How to start group savings

Saving for a new project can be difficult, but setting a joint savings goal can increase motivation...and make it more fun!

Achieving savings goals often takes time, especially when those goals are ambitious. Whether it's with your friends, your family, or your spouse, however, group savings makes it possible to achieve these goals faster and in a much more fun way! Find out how to distinguish the advantages from the disadvantages of joint savings.

The benefits of group savings

Wanting to reach a savings goal within a group or couple has some notable advantages. Here are a few:

• Accountability. Your chances of staying on track will be higher if other people help you achieve your goal. Relying on each other to achieve a goal can be particularly motivating.
• The rapidity. In many cases, group savings can achieve certain goals – such as paying for a common good such as a refrigerator, a new car, or even a pet – much faster than saving alone.

• Communication. Since group saving requires honest and open communication around the sensitive issue of money, you may learn to improve your communication.
• The support. Saving can sometimes be complicated. However, if you embark on this journey in the company of others, you will always have someone ready to give you emotional support as you progress toward your goals.

The disadvantages of joint savings

Despite all these advantages, group savings are sometimes like a long calm river. Before embarking on your group savings goals, you should consider the risks:

• Trust. To achieve a joint savings goal, you must work with people you trust. If you can't trust the people you save with, you put yourself and your money at risk.
• Disputes. Regardless of who you are saving with, a dispute can always arise. Potential causes of these disputes include a member failing to meet their savings goal, someone feeling they are contributing unfairly, or poor communication about savings expectations. 'saving. Clear and honest communication is enough to resolve most disputes, but be prepared to broach sensitive topics if necessary.
• The separation. Whether you're saving in a romantic or platonic relationship, life sometimes has its share of surprises. Therefore, before embarking on group savings, it is necessary to determine what will happen to the money saved if the group relationship breaks down before achieving the objective.

How to save as a group

After weighing the pros and cons of group savings and deciding to get started, consider following these five basic steps to put the odds on your side to reach your savings goal.

Choose your savings partners carefully we mentioned above, if you plan to save as a group, it is essential to choose your savings partners carefully. Only join the group if you can fully trust the other members, who are reliable, supportive, and able to manage their money. Avoid opening joint accounts or taking out a loan with someone with a bad credit ratio or who you need to trust more because you could face serious financial complications if things go wrong.

Set the right goal

Then, try to set a savings goal everyone in the group or couple wants to achieve. This savings objective must be sufficiently motivating for all parties concerned. Otherwise, it could be a source of disputes and not be achieved. The best group savings goals are for enjoyable group experiences such as vacations, day trips, or expensive concert tickets. The more attractive the experience, the higher the motivation is likely to be. The icing on the cake on pursuing this goal is a collective experience that can strengthen your relationships.

Determine the savings goals to reach alone

Although group saving has many advantages, some goals must be achieved independently. These include debt repayment, emergency reserves, and retirement savings. These savings goals are too important to be exposed to risk, especially if the relationship between you and your savings partner(s) deteriorates. After all, debt-free, having enough reserves for emergencies, and saving regularly for retirement are the three pillars of financial independence. 

Establish some general rules

Before you start saving, you must define how you will save. For example, will all group members have to contribute the same way to savings, or will the amount of their contribution be based on their income? Also, discuss ways to prevent criticism if a group member decides to splurge in addition to participating in the common pot. For joint savings, you can establish certain birthday and Christmas gift rules. For example, do you prefer that money from gifts within the group go towards the savings goal, or do you prefer to continue giving gifts to each other?

Track your progress

As you contribute to your joint savings goal, tracking your progress is key to staying on track. This follow-up lets you know if you are meeting your goals and allows the group to discuss any issues with the savings process on annul salary. The contribution amount may need to be adjusted, the deadline extended, or the frequency of contributions adjusted. Regular progress monitoring will allow you to adapt your joint savings process to each group member's needs. It also gives you a chance to celebrate milestones and progress, which everyone needs once in a while!