5 Ways to save money for buying a Home
Out of all the dreams and aspirations which you might have, we are sure that having your own home is the most important one. There are different ways that you can save money for buying a home. However, we have put together a list of 5 ways we think are the best ways you can save for a house. The following is the list of the 5 ways to do so:
- You need to prioritize
If you are really aspiring to have your own house, you must prioritize your financial goals. You need to monitor things like do you go out to eat all the time, or are you taking expensive vacations, may be you buy all the latest stuff and drive brand new cars. You need to figure out which is more important for you. If saving for a home is one of your top priorities, then you would cut down on the rest. You would create a budget for the same
- Pay off your credit card debts first
If you want to save money, you cannot really do it by paying a lot of interest to someone else. This is why the first thing you need to do is pay off all of your debts. You can start with the smallest high interest debt, and pay it off. Once you have cleared off the debts on other lesser important issues you must channelize your finance towards savings for your home, if that is really important for you.
- Save more from work
You need to increase your income. The fact is that the maximum you can save depends on how much you earn. So look for ways to enhance your income. Apart from this whenever you get a raise at work, you must try to save that extra money in a separate savings account. Initially it might not seem a whole lot, but it will add up. You can also try saving bonuses, extra sales commissions or tax refunds in your separate savings account.
- Try to cut down on your impulse buying
It is seen that smart people save a lot of money by finding cheaper ways to do things without diminishing their fun. You must try and cut down on your impulse buying. For example if you go out to a lot of movies, you can try renting or sticking with cable.
Do you eat out a lot? If so you can try to eat out less or look for less expensive places to eat that you still like. You might need to cut down on frequently vacationing as well. You need to do all these to save for a more important goal i.e for buying your home.
- 5. Are you a first time home buyer?
The Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) is a program that allows you to withdraw up to $25,000 in a calendar year from your registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs) to buy or build a qualifying home for yourself or for a related person with disability.
Your repayment period starts the second year after the year you withdrew funds from your RRSP for the home buyer’s plan.
Generally, you have 15 years to repay your RRSP.
The Home Buyers’ Tax Credit, at current taxation rates, works out to a rebate of $750 for all first-time buyers. After you buy your first home, the credit must be claimed within the year of purchase and it is non–refundable.
