Saving $100 a week is actually easy - seriously I mean it!

If you think you can’t save an extra $100 a week, think again. Even in hard financial times, there are some easy steps that you can take that won’t eat into your budget.

Pay yourself a percentage of your paycheck. It doesn’t matter if it’s 10% or 1%. As long as you put away some part of your paycheck consistently, your efforts will pay off in time. If you’re living from paycheck to paycheck and think it’s just not possible to spare another cent for savings, try again.

Think about that iced coffee you just bought – save the leftover change! Every time you buy something with cash, there’s usually some change involved. Instead of throwing that change into your pocket or under the seat, put it into a jar and save it up. You’ll be amazed by what you have after only a few weeks time. Collect your change for a few months and you’ll have a large sum to take to the bank.

Quit eating out for lunch! This may seem tough to do if you like to eat with your co-workers on a regular basis, but this is one of the biggest money drainers of them all. If we figure that the average lunch costs $8 to $10, over 5 working days, that’s $40 to $50 a week that you could be saving. Instead, start packing your lunch every day. With the $40 you would have spent on lunch, you can purchase enough groceries for a week’s worth of lunches and dinners. Why pay someone $10 to make you a sandwich when you can do it for $2 or less by yourself? You’ll also save on gasoline by not slogging through lunch hour traffic every day just to grab a bite to eat.

Get a wholesale club card. Buying in bulk can be a great way to save on things like paper towels, disposable diapers and other short-term usage items. There is a membership fee of $40, but the savings you’ll see in just a few months time will more than pay for it.

Need it or Want it? Magazine subscriptions, a new pair of shoes or the latest cell phone might be things you want, but do you really need them? Before making an impulse buy, evaluate the purchase and ask yourself if it’s absolutely necessary. When you stop and think about it, you might save yourself a lot of money on impulse buying.