Saving Money Tips

Regardless what your earnings are, you have to save money for emergencies, leisure and retirement. If you have nothing saved, you're just asking for trouble that's waiting to happen. What's worse than not having any savings, is being in debt over your head and not having any savings.

The first thing one should do is keep track of spending habits and see where the money is going. When you see where the money goes you get an idea where you can eliminate or cut. Sacrifice now and be rewarded later in a big way. If you spend it now or go in debt,  you will have an impossible task later.

A good starting point would be saving all your loose change at the end of each day. Better would be putting away $1 bills at the end of each day that are in your wallet. Best would be putting your $5 bills in a jar at the end of the day. At the end of the month these should be deposited into a bank savings account or other investment.

Any money you get from bottle deposits or other "extra" income should be deposited into an account also. This is a start to getting a bit of a savings together. The discipline required is that it must be done religiously and that the money isn't touched except for true emergency.

The next step would be to find out where you can save. Make your own coffee instead of buying it, even from a gas station. The savings add up quickly. Bring your own lunch to work instead of buying your food in fast food restaurant. Eat out less and you'll save a bundle.

Clip coupons when grocery shopping. Try SavingStar where you register your store cards and purchase displayed items for refunds that you pick. Buy generic, most of the time generics are just as good. Stock a pantry of food and go grocery shopping less. Buy in bulk and join a warehouse store with a friend and split the cost.

When it comes to shopping, most deals are online. Google coupon codes and see if you can manage a saving you probably didn't know about. Check here for other deals and ways to save money.

Make a monthly budget, but put the money aside weekly. Your rent, utilities and bills that remain constant, save for it weekly by dividing by 4. In months where you get a 5th paycheck, try to use this for mostly savings and paying more on the bills you owe.

The best way to save is to live below your means. Of course it would help if you knew how to stretch your dollar. Learn to be frugal, and save money. Here are more tips.