HOW TO MAKE MY LITTLE PIGGY FATTER

My little Ms. Piggy Bank keeps getting thinner and thinner. So, I have decided that she needs to be fattened up. I already have some money in our savings account, but I tend to view that as "untouchable unless absolute necessary." The type of savings that I am trying to accumulate is what I am going to view as "liquid savings.

Liquid savings is important for every family to have. This is money you have stashed away, but can still access in case you need it. There are a number of ways for you to build liquid savings for your family but I just can't seem to "find" money in our budget to allocate to Ms. Piggy. So, I going to do these 2 steps during the month of September and report back, on October 1, what I have "fed" the pig:

I found these ideas over at www.ehow.com:

• During a recession, use cash to pay for items and then save your change. Every time you make a purchase use a paper bill. At the end of the day, put all the coins you've collected into a piggy bank. At the end of each month count, roll and deposit the change into your savings account. You maybe surprised just how much money you can save this way.
  


• If you still can't find money to put into a savings account look at your expenses and figure out ways to save money on them...then put the money you saved into a savings account. This is a good practice to follow anytime, but especially when you're trying to survive a recession. For example, you have to buy groceries. Why not clip a few coupon (from online and in your newspaper), use a club card, buy what's on sale and switch to the less expensive store brand. At the bottom of your receipt it will most likely list your savings. Write that amount into your check book as a secondary grocery bill, then when you get home transfer the money you saved into a savings account.

What do you think of this article and especially the two ideas that I am going to be implementing? You know that you want to comment, so please do! I love comments!

**A.Marie**

"It can be difficult to give up things that we might consider "vices." For you, that might be the daily latte. For me, it's always been comic books. (Sad, but true.) These are constant money drains, but they also bring joy to our lives. Instead of giving these things up, I encourage folks to find ways to reduce them, or to save on them.

But to really save money, look for ways to reduce recurring monthly expenses. These are constant drags to your budget, and if you can reduce them, it's a great way to improve your cash flow. " Excerpt from, "Your Money: The Missing Manual," by J.D. Roth