Land finances languish, salaries don’t increase but bills do. Ordinary administration of news and current affairs of recent times. And putting aside savings becomes increasingly difficult. This is why the Kakeboan “old-fashioned” Japanese method to manage your finances on a daily basis, and to save. In fact, it seems that it is possible to set aside up to 30% in a year.
How to save with Kakebo, the “old-fashioned” Japanese method
Paying online or scheduling payments is very easy and very convenient, we all know it. However, there is a “con” to all this convenience: that of losing sight of the flow of expenses, of realizing how much money to actually spend. It is no coincidence that, in this critical world situation, Kakebo is conquering more and more people.
Born in Japan, the Kakebo was created by Hani Makoto, first journalist from the Land of the Rising Sun, who in 1908 began publishing a series of articles to encourage women to be more independent, especially economically.
This is how he created a method of managing your money based on four simple points: how much money you have, how much you want to save, how you are spending the money, how you can improve your expenses.
How Kakebo works
Real domestic diary, the Kakebo is a household account book. Divided into twelve months, thanks to special schemes and grids, it allows you to record fixed income and expenses, and extra expenses separated into necessary or “whims”. Added to this is a very particular item: the expected savings, i.e. how much you would like to set aside each month. Therefore, by subtracting the expenses and the hoped for savings from the income, we obtain the sum that can actually be used during the thirty days.
But it doesn’t end here. Every month, in some versions even weekly, you can set goals – for example, starting to save for a summer holiday – and “small promises” such as “quitting smoking and putting the saved amount in a piggy bank”.
After marking your daily expenses, you take stock at the end of the week and then at the end of the month, comparing and understanding whether your goals have been achieved. In some versions, a quarterly final balance, so as to be aware of your expenses, especially if extra, in each quarter.
The advantages of going back to paper
Why isn’t Kakebo an app? Why put your expenses on paper, allows you to memorize them better and have them all at a glance. By becoming more aware of how much you spend in a month, especially on superfluous purchases. Among the advantages of Kakebo is starting to approach shopping in a more conscious and responsible way, paying more attention to purchases. It is no coincidence that many people claim to save up to 35% in a year.
Furthermore, writing manually also means make a commitment to yourself not only in updating the agenda daily, or at least weekly, but also in learning to be more disciplined. But, as the Japanese explain, the great advantage of using the Kakebo is zen. Such a practical and precise approach allows you to manage your finances honestly, without surprises and without panicking. In short, he also learns to make peace with his own wallet.
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED