what are some realistic methods of saving money?
100668
Budget. Figure out how much money you need to spend. Make liberal estimates, and save everything else. Then, little bit little, find ways to lower your spending (find better prices for the things you need, avoid extras like eating out, movies, etc).
1078769
1. Make a list of the things you need.\n2. Carry a limited amount of cash.  No credit cards!!\n3. Put a picture of something that means alot to you or something thatyou're saving up for, like on the fridge or IN the fridge or on the cover of your wallet.  Believe me, this works.  \n4. Put your extra money in a savings account that you can access only through the year. \n5. Take your extra stuff to a place that will give you money for stuff that's in good condition.  In South Carolina, it's called Plato's Closet. Or, take them to Goodwill or give them to a charity that shipps clothes and other stuff overseas to third-world countries.
1014448
I have found the best way of saving.  I was able to put away approximately $8000 in 18 months.  Look for www.sharebuilder.com.  Its an investment site.  You can purchase stock for $4.00, no matter how much stock you buy.  Do some research.  I chose companies based on the products i use in my daily life.  I found it be fun to save and also enjoyed shopping for new stocks.  The dividends usually pay better than any savings account, so give it a try.  It worked for me.
177410
Pay yourself first! No matter the source of your income, put 10% after taxes into some sort of savings program, preferably a ROTH IRA. Then be strong and don't touch it. You'll be surprised how quickly it can mount up. Even if you can't make the 10%, save something!\n\nLook for bargains but don't sacrifice quality. \nUse coupons.\nConserve utilities.\nDo you really need that cable TV and cell phone? They are expensive.\nLook for plans that are in tune with your lifestyle. If you have to have that cell phone, are you paying for roaming, long distance or minutes you don't use?\nLook into pro-rated utility charges.\nRead a book instead of the movies.\nListen to the radio instead of that new CD.\n\nJust some thoughts...Good luck.\n\nThanks sk8trzmom
1040305
pay yourself first. decide how much you want to save and pay youself in savings first then pay your bills and have whatever is left over to spend.
661938
Hi, i would like to introduce to you something incrediblely amazing new method of becoming more financially free. \nI am not joking, serious about it. Its a new system created not long ago and has tremondous potential to expend. Sky is the limit.
529922
I would say, first, create a budget.  Outline what cash inflows you will have, and what expenses you expect to incur.  Doing this will help you save for what you know is coming, and be better prepared to adjust, should something unexpected come along.\n\nOtherwise, you might be interested in setting up an IRA. (individual retirement account)  There are many kinds, and you choose the one that's right for you.  IRA's are a good way to set aside money for retirement; they are also treated very favorably by the tax codes!\n\nOh, and Use something like a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, it helps you stay organized and can be adjusted, saved, and can do a lot of the adding/subtracting stuff for you.\n\nSimple answer for a simple sounding question... anything specific?
1180190
pay month to month\nthe finance charge is already figured into your monthly payments...it would be silly to pay it all off with savings
81660
well first off u need to figure out what are ur priority expenses. when u get paid u need to set aside the money u need to pay whatever bills need to be paid.. then whatever is left is your money.. take 60% of what u have left and that is for u and the other 40% u need to bank it and never touch it... and u do that every pay week.. if u stay steady to it u will have no problem in saving money. secondly, u need to knwo when to say no. if your a type of person who loves to spend money then u ned to tell yourslef No . spend only what u need and buy only what is needed.... if u need anything else i am here for you
1144267
start saving from today
100261
Saving is not about Big Numbers. It isn't even about Little Numbers Across A Long Time. It is about Consistent Numbers Across Any Time.\n\nSaving money certainly involves "not buying stuff." But this view is far too narrow. So long as saving is equated with sacrifice it will be an uphill battle to save. Having day-to-day life that is as stress-free as possible is very important. Continual sacrifice and stress-free living clash harshly for many people. Some people focus on changing lifestyle-related choices, sometimes called the "latte factor," as a method for realizing day-to-day savings. I agree that this is good advice for some people, but as a first step it isn't necessarily the most effective. There are other things that can be done, too.\n\n1. Reduce monthly fees. Stop paying banking fees for services you don't use or don't need. Many banks charge monthly "service fees" or "maintenance fees" for checking accounts. If your bank offers "free checking" or "free checking with Direct Deposit" (and you have Direct Deposit) switch your account, or find a bank that does offer "free checking." Even the smallest leak in any plumbing system will eventually collect enough water to fill a bathtub, so to will even the smallest recurring monthly service fee eventually steal one month's rent.\n\n2. Detemine a reasonable monthly budget. It is important to know "where it all goes." Rent, utilities, cell phone, car payment, insurance, groceries. There is no doubt these numbers exist, but most importantly nearly all of them can be known in advance. Some of them can't be known exactly, but they can be estimated. My advice is to estimate unknown amounts not for the sake of accuracy ("The cell phone bill is usually $40.00 per month."), but for the sake of certainty ("The cell phone bill has never been more than $80.00 in any month."). In the beginning of making and using budgets, they work best when costs are overestimated rather than underestimated. It is far less uncomfortable to have "too much" money left at the end of the month than it is to have "too little" left over and bills still to be paid at the end of the month.\n\n3. Begin saving automatically. If your employer offers Direct Deposit, and you can open a "free checking" account (with or without Direct Deposit), use this financial automation to the maximum. Open a second checking account. Then contact your HR department to request that your paychecks be split across your two checking accounts.\n\n4. Separate paying bills from saving and investing. Use your primary account for all monthly expenses: rent, utilities, food, car payments and pet food. This is your "Cash" account. The second checking account is dedicated for saving and investment purposes. You won't draw funds from this "Investment" account to pay bills. That isn't what saving is about. Saving is about having money available to fund medium-term and long-term goals. Things like retirement, paying college tuition or buying a home. The "Investment" account will drive all of your automatic saving and investment mechanisms. Similar to Direct Deposit, schedule Automatic Withdrawals to transfer funds from your "Investment" account into high-yield savings accounts (4.50% or better) and retirement accounts (Traditional and Roth IRAs).\n\nHere is how to implement the above steps.\n\nLook at the ING Direct website. ING has savings accounts with excellent interest rates, with no minimum required balance. In addition look at the Vanguard website. If you don't have an IRA, 401k or any other kind of retirement account Vanguard has the lowest custodial costs ($10.00 per year) and lowest minimum required balances (usually $3,000.00) of any financial services company today.\n\nAccumulating enough money to open an account with Vanguard may
1100226
Put it in a savings account
951478
Hide your money in a safe place. When it's not lying around, you won't remember to spend it.\n\nDon't bring too much money whenever you're out and about because you'll be tempted to spend it.\n\nWhenever you pick up anything you want to buy, ask yourself why you want it, do you really need it now or at all, is it worth it, how will it benefit you, is there anything wrong with it, could you get a better deal somewhere else, etc.
886247
Make the plan simpler. Break the big plan into little plans then achieve each one. Give the plan a simple goal, not a wishy washy one. A plan to "feel happier" or "to stop designating unwell situations as unpleasant awareness items" are hard to define. A plan to save money is really easy. So much per week, extra over-time in kitty etc etc, it's measurable and definite. Give a dream a deadline and it becomes a plan.
429289
Set up an automatic deposit for part of your paycheck to another account, other than the account you pay your bills from. For example, set up $100 of every paycheck to go to a savings account (one that you don't check on at all) automatically. If you don't see this $100, then you don't spend it. It's a nice and easy way to save money.
1098836
work and dont spend.\nlive with a lot of freinds and split the bills.\nlive in a box. stay a way from things like phones and tv and the intenet. ac and heat. and ride your bike. go to the libary for fun.\nbe cheap. or get another job like mow grass deliver papers. if you know pepole who dont like to clean charge them.
193873
Start by making a budget and stick to it you can not save money by accident you must do it on purpose. I think the best way to start is in a book written by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace. He has written several books but that is the first and very good "More than enough" is his second book and very good also if you like the first. His books are available in any book store and many library's. Good luck to you.