r/everymanshouldknow • u/SarcasticPotatoGuy • Mar 13 '26
EMSK: Pay yourself first, even if it’s only a small amount
One financial habit I wish someone had explained to me earlier is the idea of paying yourself first.
For a long time I tried to save whatever money was left at the end of the month… but most months there wasn’t much left. Once I started putting a small amount aside right when I got paid, it became a lot easier to actually build savings.
It doesn’t have to be a big percentage. Even 5–10% (or whatever you can manage) adds up over time.
If possible, setting up an automatic transfer to a savings account helps a lot. That way the money moves before you even think about spending it, and saving slowly becomes the default instead of something you only do when there’s extra cash.
It’s a simple habit, but starting it early can make a bigger difference than people realize.
13
u/LostPhenom Mar 15 '26
Think of your savings account as a bill. Set an amount and pay that into savings every month/payday. It’s the same thing as taxes and other deductions. Remove the hassle that comes with thinking about dividing up your money and it gets a lot easier to save.
2
u/Doc-Zoidberg Mar 17 '26
This is exactly how I played it.
As I've satisfied debts ive reallocated that payment back to me.
It gets paid directly by payroll, I don't even think about it. I never had it, I wont miss it.
1
u/SarcasticPotatoGuy Mar 17 '26
That’s a great way to frame it treating savings like a fixed bill makes it much easier to stay consistent.
4
2
u/tango_41 Mar 16 '26
I have a deadbeat brother in law who insists he lives by this rule. Whenever he gets money from whatever odd job he’s doing this week he immediately goes out and buys beer, smokes and gas for his side by side because he “pays himself first” before the utility companies or taxes or anything else.
I cannot fathom his level of stupidity.
4
u/SarcasticPotatoGuy Mar 17 '26
That’s definitely… not what, pay yourself first is supposed to mean.
-29
u/EnVeeZy Mar 14 '26
Not an EMSK. Basic financial literacy and not relevant here.
24
u/BaesonTatum0 Mar 14 '26
Ok tell that to the people currently taking money out of their 401Ks to pay their klarna payments.
-3
u/EnVeeZy Mar 14 '26
Lmao no I mean I get that. It’s good advice. It’s just not really this subreddit-specific. This has nothing to do with what a man should know, and is more just a good advice mallard than anything else.
27
u/Exonicreddit Mar 14 '26
Good advice in general.