Before you start saving it’s all about becoming aware of your income, how much you’re spending and then creating a budget, but what about after that? Whether you’re in the planning phase or you’ve been saving for a little while, we know that staying on track is easier said than done. From the casual saver to the disciplined goal-setter, we have a variety of savings tools to match your saving habits.
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Tools to help you save effectively
Set a savings target
An important part of saving is having a target to aim for. Whether you want to buy something special, go on a holiday or have money set aside for a rainy day, it helps to have a figure in mind and a date to reach it by.
Create a budget you can stick to
Now it’s time to crunch the numbers and break down how much you need to save each week, fortnight or month.
A good starting point is to look over your bank statements and see how much is coming in and going out. You can then work out what your fixed expenses are (like rent and bills) and what expenses fluctuate (like groceries and going out). You might be surprised at how much you’re spending on certain things, like takeaway coffee – so you can start to set some ground rules for your everyday expenses.
Make sure to set a savings goal that’s manageable. That way, you’ll protect the money you’re saving for the future and still be able to live in the now.
Use our budget planner calculator
Choose an account to match your saving habits
It’s important to choose an account that suits the way you save. It pays to research different accounts, as some reward you with bonus interest if you make the minimum monthly deposit or don’t make any withdrawals over a month.
Don’t forget that you can have multiple savings accounts for different savings goals. You can even nickname them in the Bankwest App or online banking - like ‘wedding’ or ‘new car’.
Find out how to choose the right savings account for you
Customise your Bankwest savings account
After you’ve organised the savings account you’re going to use, you can set it up to help you stay on track.
Set and forget with scheduled payments
If you prefer for your account to be out of sight and out of mind, then why not make saving automatic? You could set up scheduled transfers from your transaction account to your savings account every payday before you even know the money is there.
Learn more about setting up regular payments
Keep a close watch with Bankwest Easy Alerts
Bankwest Easy Alerts can help you keep track of your account activity. Depending on the accounts you have, you could receive a notification before a scheduled payment is due, if your account balance drops below or reaches a nominated amount, and more.
Learn more about Bankwest Easy Alerts
Create and track your goal in the Bankwest App
You could turn an eligible savings account into a customised savings tracker. Tell us how much you want to save, by when, and we'll crunch the numbers. You can see how you’re tracking and even set up scheduled payments.
Learn more about creating a goal
Check in with your budget
Seeing your account balance going up can be motivating, so it’s important to be mindful of how your budget is going. After a few weeks or months, we recommend you review your budget and savings to see if anything needs to be tweaked.
There may be times where the unexpected happens in your life, like car problems or medical bills. This is why it’s important to put extra into your savings if you’ve had a quiet week or you find yourself with some extra cash. All those little additional payments add up and you could reach your goal sooner.
Browse our range of saving accounts
Flexible savings account
With an Easy Saver account, you could earn interest on your account balance up to $50,000.99 even if you dip into your savings.
Regular saving rewards
The Hero Saver account rewards you for making regular savings contributions and making no withdrawals.
The information contained in this article is of a general nature and is not intended to be nor should it be considered as professional advice. You should not act on the basis of anything contained in this article without first obtaining specific professional advice. Also to the extent permitted by law, Bankwest, a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL / Australian credit licence 234945, its related bodies corporate, employees and contractors accept no liability or responsibility to any persons for any loss which may be incurred or suffered as a result of acting on or refraining from acting as a result of anything contained in this article.