how to begin saving money?
488780
I had to borrow money from my wife to buy her an engagement ring.  I cashed in my 401K to pay her back.  When we got married we had $27,000 in credit card debt.  She made us do a budget so we could see where our money went and prioritize our spending.  Eight years later, we own a house, a timeshare, have two children, and only $4,000 dollar in credit card debt.\n\nStep #1:  Make a budget listing all the spending you have now.  People generally hate the word budget because they think it is restricting their spending.  Instead, view it as prioritizing your spending.  The first things that you will spend on will be rent, food, car/gas, utilities, etc.  \n\nStep #2:  Look at all other spending.  Do you want to have HBO and premium cable, or can you just purchase basic cable and save an extra $6.99 each month?  Do you subscribe to a newspaper and only really read the Sunday paper?  There is another $3.00 per month.  Do you eat out to dinner (this includes pizza, fast food, take out, etc) three times each week?  How about only twice and there is another $20 each week or $80 each month. \n\nStep #3:  Start reading your credit card statements and stop making late payments. This was the biggest help to us.  Not only is that $29 that you could save instead of giving to a credit card company, but late payments make your credit score go down and then you only get credit cards with high interest rates.  Check all the interest rates of each credit card.  If you receive a credit card offer of a low interest rate, see if your credit card company will match it.  If not, transfer that balance right away.  We have found the credit card offers that work best to decrease you debt are those that have 4.99% for the life of the balance, instead of $0% until next August.  MOST IMPORTANT, once the balanaces have been transferred and you receive your new credit card, cut it up, throw it away, put it in the freezer in a ziploc bag, but do not use it.  ANy new purchases will be at a higher rate and will not decrease until the low interest balance is paid off completely.\n\nStep #4:  Save money for something small.  If you want a new sweater or an iPod or a weekend vacation, choose the goal and start puuting cash in an envelope.  This will start your savings habit and reward yourself at the same time.  As your cash envelope becomes more, then you can move it to a savings account.\n\nHope this helps.
863842
You are an ambitious teenager. That's great. Saving, what a smart idea. Ask your mother or father to bring you to their bank to set up a savings account for you. I had a luney tunes account at the bank, thought it was the coolest thing. Work to earn your money and put it in the bank when ever you accumulate a good amount ($40-$60). Convince your parents how nice it would be to have their house cleaned from top to bottom every week, and how much  you want to do it in order to save money. Talk to your father, I think they are more interested in your financial situations. Remember, you will be saving from now until the day you retire (house, vacation, new car, Christmas gifts, the list goes on..). Now is a great time to start.\n\nOh, and please dont fall for these silly, fake "online money makers". Get out and do it the old fashion way, like your supposed to.
321338
Saving money is hard to do, but it can be done. Make you a budget with all your monthly expenses on it and than add a small amount for something extra that might come up that week or month which ever budget you are going to go by. After you have made it stick to it. It really is something you have to make up your mind to. Say you make a 500.00 weekly and your bills that week come to 398.00, what you would want to do after all the total is paid out is put at least 50.00 of that into saving or some other savings and don't touch it. Good luck...K
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
648897
1. Never spend your saving's\n\n2. Try putting some into high interest account's\n\n3. Personal Pension or 401 K..etc.\n\n4. Invest to reduce your cost of living..etc. (Buying rather than Renting property...etc)\n\n5. Spread your saving's into different Mutual Fund's
1051744
Setup an orange savings account at ingdirect.com, and arrange it so that a certain dollar amount is transferred to that account, from your existing checking acount, every payday. Treat this as if it is a bill you are paying, rather than an optional thing to do with your money. It's a philosphy called "paying yourself first", and it's a lifetime practice you can use not only for a downpayment, but also for college savings for your future kids, or for your retirement nest egg.
516015
Well, if it was that easy, everyone would be there....!!\n\nTry http://www.money.com or http://www.kiplinger.com and look at the personal finance sections.\n\nThat's a start anyways....
259445
umm get a job and save ?
8376
You can make more money or spend less money.  Maybe spending less money is a more realistic option.\n\nTrack ALL your expenses for a couple of months, see where and how you are spending your money.\nMake a budget and make some tough cuts (like canceling your cell phone or cable tv or eliminating a daily cup of coffee from Starbucks).  You'll be amazed how much you can start saving for a new car when you make a budget and stick to it.\nDon't forget, when you get a car you will have to a pay for gasoline and insurance on top of the monthly car payment.
613385
You should first set aside some money in an emergency fund in a savings account...in my region you can earn about 3.3% on a money market savings account.  This money is liquid and you can access it at any time.\n\nOnce you've done that, you should determine what you're saving for.  Is it for a particular purchase, such as a down payment on a house?  Or is it for retirement?  If it will be invested short-term, you might look into Certificate of Deposits offered by banks...interest rates have climbed substantially from where they were 2 years ago.  Or if for retirement, I recommend a Roth IRA.
826790
First you need to stay strong and focused.  That is very important.  Second, you need to buy a small notebook and write down every penny you spend.  You need to have it on paper so you can see where your money is going.  In most cases you will be able to find places you could cut.  Keep records for a week or two and then sit down with family and decide what wasnt necessary to spend.  After that you will have an idea of how much you spent on groceries, bills, etc.  That next week take your income and subtract what you will need for living expenses, down to the penny, and put the rest away in a savings account.  Even if its not much, it will start adding up.  Good luck.
256128
Start by asking your bank what you can do to save $ for the long run. Maybe a IRA plan? Do you have a full time JOB...if so, ask your employer if they have a 401K plan or anything similar. Stocks too me is just like gambling your money. But whatever suits you
215201
Pay yourself first!  Start by sitting down and budgeting out your essentials, with costs as accurate as possible.  Then take a look at the money you have left over, and designate how much you can afford to save.  Tell your bank to set up an automatic debit to your savings account for each time you get paid.  When you do this, you pay yourself first, and you know that your bills are paid, you have savings, and the rest is yours to spend as you wish!  When you can't have access to the money, you can't spend it, and it works great for me.  Good luck!
202390
Whatever you can afford.  The best way to get started is to figure out how much extra money that you have at the end of the month.  Make sure that it is money that you plan on investing for the long term.  You don't have to invest a big lump sum.  \n\nThe best strategy for a beginner is to systematically, dollar cost average into a low cost mutual fund.  Find yourself a good no load, index or growth fund and set up an account to automatically take a fixed amount from your bank account every month.  When the market is low, you are buying more shares and when the market is high, you are buying less shares.  You will find that you won't miss the money and in a short period of time you will discover the power of dollar cost averaging combined with the compounding of money.  Good luck!!
978603
First of all get a long term retirement fund and contribute to it regularly... even just $20 a week. Don't touch that money under any circumstances. Now at the same time start to put money away for short term goals. Don't get into the credit card trap of paying 10-25% interest on things you really don't want or need. Spend less than you earn. Consider the value of your purchases not the wants... concentrate on needs. You have alot of choices as a consumer. Will you be happy driving a 2007 Hyundai for $15,000 or must you have that $34,000 Chrysler??? Do you need a cell phone and a home phone? You can save $30+ by going with one or the other. Do you frequently buy books and magazines that you can get from your local library for free? Are you paying bank fees for checking??? Do you shop around for pricing on purchases before you buy? Do you go out to eat every day at lunch??? It's all about value. The more you spend, the less you'll have. Common sense isn't always common. Read books about millionaires from your library and you'll find ways that you can join those ranks. I am not suggesting you go without treats. Hey, you work hard for your money. What I am saying is not to forget the future because it'll be here before you know it. You don't need a $1,000,000 home. Live within your means and you'll have a much happier life and lifestyle without the worry.
69558
None.  Use a debit card, save money, invest.
728605
start with a small emergency savings, then pay off the debt.  After that you can invest.\n\nThink of it this way... would you take a cash advance on your credit card to make an investment in something?  Probably not.  So pay off the credit card and you save yourself the interest as well as free up more money to invest with.