save money in three steps
Are you paying your bills as they come in, and not charging more than you can afford? Excellent. Are you socking away money regularly for retirement, perhaps via a 401(k) plan at work? Good. Have you put a hefty sum of money away as an emergency fund ? No? Well, that is a problem -- but it's not an insurmountable one. Take a deep breath and keep reading. Here are a three steps you can take right away to turn that situation around. 1. Understand the concept. First off, let's define our terms. Unless you're independently wealthy, it's smart to have a dedicated emergency fund ready in case disaster strikes. You might lose your job, for example, or experience a costly health crisis. It's easy not to think about these kinds of events, assuming they won't happen to you, but they do happen to some people , and they can wreak financial havoc. (Even a big car repair can throw your finances out of whack if you're not prepared.) How much money are we...