I talk so often about saving a few pennies here, a few dollars there, and I know that a lot of you pretty much dismiss it.  You don’t need a few pennies or a few dollars… You need a bunch of money.  Guess what?  You aren’t likely to win the lottery, some unknown rich aunt isn’t likely to die and leave you her fortune,  and money doesn’t just fall out of the sky.  The only way you are going to get a bunch of money is by saving it.  And the only way you will be able to save it is to stop spending it.  I’ve said many times that almost everyone, regardless of debt to income ratio could be debt free in 2 to 5 years and have a very healthy savings and investment account in another 2 to 5 years.  It all starts with determination and saving pennies and dollars. 

Every day, write down what you spend.  Include EVERYTHING.  Even the change you put in the vending machine at work.  If you spend it…. Write it down.  Then, in the evening… go on line to this nifty little calculator and type in what you bought and how much it cost you.  Write down the numbers and prepare to be surprised.  You’ll see your bunch of money.    http://sheltertools.com/wd/calculators/cruncher.html