Most people fail at saving because they rely on willpower. Willpower is weak. You see a “Sale” sign at Pavilion or a 50% off promo on Shopee, and your willpower vanishes.
We are going to fix this by building a system that manages your money automatically. We call this The 3-Bucket Solution.
You need three distinct bank accounts. Not one, not five. Three.
Bucket 1: The “Life” Bucket (Daily Expenses)
This is your “Lifestyle” account. It’s the only card you should carry in your wallet.
- Purpose: Food, petrol, rent, bills, Netflix, and your daily Teh Ais.
- The Setup: Use a bank with a great app and ubiquitous ATM access. Maybank (MAE) or CIMB (Octo) are the kings here.
- The Rule: 60% of your income lands here. If you run out of money in this bucket, you stay home and eat Maggi. You do not touch the other buckets.
Bucket 2: The “Fun” Bucket (Your Sanity Fund)
Life is short. If you die tomorrow with a million Ringgit in the bank but you never traveled, never ate good food, and never enjoyed your hobbies, you didn’t win the game. You lost.
This bucket is for Guilt-Free Spending. It is usually 10% to 20% of your income.
What is this for?
- The “Healing” Trip: That weekend getaway to Krabi or a week in Japan.
- The “Reward” Tech: Buying the PS5 Pro (RM3,849) or the new iPhone.
- The Social Life: RM18 cafe lattes, Omakase dinners, or concerts at Axiata Arena.
The Golden Rule: If the money is in this bucket, you are required to spend it. You cannot feel guilty about buying that expensive coffee if you are paying for it from this bucket. It is your reward for working hard.
The Banking Setup : Don’t just leave this money in your main account. Use the “Savings Pockets” feature in digital banks.
- Option A: GXBank (Savings Pockets). Create a pocket named “Japan 2026”. The app lets you set a goal (e.g., RM5,000) and auto-deduct money daily or monthly. It earns 3.00% p.a. calculated daily while you save.
- Option B: Aeon Bank (Savings Pot). Similar concept, Shariah-compliant. Create a pot called “PS5 Fund”.
- Option C: Versa/TNG GO+. Great for smaller, ad-hoc fun money.
Bucket 3: The “Safe” Bucket (Emergency Fund)
This is your “Sleep at Night” money. It is strictly for emergencies—loss of job, medical emergency, or your car breaks down. It is not for buying a new iPhone or a holiday to Krabi.
- The Setup: This money needs to be harder to touch (so you don’t spend it) but easy to access if the house is on fire. Crucially, it must earn high interest.
- The Goal: Build this up to RM3,000 ASAP. Eventually, you want 3-6 months of expenses here.
- The Hack: If you are using one of the digital banks I recommended above (Bucket 2), there is no need to open a separate bank account. Just allocate a distinct “Savings Pocket” inside the app for this fund.
The Action Plan:
- Log in to your payroll and split your salary.
- Open a GXBank or Aeon Bank account today (it takes 5 minutes on your phone).
- Set up a “Standing Instruction” to transfer money from “Blow” to “Mojo” (Pocket) and “Grow” the day you get paid.
Continue to Step 3