Save $10K in a year with this step-by-step guide

Saving money all starts with a tangible goal. So, let’s start with $10,000 in one year. 

Saving money is challenging, with pressures to buy, buy, buy all around us, bills to pay and debts to eliminate. 

If you want to save $10,000 in a single year, it is going to require financial discipline, budgeting and taking advantage of high-yield savings accounts to do it. 

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Below is a step-by-step guide on how you can have $10,000 in your bank account in 365 days. 

1. Think of a goal to represent the dollar amount
2. Update your existing budget or create one
3. Open a high-yield savings account
4. Set up automatic transfers
5. Keep debt minimal

1. Think of a goal to represent the dollar amount

The first step is to think of what you are going to use this $10,000 for. Having an exciting goal you are working toward, rather than just the dollar amount, can help inspire you to save. 

For example, maybe you want to use the $10,000 as a down payment on a home. Maybe you will use it to pay off an existing debt you have. You could be saving for a new car, a wedding, a house renovation or an investment property.

Whatever it is that you are saving for, use that to inspire you to keep putting money away and stick to the goal. 

2. Update your existing budget or create one

Now, it is time to update your budget to work this new goal in. If you do not have one already set up, it is time to make one. Your budget does not need to be overly complex, but at a minimum, you need to have a good idea of how much you are bringing in each month and how much you are spending. 

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For this specific $10,000 in a year example, you are going to need just around $833 per month going into your savings. If you create your budget and have the room to put this amount aside, great. If not, you are going to have to make some adjustments.

If you do not have $833 per month left over to put toward your savings goal, there are really only two solutions. You can either cut down on your expenses, or increase your income. You may have to do a little bit of both these things to make your budget work. 

When trying to decrease expenses, there are a few major things you can look for. One is how much you order take-out versus cooking. If the amount of times you order food each week far outweighs how often you cook at home, this is one place where you can cut spending. 

Another thing you can look at is the subscriptions you pay for. Make sure you are not paying for a service you completely forgot you had and are no longer using. Also, if you have multiple streaming services you are paying for, consider getting rid of some that you are not getting your money’s worth with. 

You can also look at how much you are spending on shopping each month. If you are buying expensive technology or new outfits often, this is an area you can cut down on to save yourself money. 

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While it is important to have money to spend on the things that you want, if you are spending on everything you want, you will not be able to save. When you are looking at your budget, think about what areas are really important to you and for the areas that are not, take them out of the budget, so you have more to save. 

Now, the other side of this is raising your income. Again, there are a variety of ways to do this. You could ask for a raise at work if you think you have earned one, you can look for higher-paying jobs or you could pick up a side hustle in addition to your full-time job. 

3. Open a high-yield savings account

Where your money goes is vital to your saving success. One of the best places you can put your money is in a high-yield savings account. These types of accounts offer users a higher interest rate than a traditional savings account, allowing your money to grow faster with no extra effort from you. 

On average, high-yield savings accounts have around 5% APY, sometimes even higher. They are very easy to open and only take a couple of minutes to complete the process. Once you see your money grow in one of these accounts, you will regret not signing up for one sooner. 

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So many banks offer high-yield savings accounts, so do some shopping around and find the one that best fits your needs. 

4. Set up automatic transfers

Do not trust yourself to transfer money into the account manually each month. Even if you tell yourself you will take $833 out of your paycheck each month and put it in your savings, you may find yourself hesitant to do so when the time actually comes. 

Setting up automatic transfers makes saving a seamless process. 

You can typically do this right on your phone or computer through your bank’s mobile app or website. 

5. Keep debt minimal

If you tack on any additional debts to your budget, it is going to be really hard to save the $10,000 you are looking to save.

For example, if you buy a new car during this time frame, or rack up thousands in credit card debt, your focus is going to be shifted from saving to paying off debt. 

If possible, try to avoid accruing any additional debt during this time, so you can really prioritize your saving.