Suze Orman’s 6 Saving Strategies for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle (2024)

In a climate where high inflation lingers, many Americans are struggling to make ends meet and, thus, are cornered into living paycheck to paycheck. It’s a vicious cycle that can feel impossible to break out of, especially when wages are generally not keeping up with rising costs of living and credit card debt is mounting.

How can you get out of this rut and rise above the slump of living paycheck to paycheck? Finance guru Suze Orman has some excellent tips.

When slammed with bills and responsibilities, it can be all too easy to put yourself on the sidelines and focus on all your heavy obligations, financial and otherwise. Try to prioritize yourself if you want to break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.

“You have to make yourself a No. 1 priority,” Orman said during CNBC’s Women & Wealth event.

But what does this mean? How do you do it?

Making yourself No. 1 means doing all that you can to meet your very own financial goals. This could mean taking on a side hustle and trimming spending.

You do this by taking full accountability of your financial standing and wellbeing so that you can take back the reins and regain control.

You can easily get a significant setback financially if an unexpected expense arises — and trust: they will pop up! Orman preaches the critical importance of an emergency fund to help give you some padding and, potentially, release you from relying so heavily on your paychecks.

And mind you, you need a solid emergency fund on hand, even if you’re raking in a six-figure salary.

“When it comes to money, you can be vulnerable making $200,000 a year, believe it or not,” Orman told Moneywise last year.

Maybe you’re making $50,000 a year. Maybe you’re making $200,000. The same philosophy applies, regardless: live below your means.

“How much you choose to spend on your basic needs is a squishy number dependent on the choices you make,” Orman wrote in a blog post on her website.

“For example, a mortgage lender may tell you that you will qualify for a $250,000 mortgage. But if you can find a great home that meets your family’s needs and it costs $195,000, you will save a lot of money that can be used for other important goals. The $195,000 home fits your needs.”

Yes, it’s oh, so much more convenient to order food for home delivery or to get a coffee on the way to work instead of brewing it at home. But the cost of these seemingly small conveniences really adds up and can keep you stuck in the paycheck-to-paycheck rut.

“It adds up big time,” Orman told CNBC. “Stop leasing cars, stop eating out, stop doing the [thing] that’s wasting your money and makes your life easier, because in the long run, it’s going to make it harder.”

Though car prices are on the rise — with the average new automobile now costing over $48,000, according to the Kelley Blue Book — it still makes more sense, in Orman’s opinion, to buy instead of leasing.

“You should never lease a car,” she said in a CNN interview. “Leasing a car is the biggest waste of money out there.”

Car leasing is often more expensive than car ownership. Orman recommends buying a reliable car and taking good care of it.

One of the most cumbersome financial hurdles weighing on Americans is credit card debt. The interest on those tempting payment methods is staggering, and even paying off the bare minimum balance on them can drain you.

Orman recommends ditching the credit cards and opting for cash or debit cards instead.

“There is no more expensive form of bondage than spending more than you have and paying interest of 15% or more on your credit card,” Orman wrote in a blog post.

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