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The Third Step: Saving Money

This is undoubtedly the most boring part of the getting rich process. It is also undoubtedly the most difficult. You find yourself, now, having completed steps one and two, deprived of many of life’s luxuries you once enjoyed, and you find that your friends and family think you are insane. And! You find that nobody has rewarded you in the slightest. Well, get used to this feeling, because you’re going to feel like this for a few years. Yep, you read that right – a few years.

You will now save all of that workable cash. Stockpile all of it in a checking account that you do not touch.

When do you stop?

When you find that you have saved a year’s worth of living expenses in your account, then you can start saving all over again in a savings account. Many will say that you only need 3-6 months of living expenses saved up. That is certainly better than nothing, but do remember that it is very unlikely that your year of living expenses will keep you going for a year. This fund is for all emergencies. What if you suddenly need a new car? What if you need to give money to a dying relative who has no medical insurance? There are plenty of things that can happen which will use up this money. So, make sure you have a year of living expenses saved up in that checking account. If you have done the minimum (workable cash = living expenses), then this will take you a year.

Okay, I’m saving in a checking account now. Now what?

Great! There is no next step. Just keep saving. Okay, okay, there is a next step, but you shouldn’t think about it. You are going to be saving in this checking account for so long that you shouldn’t even care about the next step. Focus on saving the money.

Throughout the third step, you should be studying ways to make money. Information will be provided on this website, but you should be aggressively studying on your own, too. Try some of the books we have here in our books section. Continue trying to find new ways to cut costs and increase your income.

This step will actually become easier as time goes on – when you see your accounts growing to sizes you have never seen before, you will get excited. Then, suddenly, it will become a lot easier to save even more money. It does indeed get exciting.

Check the home prices in your area – duplex’s or quad-plex’s, if possible. Figure out the average value. When you have saved 40% of this in your savings account, it is time to move on to the fourth step. Be sure to replace all income used from the emergency savings (if you use any) completely before you begin to save again in your savings account.

If you are ready to move on to step four, pat yourself on the back. You have just finished the hardest part of the entire getting rich process. You have gotten farther than most people who try to get rich. From now on, everything is downhill – it will be easier forever. You have what it takes to be rich. Congratulations, sir or ma’am. You are a future multi-millionaire.

The Second Step:  Increase your income

Now that you’ve cut costs as much as possible, you will undoubtedly have some money leftover, unless you were one of the very few who was already living like this (almost everyone can cut costs if they really try).  We will call this leftover money our workable cash; we will use this term many times.  The money we use for living we will call living expenses.  These are mandatory.  What will we do with this workable cash?  We will do lots of things with it.  The first thing we will use it for is saving.  If this sounds boring, well, it is.  But, this is critical.

You may hear that more money won’t solve the problem, and that your money management is the problem.  For most people, this is true.  However, there are some who cut costs as described in the first step, and they still either do not have enough to live, or have almost no workable cash left to save.  If you find yourself in these categories, then you <em>must</em> increase your income.  Who else should increase their income?  Anyone who wants to hurry this part of the process up should increase their income.  Now, your focus is on how large this workable cash is.  There is no “enough” – you want as much workable cash as possible.  I would say the minimum is at least as much as your living expenses.  If your living expenses are $2,000 per month, then you want your workable cash to be $2,000 per month, minimum.  This means you must have $4,000 income a month after-tax, as a minimum.  If you do not have this must, then you must increase your income.

How do you increase your income?

This usually involves getting a better or second job; or, if you are a business owner, this means working harder and longer.  How do you get a better job?  You can get a professional license, go to technical school or college.  You can always get a second job.  You have to evaluate this yourself – is it worth ____ years of studying to make however much more you are going to make?  This decision is up to you.  I suggest you find the best value – the amount of studying that will create the most gain in income, anything past that will be an inefficient use of your time.  The first two steps can take anywhere from a couple weeks (if your situation is simple) to several years (if you must sell your home or car, and you go to two or more years of school).  Once you have completed this second step and have, at a minimum, as much workable cash as your living expenses, you are ready to move onto the next step.

This may seem like a lot of work – it is, and it’s not very rewarding.  You will find yourself living worse off than before, it takes a long time, and you find that there are no rewards.   When you get discouraged, remember that very few people get past these first steps – if you do, you have what it takes to be rich.

During the next several posts we will lay out the basic outline of our strategy and explain it. We will also explain, throughout this article, the thought processes needed to become successful at each.

To begin, you will start with your current income. For most people, this is a job with a paycheck (working for an employer); for others, this is from their own business (private practice accountants, doctors, etc). Regardless of where your current income comes from, there are two things that matter – how much you spend and how much you get.

How much you get – you need to make sure that you can cover life (most of you probably can, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this).

How much you spend – this is where most people will have a hard time.

The first step:

One must reduce expenditures to the lowest realistic amount. This means, if you are married or single with no kids, you should live in a studio or one bedroom apartment (unless you have exceptional circumstances, such as military housing or a paid-off house you currently own). You should be driving a cheap, used car from a reliable maker (Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas, etc). You should be eating out only as very special occasions or when faced with no other options. You should be cooking cheap, but still nutritious, food. You should not be going on expensive vacations. You should be wearing nice looking, but cheap, clothes. Make sure these clothes are not so cheap that they will fall apart quickly. TV is optional; for some, it is necessary to their sanity and enjoyment of life – others should go without. Recreation should be included. You must enjoy yourself. This is the hardest part – keeping yourself in check. Do not confuse recreation with impulsively spending. Many can enjoy group hikes, board games, reading, internet surfing, TV watching, and other things that cost little to no money. In a nutshell, spend as little as you can. If it means spending more on an appliance initially to get the best value, then do it; it is better to spend $1000 for a washing machine that will last you 10 years than a cheaper, $800 washing machine that will last you only five years. The $1000 washing machine is really the cheaper one. Consumer Reports is an excellent source for product reviews – great ways to find the best value of what you’re looking for. So, cut your costs to as low as possible while staying realistic. Do not starve; do not confine yourself inside without anything to do; do not give up your social life. But, DO cut costs as much as possible.