This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
Spending will always be easier than saving
If you’re earning income and successfully managing your debt and bills (or at least not being overwhelmed by them), you might think you can get away with living how you want and saving little to barely any money.
But maintaining this habit will quickly reveal it doesn’t add up to much.
If you’re not consistently saving, you’re consistently spending.
If you’re consistently not saving a significant portion, you’re most likely wasting the other more considerable portion of your money.
Money not saved = money spent or money available to spend.
People Spend More Than Save
A person is more apt to give their money away than keep it. And much of the stuff we consume outside of the necessities is frequently not intentional or worth it.
It’s easier to spend than save money, so most people have very little savings or a savings nest egg that doesn’t accurately reflect the amount they need for financial independence.
Saving money seems most complicated until you get started. Once you start doing it, it becomes easier to save money and increase the amount of money you save.
We are familiar with the idea that to save money, you must spend less than you earn. If you don’t do this, you end up overspending.
Most of us overspend because:
Saving is hard. Spending is easy. Putting something away for the future is painful. Spending now feels good.
Our society is driven by immediate gratification. Unfortunately, many of us do not understand the concept of waiting or self-discipline, which is why we are such a debt-driven society.
We don’t track our money and don’t want to.
We are trying to live a life that we can’t afford yet.
We enjoy spending our money more than saving it.
We are scared to learn how much money we have or don’t have.
We want to experience immediate benefits (buying our desires now without saving or ensuring we have enough funds to pay for it in cash).
Saving Isn’t Attractive Right Away
Keeping money doesn’t have immediately recognizable benefits at first glance.
It usually takes time to notice the positive effects. And even the initial positive effects might not be attractive enough to keep up the habit.
A guy started budgeting, saving, and spending less than he earned. His investments, emergency fund, and lifestyle were all eventually booming. But he soon fell back into old habits because it’s easy and attractive to do.
If you’re not careful, you can revert to your old habits because getting what you want now usually feels better than delaying gratification.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.