ALKANSYA-SAYA!: Unlocking new ways to save in the digital age

Most Filipinos grew up thinking that saving is an integral part of securing their future, with enough money for emergencies and preparing for any contingencies. This orientation is inculcated in our minds as kids when our parents encouraged us to save the cash gifts we receive from our ninongs and ninang during Christmas or birthdays in our alkansya.

Going to school, we are oriented to set aside a portion of our allowance to go into this coin bank. Then at the end of the year, this is opened, and the amount collected is deposited in a bank account as our first savings fund.

Union Bank of the Philippines, the country's most digitized bank, has launched its latest campaign, the 'Alkansya-Saya!, to unlock the potential of savings in the digital age.

The digital age has paved the way to make it easy, safe, and secure for us to save our hard-earned money. So if you've finally decided to save your money, here are three tools to ensure you continue on the right track.

1. Open a digital account. Remember, what you don't see inside your physical wallet, you don't spend (or at least you don't get as tempted)! If you have that extra money and want to save it, opening a digital account can help you get there in more ways than one. It is the first step and gateway to the many possibilities of growing your money, whether in the form of investing, automatic savings, or tracking your spending. It all starts from here.

2. Automate your savings. Automatically setting aside money for specific goals will help you stay on target with your savings. For example, the Goals feature of UnionBank Online can automatically transfer and set aside money whether it be for family goals, rest and relaxation, travel, house goals, education, fitness, a car, a new gadget, a rewarding shopping spree, an investment, a new business, emergency funds, et cetera. It even has auto-debit frequency options to save weekly, monthly or quarterly. Set a start date and see the estimated time your dreams become a reality!

3. Track your spending. Make sure to check on your expenses as part of your saving habit. One tool that can help you with this is UnionBank Online's Spend Tracker. This feature conveniently lets you categorize your credit card spending so you know you are still on budget and will have enough money left to set aside for savings. Because the more you know where your money goes, the easier you can reach your saving goals.

Feeding a piggy bank with loose change has a long history in the Filipinos' way of saving. Using coin banks made of materials ranging from tin cans, bamboo, or coconut, Filipino savers regularly feed their coin banks with small change until these are packed and ready to be opened.

What other tools made it convenient for you to save? Let us know! We're here to make saving easy for U!