You have probably heard it a million times -- you should be saving your money.
I know it is easy for other people to say. It is hard for many people to save. So many are simply trying to keep ends meeting in the middle. There just doesnt seem to be money for emergency funds, college funds, vacation funds and retirement savings. How can you save money when there is none left over to save?
Money $marts: Save It, Sister::
Save It, Sister. Saving is an awesome way to make your money grow. Instead of spending all of your money as soon as you get it, saving lets you start to
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Well, you simply have to find a way to make it happen. Believe me -- start with that emergency fund. You will be so thankful for it when you need it. It will cushion your monthly budget from repairs, accidents and emergencies. Once you start saving, you will want to continue.
So how do you start? You simply start looking at the pennies. It isnt all about dollars. Even the cents can add up to make a substantial savings for you and your family. The ideal goal is to save 10% of your income. But if that isnt a possibility, save what you can.
Do you have five dollars? What about the change in the jar on your dresser? We added our change up one time in an emergency and found we had over $60 in our various jars. That was saved money.
If you have that jar or that spare five dollars, sock it away. Wait until you have fifty to one hundred dollars and then go and open a savings account for your money. No, it isnt earning a lot of interest for you, but it is earning something. And it is harder to get to, which means you wont spend it.
You should put most of your unexpected money into your savings. Bonuses from work, tax refunds, gifts, rebates -- but this money into your savings. Even if you arent able to set a certain amount back each month, you can still start to save money.
Lets assume that you can save five dollars a week. This shouldnt be too terribly hard. You can often find this money by shopping a little frugally at the grocery store. Take the money and put it back. At the end of the month you will have $20.
In five months, you will have $100. Go to the bank and put it in a savings account. Put your five dollars a week into savings. If you are embarrassed, call it your daughters savings account. Dont wait until you have $20 saved up, put it in each week. You will earn extra pennies in interest by depositing more often.
In one year, you will have $240. You will probably make four or five dollars in interest on the account. If you put extra money into the account, you could probably have close to $400.
Once your money builds up a bit, you can start investing in CDs -- which earn a better rate of return. You can easily save $2,000 in three years using this method. And all it took was five dollars a week.
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