Learning to save is going to be one of the biggest keys to recovering our economy.  If we, as a nation, don't learn to save and quit accumulating more debt, we will never get out of this crisis.  I know for me personally, it is a big challenge to save, but I also can see the impact that not saving has had on me.   It's difficult when you are trying to make ends meet, when your income is down and you can't see that it will go up any time soon; to figure out how to save money, but I think it is also critically important right now.

There are articles everywhere online about how to save more Seven Easy Ways to Save, 55 and Haven't Saved a Dime? Yikes, How $10 Could Save Your Retirement.  There are now savings programs at most banks, and online, I particularly like the ING online savings.  Right now, is the best time to start teaching your children (and maybe even yourself) about the importance of saving, about how to manage money responsibly.  ING even has programs to teach this to children Financial Literacy Programs.  This is something that should be part of every child's education.  There are many programs available to help teach children about savings How to Help Kids Save Money, Encouraging Kids to Save Instead of Spend, and even software programs to make the process more interactive and fun KidsSave.

With so much information and so many tools available, why does it still seem so hard?  Well, my opinion is that we lost the lessons of the Great Depression that our parents and grandparents learned.  We have become a society of' 'I want it now, and I don't care if I have to pay for it later.'  People want instant gratification, so they are not willing to wait until they have saved up for something or they can truly afford it.  We have learned to live way above our means, it seems to be more about having everything we want, than having the security to afford ourselves.

With the challenges we are facing now, it is more apparent than ever that we have missed some important lessons.  We are all suffering the consequences of that now as jobs are being cut and people are losing their homes.  I think we will learn the hard way, what is truly important, especially when it comes to our money.  I know this has been a wake-up call for me and I intend to focus my attention on making my situation better, saving more and living on less.  I am going to cut back or completely eliminate things I don't need, stop buying things just because I want them or it's a good deal, clip coupons, make more meals at home, walk or ride my bike whenever possible, find ways to entertain myself without spending money-maybe board games or just talking, and most of all, I am going to make saving a priority.

What are you doing to survive this economy?