Listening to the radio, I heard an adertisement for feedthepig.org. I checked it out when I got home and found it to be a good source for information on the benefits of saving. Feed the Pig is an extension of 360financialliteracy.org, which aims to educate Americans about how financial issues affect their lives. Here you can find free tools and resources to manage your finances. I’ve talked about my financial experiences before and can honestly say it’s worth the effort.

I’ve found that putting your money in places where it takes time to get to it is the best thing for me. I use an online savings account at UFB Direct and it takes a couple of days for the money to get to my personal checking account if I need it. That way I have some time to think about my decision and won’t get caught up making a last minute purchase. If you’re not in to the online stuff, a savings account at a credit union works great also. That way you have quick access to the money, but it’s in an account you don’t access regularly. In choosing an online account, I visited bankrate.com to find the best rate (although they’ve dropped the past couple of months).

A budget has also been another thing that’s helped me save money. I try to review it every week and after you get started, it doesn’t take much time to do. Making the effort to keep it up has been the hardest thing for me. But when I get lazy I think about my family and remind myself it’s something that has to be done for our future. Sure you can’t predict what will happen in the future, but you can do your best to be prepared.

So go check out the sites and feed the pig. You’ll be glad you did.