Balancing Saving Money vs. Paying Off 债务

Whether it’s student loans or credit card bills, 债务是一件令人沮丧的事情，我们的许多成员都在努力平衡偿还债务和达到储蓄目标. 你可能不确定如何使用月底剩下的钱——是用来偿还债务还是进入你的储蓄账户? 你可能会担心过于专注于一个目标会伤害到你. Here’s good news: you can pursue both goals at once.

如果你在阅读了这些步骤后想要得到更具体的指导，我们的 Certified Financial Specialists 他们会倾听并帮助你想出一个可行的计划吗.

1. Cover your monthly necessities and minimum payments first

在你开始决定你的自由支配的钱之前, cover your necessities – including rent/mortgage, 公用事业公司, and monthly costs, and the minimum payments due on your debts. 每月按时支付最低限额很重要，因为:

• 按时最低还款额可以防止对你的信用报告产生负面影响
• 如果你错过付款或延迟付款，许多贷款人会收取滞纳金
• 如果你错过了最低还款额，一些贷款机构会收取APR(更高的利率)的罚款

创建一个账单和每月付款的清单是很有帮助的 到期日期 so you can see when each bill is coming due. You should also note the 频率 每个账单都是到期的(有些账单每隔一个月到期，而不是一个月一次)，所以你可以计算出每个月到期的金额. 例如，每隔一个月到期的150美元的账单每月要花75美元.

2. 每个月存入应急基金——即使只有10美元

拥有应急基金是保护你财务健康的最好方法. 有一个应急基金意味着你将更容易继续下去 paying down debt and building savings when an emergency strikes. 你的目标是存下三到六个月的开销. If that seems like an impossible goal, 无论如何还是要存钱——即使是很小的应急基金，在紧急情况下也会有很大的不同.

Even as little as $10 saved each month can help. 想想看:如果你每月存10美元，一年下来，到年底你就会有120美元. 这笔钱足以支付修理漏气轮胎的费用, 买一张单程票到附近的城市去看望垂死的亲人, or pay for a visit to urgent care for your child.

Check out our article on how to build an emergency fund – which has dozens of creative ideas to boost your fund.

3. Establish a limit for variable expenses

一旦你支付了必需品，并为应急基金分配了一些钱, take a look at your current spending for any variable expenses – things like eating out, buying video games or going to movies, or buying toys for your children or grandchildren.

为这些费用制定一个合理的每月支出限额. 这个数额因人而异，这取决于你的生活能力，但请记住，这个数额会影响到你剩下的用于债务和储蓄的金额.

有几种方法可以帮助你控制这类支出. 一种是专门为这些费用开设一个支票账户或储蓄账户. 另一个想法是只收取这些费用(不包括其他购买)到特定的信用卡, making it easier to track how much you’re spending.

4. Think about your goals and personality

现实情况是，金钱在我们的许多目标中扮演着重要的角色——无论是送孩子上大学, taking a trip to Europe with a loved one, buying a home, 拥有一辆老爷车，或者只是因为没有债务而内心平静. Before moving to step 5, where you’ll decide how to allocate your remaining money, think about your big goals.

除了考虑你的目标，还要考虑你的个性. 你是否会从完全还清一笔小额债务中获得更多的满足感——即使这意味着要花更长的时间来偿还一笔利息更高的大额债务? 或者你会更有动力以更高的利息偿还更大的债务——知道从长远来看你会省下更多的钱? 当涉及到储蓄和偿还债务时，想想你愿意采取的行动. 最终, you’ll need to be motivated in order to stay disciplined, 所以考虑一下什么能激励你的个性保持自律.

5. Decide how to allocate your remaining money

With your goals and personality in mind, 决定如何在债务和储蓄之间分配剩余的钱. This can be difficult, but if you’ve completed the steps above, 你已经领先了，因为现在你有了自由支配的资金. For most people, 储蓄和偿还债务的平衡是明智的，因为它可以让你减少一些债务的利息支出, 同时你也可以开始享受复利的好处.

By concentrating on debt payoff (for instance, allocating 60% to 70% of your remaining money on debt), 在贷款期间，你可以节省数百甚至数千美元的利息费用. Paying down debt can also improve your debt-to-income ratio, 哪种方法可以提高你的信用评分，提高你获得汽车贷款或住房抵押贷款的机会.

By concentrating on savings, on the other hand, you would have more cash available for unexpected expenses, and may be able to meet goals sooner, 无论是支付孩子的教育费用还是买房. 有时, there are also tax advantages for certain savings, such as contributing to a 401(k) or 爱尔兰共和军. (向你的税务顾问咨询你的个人情况, as Patelco is not a tax advisor and cannot give tax advice.) By saving and investing now, 你也可以在更长的一段时间内利用复利，而不是等到你没有债务的时候再存钱.

如果你想要一些关于如何分配剩余资金的具体指导，我们的 Certified Financial Specialists 他们会倾听并帮助你想出一个可行的计划吗.

6. 汽车mate your decision when possible

既然你已经决定了如何在偿还债务和存钱之间处理剩余的资金, it’s time to automate. 包括Patelco在内的许多贷款机构允许你每月设置自动付款或转账到贷款账户. You can do the same thing with your savings using Patelco Online™ -包括每月从外部账户转钱到你的Patelco储蓄账户. Check out our Money Movement guide for more details.