by Lina Martinez

Our relationship with money relates to everything else in life that also requires balance. You go to work, make money, relax at home, and spend your money. While it may feel pointless, at times, this balance is actually what brings us a sense of peace in life; go without it for a while and you’ll either feel overworked or terribly bored.

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With that being said, it would still be great to keep a bit more of that money we’re working so hard for without having to see it go to everything from bills and unexpected expenses, in general, each month. Here is a handful of ways to make this happen and get a bit more of that zen in your life.

#1 Always pay yourself first

Sure, that paycheck is supposed to be a payment for the work you did the previous month - but is it really all for you, though? Most of us will see at least half of it go to pay for a roof over our heads, utilities, food, and everything else we have to pay for in order to survive so it’s important that you’re not forgetting about yourself in all of this.

Try to commit to giving yourself a healthy payment as well before you even pay up for anything else. This is for your savings account, of course, and it’s the only money you’ll actually be able to keep at the end of the day. You should try to aim for saving at least 10% of your paycheck each month and see if you’re not able to increase this after a while.

#2 Expect the unexpected

While we won’t always be able to know exactly when that extra expense is going to happen, we can still try to make sure that we’re not making it even more expensive for ourselves. If you were to be in an accident, for example, it’s a good idea to know precisely how to handle the situations in order to avoid any claims - and to make sure that you get the compensation you’re entitled to.

According to Lowenberg & Kumar, it’s important that you get medical proof of your injuries right away so that the other party won’t be able to do claim that your injuries were pre-existing. Try to face everything else in life with the same attitude and make sure that you have the street smarts to avoid these kinds of situations.

#3 Work up an emergency fund

Knowledge is power and all that but you should still try to have a backup fund that is meant for emergencies and emergencies only. It’s the kind of stuff that will give you a bit more peace of mind at night, knowing that you’ll be able to provide for your family for a couple of months even if you should lose your job - and you won’t have to go begging for money from your friends and family members either.

The experts recommend that you have about six months worth of savings ready at hand. This doesn’t just have to be in case you’re out of a job, though, and you should use it for any unexpected expenses where you would have otherwise had to borrow money or take up a small loan.