I’ve written about the idea of a 100% personal tax, which is the idea that whenever you buy something that isn’t a necessity, you impose a 100% tax on yourself that goes toward your savings account. This is a forced savings tactic which helps put your spending in perspective. If you have a difficult time saving and you think you spend too much, consider imposing a personal tax on yourself, whether it’s 50%, 75%, or 100%.
The Problem With a Personal Tax
One complaint I’ve seen about the personal tax is that is forces us to transfer money from a checking account into a savings account after each purchase. If we wait until the end of the month, the money might be already spent and it might be impractical to make a large transfer. If the money is left over at the end of the month, you probably don’t have a savings problem, anyway.
The Personal Tax Solution
Well, there’s a perfect solution to this problem. At the end of each week, or month, transfer the amount of your discretionary spending to your savings account. The more frequently you do this, the more likely it is that it will work!
Challenge Yourself
If you’re having trouble saving each month and want to do a better job saving for a rainy day, for a vacation, or long-term goals, check out SavedPlus and consider using a personal tax. Start at 10%, and if you can, try to increase the savings percentage each month.
We automatically put away money for savings, income taxes, and property taxes from every pay period. That way, we know we only have what’s left to spend to cover our normal bills plus the extras. It makes it much easier for us overall. But this method sounds like it would be great for anyone breaking bad spending habits. :-)
Hello Daniel,
This seems like a great idea to me! I’m not exactly the shopaholic type, although I can be a bit of an impulsive buyer sometimes. I think this can help me control that and also help me save some money at the same time. Thanks for sharing this wonderful app!
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Great article.. It seems make sense to me. I will apply these tips of yours. Thank you so much for sharing.