How to Find Money to Save

There are many places to find money to save. Start with the loose change that many people accumulate. Americans typically save more than $100 in loose change each year. Use this change to open and grow a savings account. If you receive a tax refund or Earned Income Tax Credit, use a portion of this money to begin or increase savings. Since the Tax Credits average nearly $2,000, you may be able to open a savings account and still have plenty of money to pay off debts or cover other expenses.

Try to deposit money saved by cutting back on small, unnecessary expenditures. The Frugal Citizens website lists more than 20 ideas for reducing spending. These ideas range from packing a lunch, to switching from daily lattes to daily coffees, to not bouncing checks.

Saving money for an emergency fund may be easier if you involve your whole family in meeting this challenge. After you've explained the importance of emergency savings to your spouse or children, they may even help build the account. And, they will be more likely to understand why it's more important for you to increase these savings than to pay for expensive gifts at birthdays or Christmas.

Another way to accumulate the $500 to $1,000 of emergency savings is to ask your bank or credit union to automatically transfer funds from checking to savings monthly. Automatic savings is the easiest savings. What you don't ever see, you may never miss.