Article Distribution
In: Personal Finance
20 Jun 2009It is very important in this day and age to start your savings plan right away. Do not let the news media and all the news about our lousy economy get you down. With the high cost of things today I know that it can be hard to save but it can be done. You can get control of your money.
We have all been told that we need to have at least 3 to 6 months of living expenses put away for a rainy day. I would tend to agree we all should have that set aside but most of us are lucky if we get to the end on the month with money left over. In fact, for the majority of people broke comes about three days after payday. There are however some simple steps or ways that can help you to jump start your savings.
The most important step to start your savings is to actually start! Don’t think that too little is too little and not worth the effort. Even $10 each month is $120 a year. Hey, $120 is better than a sharp stick in the eye. And let’s face the facts if you think that $120 is not very much then you can probably afford to save a whole lot more than that. Bottom line is that you need to start.
You have probably heard this second way to start your savings a hundred times but that is because it is so true. Pay yourself first! Set up your own bill payment to yourself and deposit it into your savings account every payday. It is much easier if you can get your employer to direct deposit this into your savings account or money market. After just a short time you will never miss what is taken out of your check each week.
Next make sure you keep a watch on what you spend throughout the day. You will most likely be amazed at how much you waste on this candy bar or that soda pop. Why not drink water from the tap instead of bottled water. Once you begin to eliminate all the fancy extras make sure that you put the savings into your savings account.
You can also jump start your savings by cutting out coupons or going online and finding coupons for your groceries and other household stuff. You most likely already have an allowance to buy these things so just figure out how much you are saving by using the coupons and stick this extra money away.
Men, empty the change from your pockets every night into a special container. Ladies, clean out your purse of the change laying around in it every couple of days and put it into that special container. Not only will that build up your savings but ladies your bag will not be so heavy and men no boatload of pennies and nickles jangling. This can add up to $10 to $20 every month or $120 to $240 every year. I know not much but combine that with the other tips above and it adds up to a sizable amount.
Every dollar you save will add up over time. Remember the old saying ‘a penny saved is a penny earned’ and regardless if you are only socking away a few dollars or hundreds of dollars each week you are socking it away. It won’t be long and you will be glad you have got a good start on your savings.