For high school and college students

 Maintain a spending log  Write EVERYTHING down, see where every penny goes  Put into categories of entertainment, food, utilities, etc  Everything not put into categories, transfer into savings after your first paycheck of the month  Include savings in your budget – PAY YOURSELF FIRST  Create envelopes for each category, put cash in each  OR Put away your debit and credit cards  give yourself a weekly allowance in cash that is within your budget

 Save for an emergency fund before anything else  Emergency funds are there to cover:  Job loss  Injury  Plan out how much you’ll need  Have enough money saved to cover 4-7 months of income  Only factor in necessities  Leave out vacations, new clothes, and eating out as those are wants not needs  Treat it like a bill  $10 a week is $500 a year  Start out with a small goal, $250 or $500

 Separate bank account to separate emergency funds from everything else  Consider a money market account  Allows withdrawals only at certain minimum levels  Short-term certificates of deposit with three- or six-month terms on a regular basis.  You'll earn some interest and be required to constantly reinvest.

 Week 1 – Save $52  Week 2 – Save $51  …Week 51 – Save $2  …Week 52 – Save $1  By the end of the year $1378 will be saved

 Set your thermostat lower  Unsubscribe from your cable TV service  Turn off the lights when not in use  Get a roommate  Live at home or with a relative

 Eat out less frequently  Split or share meals with friends  Make your own lunch and bring it to work  Use restaurant coupons  Learn to cook dinner for yourself  Rent movies  Go to the movies in the afternoon rather than  in the evening  Visit local libraries, museums, and parks  Participate in sports  Read a book or hike a trail

 Utilize public transportation  Carpool with a friend or family member  Ride your bike or walk  Regularly have your oil changed and use coupons  for auto maintenance  Make sure your tires are properly inflated

 Renegotiate everything.  Call up all your service providers, and ask for better rates.  Tell your bank you want to pay less interest on your credit card  Ask your insurance company for a rate reduction.  If anybody balks, shop around.  Afterwards, set up the savings as an automatic transfer to your savings account

 Check your withholding.  It’s nice to have the money now – and going into your emergency fund  Put your tax return in your emergency savings  Baby-sit or dog walk for friends and neighbors  Rent your extra room.  Airbnb for short-term housemates  Rent your room to a boarder (who may also help out with the utilities, too).  Sign up for focus groups.  FindFocusGroups.com, and earn $50 to $150 just for speaking your mind.  Get paid to give rides  Flagstaff offers Uber rides, sign up as a driver