Here are simple, easy-to-implement solutions to the problem of not being able to save money for the future. They will help with saving money from a small paycheck.

Reduce the amount of money spent on food without buying less food. According to the USDA for the month of September 2009, the average family of four spent $938.70 every month for food on the moderate plan.

You can reduce this amount to $500 per month with the following strategies:

• Buy generic when the taste and quality are acceptable.
• Coupons, when combined with a sale, can sometimes lower the cost of the name brand product to less than the generic equivalent.
• Shop the food sales in places other than grocery stores (Walgreens, CVS, farmers market, roadside stand, scratch and dent, closeout sales, etc.).
  
• A slow cooker will allow the purchase of cheaper, tougher cuts of meat that require longer cooking times to become tender and tasty.
• Have one meatless night a week.
• Use up all leftovers by buying a casserole dish and getting a casserole cookbook with good recipes for using up leftovers.
• Pack lunch for everyone. It only takes a few minutes the night before and your will save about $25 every week per person if you are currently eating out for lunch every day.
• Buy from a non-profit food co-op such as Angel Food Ministries. Their value and menu is in another hub which is linked at the end of this hub.
  

Shop with cash. Save a substantial sum of money by not using a credit card or your debit card. People are more inclined to spend money when they only have to swipe a piece of plastic. You will be much more aware of how much money you are spending if you have to take cold hard cash out of your wallet and say bye-bye to it permanently. You might be surprised at what you do not want to put in the shopping cart. Shop alone to prevent impulse purchases.

Make a list of every major item that you own and beside each item put the cost of replacing it. If you set this amount aside by saving money every week, then when the item breaks or wears out you will be able to pay cash. This can save you thousands of dollars on big ticket items that would be otherwise have to be financed over several years. You would have to come up with the extra money to make the loan payments anyway, but by paying cash you will be paying yourself instead.

Shop online for some really great deals. Be sure to check the cost of shipping when deciding if something really is a bargain. Before finishing the purchase, open another browser window and check the online savings sites for a discount or coupon code.

Follow this procedure with every area of your budget including insurance, entertaining, gifts, vacations, etc. Whenever you want to buy something, first ask yourself if there is a cheaper way to accomplish the task. For example, if a house repair needs to be done, tools can be rented instead of spending mega bucks buying them.

Learn how to do many of the necessary maintenance and repair problems. The most expensive part of a repair is the labor. Do the labor yourself and there will be more money saved.

The secret to saving money from a small paycheck is to first identify areas where spending can be reduced. Then research different places for buying what you need at the lowest cost. Now comes the hard part --- the self-discipline to take that money and stash it into savings. It is possible to save money from a small paycheck with careful monitoring of where money is spent.

Here are some other hubs which may be of interest to you: