Am I too proud of myself?

[af39a]

I've never been good at saving money, but about a month and a half ago, I decided to buckle down and do the automatic savings thing - $50 a paycheck ($100 a month) directly to my CU savings. I took the extra step of "hiding" my CU ATM card from myself. I'm so proud of myself for not touching that money for the past few paychecks...


The thing is, a lot of my friends/family "sock away" $1000+ at a time (don't know if they touch it later or not). I feel kinda silly when they ask how much I have put away... am I being silly - should I be proud of what I accomplished or is it still not good enough?



(sorry if someone asked this before, I'm new to this board)

[Lori63]

Of course you should be proud of yourself (I'm proud of you ). Every little thing you do counts!
Welcome to SavingAdvice-it's a great place!

[NoWayNovember]

You should be proud of what you accomplished! Saving money purposefully and sticking to it is difficult!

And shame on your friends for asking... I would never dream of asking that question to any of my friends, but then, I'm really private when it comes to sharing my financial situation with others.

Good job, though! Keep it up!

[jmjj215]

And shame on your friends for asking...

I totally agree. What a lame question.

It's all about your own dedication. Who cares what others are supposedly doing? It's all relative to where you were and now where you are going. Ben Franklin said it's the eyes of others that do us in (paraphrase). So don't worry about what others think. Just do your thing and be happy with it!

[Tree0164]

You should be proud of yourself! It is hard to save money today.

[baselle]

You should be proud of yourself. Be able to save a little something *every* paycheck means that you are a saver and live consistently beneath your means. You're doing better than 90% of the US population.

Envy will kill anyone. Remember some people will claim anything and that their bragging means that they are going to be envious of someone else. What happens when they meet the $10,000 saver? Of course, most millionaires are discrete about their saving, so that might not happen

If you have to say something about your saving (they must be my family), think about your goals and talk about them in terms of percents. Or better, units of paychecks. Think about saving one paycheck - it means that you're now not living from paycheck to paycheck. You can be coy about it - oh, I've got a couple of paychecks saved up, don't you worry about me...and smile.

[mehmeh]

You should be proud of yourself. Be able to save a little something *every* paycheck means that you are a saver and live consistently beneath your means. You're doing better than 90% of the US population.

^agreed, that's a great start, as it piles up you're paying yourself first. Nevermind what other people do - start slow and see what works for you.

[jmjj215]

Yeah, imagine the difference it would make in the US if people no longer lived paycheck to paycheck!

[paulmish]

Well, for one thing, banks and credit card companies would go broke! HA!

The Frugal Yuppie

[amomof4]

WTG! Definately be proud of yourself. A small step is better than no step or a step backwards.

[jhd815]

Yes be proud of yourself for taking that extra step and saving. So few are saving today. Do not compare what you save to that of your neighbors or co-workers. It does you no good. Instead, keep on saving. You might even consider putting a portion of the savings in a high-yield CD.

Keep up the good work!

[Cautious Spender]

Good for you. Saving even a little every pay does add up... Same goes for paying more on CC... Always pay more than the minimum even if only one dollar -- or round up to the nearest round number. The best thing of course is to pay off totally but if you can't pay something more.

And save SOMETHING if even only $10. Good for you to be able to put away $100.

[CRFSaver]

Bravo! Its how I started my sister out saving. She now has 1500 bucks in her ING account. This from a girl who is 35 and has never saved a dime. I have found savings is addictive. When you see those balances get higher, it makes you want to save more. Never feel bad because someone is saving more then you.

I have a friend who puts 1500 a month into her savings account. Then on the 20th she withdraws it to pay a mortgage. When she tells me she is saving 1500 a month is she? Be proud of what you ahve accomplished.

[mom-from-missouri]

Its a start. Thats how I started-with $50 a paycheck after my husband left. I had credit cards to pay. After I got them paid off, I started saving $100 a paycheck to savings, and $100 extra into my retirement thru work. The last few years, I have been increasing it a little every year -when I get my anual raise. After I would get 3 months paychecks plus and extra $500 or $1000 saved up, I would take the $1000 and put it into a CD. I am glad I had that 3 month cushion because this year, several illnesses (myself and my kids) resulted in some time off work without pay. Now, I have discovered that a 3 month cushion for me (a single mom-only 1 income) was not enough. Now I am starting my emerg fund all over again, but my goal is now 6 months worth of pay saved up. Had my situation gone on longer, I would have had to start cashing in CD's (and paying a penelty)

[mom-from-missouri]

I have a friend who puts 1500 a month into her savings account. Then on the 20th she withdraws it to pay a mortgage. When she tells me she is saving 1500 a month is she?

She may be gaining a small amount from interest earned for the short time it is in her account. But, it also depends on her account. I closed a savings account I used to have because if you made more than 3 withdraws in a quarter, they charged you a $7 fee. You wouldn't earn any $7 interest on $1500.

[CRFSaver]

The key point being she isnt saving 1500 a month. She might be making a dollar or so in interest but moving money around different accounts is not savings..

[rob62521]

Yes, you should be proud of yourself for starting a plan and sticking with it! It's all relative on the amount saved. Perhaps you can save $100 a month and someone else can easily save $500. Both of you would be doing something many don't and that's actually saving something. Someone else posted that saving is addictive -- once you see how much it grows you are eager to save more. Truer words were never typed! LOL Keep up the good work and worry about youself -- not what about other folks say. Some people are eager to share what they do, but often it boils down they were not honest.

[BAGAGT1]

Hell ya! you should be proud. You are taking steps to improve your financial future. The important thing to remember, is that saving takes time. Saving is addictive, so be patient, if you have an opportunity try to save via 401k, and don't pass up on any free money.

[Bluezy]

Originally Posted by mom-from-missouri

I have a friend who puts 1500 a month into her savings account. Then on the 20th she withdraws it to pay a mortgage.

Hi Mom!

Your friend simply might be securing the $1500 mortgage note by making sure the money is not inadvertantly touched. I can't blame her for that, but I would make sure that there are no penalties for her withdrawl.

One way that could work would be to transfer monies for your bills to an Emigrant Direct or ING account where it would accrue the most interest. Then it could easily be transferred back into the banking account used to pay the bills.

Good luck to you and your friend!

Bluezy