Saving Money

[Tehshewz]

This is a serious post.
I have bad habits of spending my money.
With my school loans, car payments etc, gas etc makes it hard for me to keep money saved away.

What are methods do you suggest or ways that you can save money work for you help me or possibly others?

[dj3stripes]

pretend you have a kid on the way in 3 months............... that'll make you save.

[CatCity]

eating out all the time was my problem, i was once too lazy to cook at home. raman noodles make a great meal with chicken breast. I notice i save a lot from that.

[Nate]

Don't go out to eat. That's where all of my money goes.

[fatlip]

what all these guys said.. i mean i'm still piss poor but going out to eat does sap away the majority of my money, when i do it.

[fatlip]

also.. do you charge or debit most of your stuff? or do you use cash? if you charge/debit give http://www.mint.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; a try.. its free. it breaks down your finances to the purchase and categorizes them for you so you can see where you're spending the most.. very helpful.

try it out for a month and see the trends

[Smoke]

The best way to save money is to figure out how much you want to save each month. When you get money immediately throw it into a savings account. DO NOT GET A CARD or CHECKS FOR THE SAVINGS ACCOUNT. That way if you need to withdrawal you actually have to go to the bank during bank hours.

Buy in bulk, there are certain things you will always need and they don't go old. Also spend a little extra on the nice stuff, you'll use less of it.
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
trash bags
Rice
Spaghetti noodles
etc

If you like vegetables go to farmer markets
If you can bike to where you're heading do it.
recycle cans and bottles, especially if you're partying

[Tehshewz]

Thanks for all the advice guys.
I had no idea that eating out everyday at work was the root of my problem.
Why the fuck does food cost so much!?

Gonna try brown bagging these next few weeks and see the results.

[GOAT]

i pretend im broke even if i have a lot of money on me. Dont let your gas tank get below half a tank. Put away money or hide it in your wallet from yourself. And definately brown bag it for a while. Cans are 70 cents a pound right now. Thats a good 40 bucks or more month

[Tehshewz]

Put away money or hide it in your wallet from yourself.

As childish as it sounds, i might try giving myself an allowance.
I always tend to spend less when i had physical cash on me.

[CatCity]

right now i have it good, i go to school with a guy who sells me his leftover food stamps. i'm talking 200 dollars worth of food for 50 bucks

[logosteel]

right now i have it good, i go to school with a guy who sells me his leftover food stamps. i'm talking 200 dollars worth of food for 50 bucks

Haha. Did this as well on the Eastern Shore MD. Sad that I know he will piss it away on drugs or booze. But I win.

[kateric10]

It's really quite simple. Just a few things you need to focus on. But it takes a lot of time......

1. Stop eating out so much (we all agree on this).
2. Start putting money into a savings account and FORGET ABOUT IT. Don't touch it unless there is an emergency (car troubles, medical bills, etc...). You'll be amazed how quickly it builds.
A. If you can save $50 per pay check that is a start
B. Turn that $50 into $100...then $200....then $300
C. Keep doing that and adjust your budget accordingly
3. Double your credit card payments if you are only paying minimum.

That's how I did it. Now I save a sh*t load of money each month. I am not loaded by any means, but I have a very nice padding. I put 1/2 of my net pay into savings and playing the stock market. It took a several years to get to where I am at, but it was worth it.

This book will help:
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Lessons-Mill ... 1930817169" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good luck. This is a passion of mine....once I put these simple principle into action, my life completely changed. If I wasn't a software engineer I would def. be in Finance.

Oh one last thing, I realized how much fucking money I have spent on 311 over the past 16 years and it made me sick to my stomach. I stopped following them around the country every summer and my pocket book somehow got much FATTER. HAHAHAHA. I will however, go to every 311 Day no matter what.

Hope that hleps

[Nate]

I save $500 a paycheck and still feel like I'm not saving shit. $50 isn't much of a start.

[mystoneybaby]

I give myself an allowance, I've stopped spending more than $3 going out to eat (value menus are so dope), and I legit break down my budget. Also when I have a big payment or expense due I write it in big huge red letters on my calendar so I don't get any ideas to go spend money elsewhere.

[kateric10]

I save $500 a paycheck and still feel like I'm not saving shit. $50 isn't much of a start.

Got to start somewhere!

Congrats on saving that kind of money......not many people in America can say that.

[EvenField2BeOn]

drink only water, sleep more, walk when possible. When using the ATM take out small amounts. You tend to spend more if you carry around a lot of cash. Turn off your a/c if the temps outside are ok. Eat simple food that you can make yourself. Stay in and watch movies. Buy things in bulk. Pay off your credit cards. Don't buy anything that doesn't serve a purpose or that you don't absolutely need. Buy generic products when possible. Buy second hand products from craigslist, ebay etc. if possible. These are some of the ways I have been saving. I save about 1/3 of what I make.