Kakeibo Will Teach You the Clever Japanese Method of Managing and Saving Money

Count on the Japanese to come up with effective methods to not just declutter your life but also to manage your spending. Kakeibo, a Japanese way of saving money, which has been used in Japan for more than a hundred years, is being introduced to the rest of the world with the publication of Kakeibo: The Japanese Art of Saving Money, the world’s first English-language kakeibo budgeting journal.

In Japan, magazines aimed at housewives usually give away a supplement kakeibo before the year ends. They aim to help the women, who are usually in charge of managing household finances in a typical Japanese home, plan their year.

The budgeting journal has pages for monthly, weekly, and yearly notes.

At the beginning of each month, the owner of the journal will be asked to do the following: 1) write down their income and subtract fixed expenses (like rent and utilities) from it, 2) deduct the amount they would like to save from what’s left of their income (20% of the income is recommended by experts), 3) record your expenses with the goal to use only the amount that is left after fixed expenses and savings have been accounted for, and 4) reflect on your spending and see if you were able to stick to your saving goals.

According to the journal description:

The premise is simple: at the beginning of each month you sit down with your kakeibo and think mindfully about how much you would like to save and what you will need to do in order to reach your goal. The kakeibo then gives you space to jot down your weekly spending and reflecting on the month just gone. The simple act of completing your kakeibo ensures that saving is a part of your everyday life, while also giving you the opportunity to reflect and improve every month.”

Using the kakeibo method is more than just recording and planning household finances.

It also relies on the journal owner’s reflection and decisions in order to manage and save their money better. Household finance managers are encouraged to study their spending patterns and see what they can change in order to have a healthier financial life.

The kakeibo journal was popularized by Motoko Hani, Japan’s first female journalist, back in 1904.

The journal is filled with beautifully designed pages, as well as inspirational Japanese proverbs to really inspire its owner to stay on track and achieve their financial goals.