Many of us would like to have money in savings. Whether it's for an emergency fund, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, quitting a job, or simply creating a bit of a buffer between paychecks, having some money set aside can make a huge difference in our ability to reach for our dreams.

    But when you've got a long way to go before you meet your financial goal, and when – frankly – a dollar spent now seems to provide a lot more pleasure than a dollar saved, how can you make sure you're motivated enough to put money aside on a regular basis?

    Here are five things that could work for you…

    1. Save Little And Often

    Do you tell yourself that it's not worth saving if you don't have at least $100 （or $500, or $1000） to put into a savings account? This is a bit like telling yourself that it's not worth getting some exercise unless you have a whole day clear to jog.

    How about saving just a dollar or two each day? Most of us can cut a couple of dollars of unnecessary spending every day （how about skipping that latte, carpooling, ditching your daily newspaper?） It's a tiny amount that you'll barely notice on a daily basis, but over the course of a year, you'll have saved several hundred dollars.

    2. Read Personal Finance Blogs

    I find that I get encouraged to save – and to adopt good financial habits in general – by reading about others' tips and success. One of my must-read blogs for this is The Simple Dollar; Trent writes very well, and covers topics in-depth without making them too complicated. He also has an upbeat and motivating attitude towards savings and finances （some personal finance blogs can make for rather dour reading）.

    Other good blogs on personal finance are Get Rich Slowly and Wise Bread.

    3. Keep a Savings Log

    Something that's often recommended for those sorting out their finances is to keep a spending log – to write down what you spend, so that you have a clear picture of where all the money is going. I've done this in the past, and it's always revealing （and occasionally a bit horrifying!）

    A twist on this, though, is to keep a savings log. Each time you make a deposit into your savings account （or each time you shove a few dollars into the jam jar hidden under your bed）, write down the date and how much you saved. This can be a great way to motivate yourself to save more. You could also use your calendar or diary for this.

    4. Save Towards A Specific Goal

    Having a very clear goal in mind can make it much easier to save up. If you know that you need $1,000 for that new computer, or if you're determined to reach $5,000 in your emergency fund, focusing on the end goal can keep you motivated.

    Your end reward might not be a tangible thing like a vacation or a new purchase: it might be peace of mind, or a sense of security or freedom. Consider visualizing how you'll feel once you have your target amount in the bank. Will it take a weight off your shoulders? Will you be proud of what you've achieved?

    5. Automate Your Savings

    Finally, if you do find that your motivation waxes and wanes, simply automate your savings. Get your bank to transfer $100 （or $200 or $500 etc） from your checking account into a savings account, at the start of each month. If the money goes out without you having to lift a finger, chances are that you'll simply let it head off into the savings pot …

    有錢是所有人的夢想，無論是用來救急，一輩子才有一次的度假，炒老板魷魚，或只是不想讓手頭總是很拮據，很大程度上金錢決定了我們的夢想是否能實現。

    坦率地講，花錢要比存錢爽多了，所以你可能要很久才能把自己的撲滿裝完，怎么能夠保證你有足夠的意志力把錢一分一分省下來呢？

    下面是你可以考慮的五個辦法…

    1.存小錢，常存錢

    你是不是告訴自己，至少有100（500或1000）塊錢才值得存入銀行？這就有點像對自己說，只有一整天都在跑步才會對身體有好處。

    何不試試每天只存一兩塊錢呢？大多數人每天都能剩出幾塊錢來，（例如不喝咖啡，和別人合伙坐出租車，少買點報紙 ）你可能很容易就忽略這些小錢，但一年后，你就可以節省數百元錢。

    2.閱讀個人理財博客

    我是通過閱讀別人分享的小技巧和成功經驗才學會了存錢和理財。我必讀的一個理財博客是 The Simple Dollar,里面的文章深入淺出，同時還讓人覺得很樂觀和振奮（一些博客則讓人昏昏欲睡） .

    其他好的理財博客還有 Get Rich Slowly 和 Wise Bread.

    3.建立一個儲蓄日志

    管錢的一個好辦法是建立一個花錢日志，寫下你的花費，讓自己清楚地知道所有的錢都花到哪里去了。我已經做到了這一點，而且我發現它總是很有用處（只是結果偶爾有點可怕！ ）

    另一個辦法正好相反，是建立一個儲蓄日志。每當你把錢放進銀行戶頭（或把幾塊錢放到果床底下的醬罐子里）,記下日期和你存了多少錢。這是一個挺不錯的方式來激勵自己存錢。或者也可以使用自己日歷或日記本來做記錄。

    4.為自己設立一個具體目標

    有一個非常明確的目標可以讓你的省錢計劃更加易行。如果你知道自己需要1000塊去買一個新的電腦，或者決心要存下5000元以做應急之用，明確最終目標能夠讓你保持干勁。

    你也許因為要存錢而不能去旅游或大買特買，但你因此收獲了安心，安全感和自由。想象存折上的數字一直增加，你是不是感到自己的生活壓力減少了？你會為自己實現目標而自豪嗎？

    5.自動化你的儲蓄

    最后，如果你發現自己省錢的激情在減弱，只要想辦法讓儲蓄變成一個自動的流程。讓你的銀行在每月的第一天自動把支票帳戶里的100元（200或500）轉到儲蓄帳戶中，不需要動一根手指錢就存了起來，你想花都不可以了。

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