How to Level Up Your Savings Between Paydays

Payday is a wonderful feeling. Your salary lands, your bank balance gets a healthy boost, and for a glorious 48 hours, you might even feel like you can afford to splurge a little. Maybe that cab ride into town suddenly seems worth it. Or perhaps you’ll finally treat yourself to a fancy steak.

Then the bills roll in. Rent, childcare, insurance, utilities and household expenses all take their cut—whether through a PayNow transfer, GIRO deduction or another credit card charge. Before you know it, that healthy-looking bank balance starts shrinking.

Of course, most of us want to save more. The problem is that everyday expenses are immediate and hard to ignore, while a savings goal that’s months or years away can feel a lot less urgent. So we spend first, and tell ourselves we’ll save whatever’s left.

Except there’s often not much left. The trick is to flip that habit: save first when your salary comes in, then spend what remains. Here’s how you can make every payday work towards your financial goals.

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Step 1: Identify how you spend between paydays

If you want to see your bank balance grow month after month, start by looking at when and how you spend—especially in the days after payday.

That’s when your bank balance looks its healthiest, your budget feels a little more forgiving, and your spending guard is most likely to come down. A few “just this once” purchases can quickly add up before the next payday rolls around.

Knowing your spending archetype can help you spot where your money tends to disappear. Instead of overhauling your entire budget overnight, you can identify your biggest spending weakness and put one simple safeguard in place to keep it in check.

Once you’ve got your day-to-day spending under control, it’s time to look a little further. Annual insurance premiums, school fees, holiday expenses and emergency funds may seem like future problems, but the bill will eventually be due. The money has to come from somewhere.

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ALSO READ: ⁠⁠Why Every Singaporean Needs an Emergency Fund—And How You Can Build Yours

Step 2: Set aside savings you can grow

Instead of letting one month’s salary take the full blow, start setting aside a little with each payday. Breaking a big expense into smaller, regular contributions makes it easier to manage and less likely to derail your monthly budget.

Here’s how to start planning for those bigger expenses before they sneak up on you.

• Annual insurance: $1,200 ÷ 12 months = $100 a month
• Holiday next year: $2,400 ÷ 12 months = $200 a month
• Emergency buffer: if essentials cost $2,500 a month, 3 to 6 months gives you a target of $7,500 to $15,000.

Spot a tight deadline early, and you still have options: adjust your budget, spread out the payments, move the goalpost or find the money elsewhere. Leave it till the last minute, and the math tells you what you already know—there’s not enough time or money to change the outcome.

Grow your savings in the meantime

Setting money aside is one part of the job. The next question is how your savings can earn more while building towards your next expense.

Mari Savings Account offers eligible customers 0.88% p.a. base interest, credited daily. New users can also earn an additional 0.20% p.a. through salary crediting, eligible MariBank and ShopeeVIP customers can enjoy exclusive bonus interest rates of up to 3.08% p.a. 

For money not needed immediately, you can  consider growing your savings through fixed deposits. MariBank’s newly launched Flash Fixed Deposits—refreshed weekly on Wednesdays at 12pm, with participating criteria announced ahead of each release.

*If you’re working out how much to set aside, this ⁠guide to building an emergency fund can help navigate through your essential expenses and financial commitments. Once those considerations are settled, it’s time for something more advanced: getting more value from your planned purchases.

Try MariBank today.

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Step 3: Connect planned spending with your savings

Household spending has a way of creeping back into your budget. One week, it’s detergent and fresh groceries. The next, it’s toiletries, pet food or another round of pantry staples.

These aren’t exactly optional. You’ll be spending the money anyway. The question is whether you can get more value from your usual shopping routine.

If you’re already a ShopeeVIP member, here’s another perk to consider. Eligible members can earn an additional 0.40% p.a. on their Mari Savings Account balance, while benefits such as Coins, cashback, vouchers and delivery perks help to reduce the cost of your household purchases.

Start with the basket you already need

For instance, a typical household run comes to $66. After eligible benefits, you can expect to pay $60—almost 10% in savings.

We’re not talking about “girl math” here—just actual savings. The rule is simple: stick to what you originally planned to spend.

If your $66 shopping cart drops to $60 after a voucher or cashback, you genuinely saved $6. But if you add an $18 item just to unlock a $5 discount, you’ve actually spent $13 more than planned.

Use your original budget as the benchmark. That $6 saved is money you can put towards next month’s household expenses, a future goal, or your Mari Savings Account. Because a discount only counts as a saving if you actually spend less.

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ALSO READ: ⁠10 Best Savings Accounts in Singapore with the Highest Interest Rates

Get a head start by optimising your finances

Do this consistently, and you don’t necessarily need to earn more or spend less. You’re simply changing what your salary has to deal with when it lands. Instead of starting each month from scratch, you’re already ahead: next year’s insurance premium is being funded, your emergency funds are growing and last month’s leftover cash is already earning interest.

That’s the real upgrade. Your salary hasn’t changed — but more of it is yours to spend. A Mari Savings Account gives your savings a place to sit and earn, with eligible Singapore-dollar deposits insured up to S$100,000 in aggregate per depositor per Scheme member.

Now, every payday becomes another step towards being financially ahead.

Interest rates, rewards and promotional benefits are subject to eligibility, applicable balance caps, promotion periods and prevailing terms and conditions.