Start saving. Create a small emergency fund savings account, if you have not yet. If you already have a decent savings and you are out of debt, then consider starting to invest.
Why should I start saving money?
One of the most important things you can do when you are getting your financial house in order is to create an emergency fund. It is really hard to consistently pay off debt (if you have any), if you have zero savings.
A savings account will help you smooth out your finances — when an emergency comes up, like your car breaking down or someone having to go to the hospital, you will not be thrown back into indebtedness. You will have some cash to pay for that emergency, and you can use your regular paycheck from a full-time job for regular expenses.
Here are 4 Long-Term Reasons Why People Save Money, and here are 7 Short-Term Reasons Why People Save Money. Check them out!
How to start saving money?
Set up a savings account, if you do not have one yet. It is fairly simple to set up a high-yield online savings account. This kind of fund is good because you cannot just spend from it when you have an immediate urge to buy something, but you can get funds within 2–3 days, if there is a strong need.
Begin depositing into it regularly, at least USD$50 per paycheck while you are in debt, if finances are very tight, then USD$100 when you have a little more breathing room, but try to add more, if you can.
If you cannot find USD$50 or USD$100 per payday, take a hard look at your spending. There is usually something that you can always cut back on: cell phone or Internet or cable bill, magazines or newspapers (read for free online), books (get them from a library), Netflix or other online services, movies and going out, alcohol, Starbucks drinks, restaurants, shopping, buying treats like sweets or chips or sodas, new clothes, travel, an extra vehicle, parties, gifts, new equipment or gadgets, a gym membership (work out at home), cigarettes or other drugs, toys, a coach or classes, etc.
Alternatively, you can find creative ways to earn additional income to save the USD$50 to USD$100 as well.
Set up an automatic transfer to your savings every payday. Make this your first bill to pay. If you already have a decent emergency fund (say 2-6 months’ living expenses), look into investing, increase your retirement-plan contributions, or invest in an index fund such as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VFINX) which tracks the performance of its benchmark index, the S&P 500. Make it a regular and automatic contribution. The retirement investments are good vehicles because, by law, they are TAX deferred, which means you are paying less in TAXes and using that to make more money through investments.
If you are already doing all this, consider setting up your bills to pay automatically. If you have done this for a few years now and you will never need to worry about bills anymore.
