5 Tips to Start Saving
1. Set up a pre-authorized transfer from your checking to savings account. For example, each month have $25 (or whatever you can afford) come out on the first of the month and go right into savings. Your money will start adding up in no time!
2. Have your direct deposit be partially allotted to your savings account. My employer allows me to do more than one direct deposit, and I put a certain percentage of each paycheck into savings automatically. I never even miss it because it never goes through my checking account!
3. Save your change. I have a friend who puts all her pennies in her daughter’s piggy bank and all the silver coins in her bank. They add up over the year!
4. Stop carrying cash. I know that when I have cash, I spend it more so than if I had only my debit card. It’s almost like out of sight out of mind. I feel like if I have cash, it’s not being tracked.
5. Start a “secret” account at your bank. I set up a separate checking account to deposit money into that I don’t want to have to record in my main checking account for bills. If I earn some money off eBay or Craigslist, I put it in this account until I decide if I am going to use it to pay down some debt or put it in savings. This helps me tremendously.
