Save, and Save, and Save!

Every short-term goal I (or anyone else for that matter) have has always, and will always, require money. The ones which are most important to me require LOTS of money actually. So the skill I have found to be the most helpful and the VERY best one to have, is my ability to save. Without this, my goals would always remain just dreams.

Saving has never been to hard for me. I unconsciously do it even if I don't have a goal to work towards. In fact, if I do not have something to save for I sorta go crazy. Which is the reason for my constant short-term goals.

However, even for me, it is sometimes difficult to say "sorry, I can't afford to go to the movies today" or "can we do something that doesn't cost money?" especially when it is your family you are saying this to and they know very well that you have $3000 in the bank. Personally, I think anyone in the world could save their money very well if there was not the peer pressure to spend it. In my case it was kind of extreme, with my sisters constantly mocking me for being such a "miser". For everyone else it is a more subtle kind of peer pressure, a simple "hey would you like to go out for sushi" from the boy/girl you like is quite similar to a nuclear bomb being dropped on whatever small incentive you had to save that $40 or so. Even simple fast food can add up, if you purchased McDonald's with your friends every time they go out so that you won't be the only one without food, then even though there may be a dollar menu you are pretty much just eating your money.

I have found that the best way to save my money is to set aside a certain amount of money each month that can be spending money and hide it somewhere in my room (the rest I put in a difficult to access Bank account). For example, right now, I am saving every penny from my paychecks for Japan (because i need $2000 before February) however, at Subway where I work we have a tip jar. On a good day I make about $2. Every tip I earn (no matter how small) comes home with me and goes in my special jar. If there is something expensive that I am DYING to do, then I save up my tip money for it. Not only does this prevent me from spending more than I want to out of my paycheck, but it also helps me appreciate every activity I do. For if I have to work 1 whole month just to earn $20 I am NOT inclined to waste it on something unimportant such as fast food.