairs isn’t as fun as saving for vacations but it must be done, especially if you have an older car. Cars break and when they do it can be expensive.
Christmas
61% of Americans have gone into debt during the holidays according to creditcards.com. Maybe you’re a part of this statistic and you have some debt lingering around. Attack that debt, pay it off, and start squirreling away a little bit every month so you can avoid it next year.
Home Improvement Projects
Need a new roof, new deck, or to re-do your bathroom? WECU makes it possible with HELOCs and Home Equity loans that come with low fees and great rates. However, maybe for you the best thing to do is to start putting away some funds for projects that you’ll tackle this spring or summer.
Family Birthdays
Depending on how many birthdays you have in your family every year and how much you typically spend, money spent on birthdays can add up and is often an “extra expense” we don’t plan for. Change that by slowly saving for birthday costs early.
New Appliances
Check out this math:
Microwave $150, lasts 10 years on average
Stove $750, lasts 15 years on average
Fridge $800, lasts 19 years on average
Washer $450, last 11 years on average
Dryer $400, lasts 13 years on average
This means, not factoring in any interest you’d earn, you’ll need to save around $11 per month not to have to write a big unexpected check for an appliance.
Moving Expenses
It costs, on average, $500 to move a one-bedroom apartment within the same metro area and $1,400 for a four-bedroom house. If you’re planning to move in the next few months, or even years, slowly start chipping away at the cost this might bring to your budget.
Set Up Sub-Savings Accounts and Save Automatically
You can have multiple savings accounts with custom nicknames like, “Christmas 2020” or “Vacation Savings” that you can set up automatic transfers to. Visit a branch or give our Contact Center a call at 800-525-8703 to add sub-savings accounts. There is no cost to add new accounts and they only take minutes to set up.