5 Savings Techniques To Pad the Paychecks of Young Adults Under 30
Written by
Chris Adam
Edited by
Cory Dudak
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Being a young adult can be a tough time for personal finances. Many are out on their own for the first time, and essentials take up a big portion of income — more than 65%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While the idea of budgeting and saving may not thrill someone just starting out, there are some saving techniques that can help pad those paychecks and set a young adult up for future financial success.
Automate Savings
One way to take some of the pain out of saving money is to set it up to automatically take part of your paycheck and put it into savings. For instance, according to Forbes, you could have that money put into a high-yield savings account or a retirement fund such as an IRA.
This can work particularly well for a number of reasons. First, it makes saving a priority. Second, you can start with a smaller amount like 20% and go up from there to build your savings. Finally, you don’t have to constantly make decisions about saving versus spending.
Budget Your Way
While a paper and pen may have worked for their parents, it may not be the preferred method of budgeting for young adults. Instead, they can use technology to do it. For example, there are lots of apps available to help young adults budget and save. In some cases, reward programs can make budgeting a bit more fun, and help pad paychecks that may be smaller in the earlier years of working for a living.
Set Up Helpful Spending Habits
Many young people are tired of hearing advice about putting together a budget to help with finances. For those who don’t want to live by a detailed budget, it can be helpful to form good spending habits instead.
One way to start is by simply living below your means, per Nationwide. If you have student loan payments or other important bills, you can live on only a small portion of your paycheck and put the remaining amount toward paying them off quicker. Thus, allowing you to get in the habit of saving for the future by ensuring you are setting a certain amount aside.
Use Cash and Not Credit
For some young adults, this may seem like old-fashioned advice, but using cash instead of credit can be a simple way to improve finances.
It can be easy to get into the practice of this. According to InCharge Debt Solutions, a young adult can start by leaving the credit cards at home when going to eat or making a quick trip to the grocery store. Since many young adults like to shop online, it’s also advisable to only purchase what can be paid from your budget each month.
Start Investing
If you talk to someone who started investing in their younger years, they’ll likely tell you about the power of compound interest. Money can quickly build up over those first years, and give someone a sense of financial security. For a younger adult looking to start, perhaps their bank has some options to consider.
More From GOBankingRates
