I am a big believer in "Paying yourself first". Since most people (including myself) spend money that is in their checking account, coming up with a strategy to save money automatically is a great idea.
1. Talk to your bank and see if they have a program that will transfer the money automatically from your checking account to savings each month. Many large banks do this as a courtesy to their customers.
2. If you have direct deposit from your employer or another source, have a certain percentage automatically put in savings (or another account) so you won't even notice it's gone. I have started a high-yielding savings account with www.ingdirect.com. It has worked marvelously over the past few years.
3. I started what I call my "Secret account" at the bank. All "extra" money I get is deposited here. I earn some money off ebay? It gets sent straight here. A friend repays me? There it goes. This money can either be fun money or used to pay off debt.
These are just a few ways to help start paying yourself first.
