money calculator and notepad

Simple Ways to Save Up for a House

Jan 26, 2023

money calculator and notepad

It’s no secret that saving up for a house is probably one of life’s most challenging aspects, especially for adults fresh out of college. So we’ve compiled a list of tips that’ll make saving more accessible for you. 

High-Yield Savings Accounts

A typical savings account will probably not excite you enough to save up. But a high-yield savings account probably will. 

High-yield savings accounts have become increasingly popular over the years due to their APY (annual percentage yield) rates of 1.90% or higher. Therefore you’ll be earning money on dollars you already own.

So if you weren’t incentivized to save before, you definitely would be now.

Download a Budget App 

While exciting in the moment, bad spending habits can cause financial strain on you later and hurt your chances of purchasing a home. But thanks to smartphones, we can control those habits better than our parents could. 

It would help if you considered downloading Mint or another budget app to track your finances.

It becomes easier to track your finances when you do not have to do all the calculations yourself, and your net worth might be more than you thought!

Save Any Bonuses and Raises 

This tip will take a lot of willpower, but you must do it. If you’re hoping to buy a home within the next few years, you’ll have to put your bonuses and raises into your savings.

It might be tempting to spend your money, but if you do, it’s less money you’ll have for your down payment, earnest money, and closing costs. And those spending habits can set you back months, maybe even years, on your homebuying plans.

Have an Additional Stream of Income 

Perhaps the best way to save up is by bringing additional income into your household.

Now you could do it in a variety of ways. You can start investing in the stock market, starting a side hustle (side job), or doing freelance work.

And you can set aside the profits you made from your additional income stream to save up for your house.

Find Ways to Lower Your Bills 

There are a couple of ways you could lower your bills.

If you have a car loan, you could try refinancing it. If your rent is high, you should consider finding a roommate or moving into a cheaper apartment. 

You can even cancel streaming subscriptions that you no longer use.

Do Your Best to Limit Your Spending

You may not be able to control your rent or student loan payments. But you can limit the amount you spend on new clothes, video games, and trips to the movies.

You don’t necessarily have to give up on these things altogether. Just limit yourself where you can. If you go out to the cinema, go once a month or every other month.

You can dine at restaurants but limit yourself to once or twice a week.

You can get new video games but only get the ones you want and try not to purchase another game until two or three months later.

This tip is probably the one that requires the most willpower.

Saving Up for a Home Takes a Lot of Inner Strength

Saving up for a house is a challenge, and it could take years before you have a sufficient amount of money before you can purchase an ideal home.

But if so many people have done it before, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t.

Remember why you’re doing this every time you want to spend money on things that don’t align with homeownership.