Inspired to Build Savings By Starting Small

With little-to-no money in the bank and living on a limited income with her adult daughter, Sharon wasn’t sure if building up savings for her future was even possible. “At my age, to put debts behind me would be a relief,” she said, but she wasn’t quite sure how to even get started with a savings plan. That all changed when Sharon attended the Great Lakes Michigan Saves Pay Yourself First Saver’s Summit during America Saves Week.

Don’t Laugh at Saving Spare Change

Virginia Saves saver, Brittany, decided to start saving again when she became a single mother. She thinks many women, and men, can relate. According to Brittany, “You work out a financial plan with a significant other, you get married and/or have children, you live together and pay bills. However, for one reason or another, life throws you a curve ball and changes the whole scenario. It is so important for a single person, especially a single parent, to have control over their own finances. We have to learn to use what we currently have, and make our paycheck last, to ensure our children and ourselves, are healthy and in a good place. America Saves emails have served as that voice, whispering to me, "It's okay! Day by day, you CAN save and you CAN take care of yourself and your children.”

Brittany’s #1 savings tip: Don't laugh at saving spare change, or an extra dollar from a paycheck. These small efforts are like all of the streams into a sea of water.

Challenging Herself to Save

It all started when Marchale Burton overheard Alabama cooperative extension colleague Isaac Chappelle, coordinator of Alabama Saves, explaining how saving just a little bit – even change – is all it takes to become a saver. “I thought about that,” Burton said, “and wanted to see if it would work.” So, she challenged herself to see how much change she could save.