Pay Yourself First and Save

By the end of the month, does it seem your whole paycheck disappeared into thin air? I've never had a problem paying bills on time, but putting money into a savings account has always been a challenge for my husband and I until recently. One of our New Year's resolutions was to start putting more money into our savings. It's been only a few months, but we can already see that the few simple changes we implemented at the beginning of the year are helping our nest egg grow. If you are looking for simple ways to save more money, try a few of the simple tips below.

Pay Down Your Mortgage
Every time you pay a little extra towards your mortgage, your are building equity in your home, saving on interest and turning your debt into an asset. You can use this simple mortgage calculator to see how much you can save on interest—and how you can pay off your mortgage faster, just by paying a little extra each month.

Treat Your Savings Account Like a Bill
Make a payment into your savings account each month the same way you would make a payment towards your bills. Take advantage of the online services your bank offers and have a certain amount of money transferred from your checking account into your savings on the first of each month. It is a great habit to get into and you can easily withdraw funds in case of an emergency.

Put Extra Money Straight Into Your Savings
It's hard not to splurge on a new purchase when you get your tax return back, but this year, force yourself to put most of it into your savings account instead. Do the same if you get a bonus or raise at work. A couple months down the line, you will be very glad you did.

Take Advantage of Sales, Discounts and Coupons and Bank the Savings
There are a wide variety of online resources, like CoolSavings.com that are dedicated to helping you save money on your purchases through printable coupons, rebates and online coupons . Every time you save money using one of these resources or buy something on sale, pretend you paid full prices and put the money you saved into your savings account. Use your receipt as a guide. Many receipts, especially grocery store receipts, will print exactly how much you saved by using coupons and buying items on sale.

Save Loose Change
Here is a tip our very own Sam Squealer, the CoolSavings mascot, would definitely approve of. Save your loose change in an empty jar or piggy bank and deposit the money straight into your savings account. You'll be surprised at how much it adds up!

Do you have any tips that have worked for you that you would like to share with the rest of the CoolSavings Community?