Saver Tips and Stories

Saver Story: Set a goal, make a plan!
America Saves believes that saving money starts when you set a goal and make a plan to reach it. Putting your goals at the forefront of your savings journey makes it easier to visualize and focus on what you're saving for. That's why we chose Shannon as our Saver of the Month! Her approach to saving for her family’s dream home is a great example of how #ThinkingLikeASaver can look different for everyone but has great payoffs and rewards.

A Think Like A Saver Attitude
Melissa has always been thrifty with a #ThinkLikeASaver attitude. This served her family well when her husband lost his job in 2014. Using their savings, Melissa’s family stayed afloat while her husband found a new job. During his job search they used a majority of their savings, but that is OKAY. Savings are fluid! They’re supposed to be used in the case of emergency, and this qualified as such.

Saving With My Boys
When Kelly was a kid, she loved the picture book A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams. In the story, a little girl lives in an apartment with her mother and grandmother. The little girl’s mother is a waitress and sole provider for their family. Together the family saves money by putting their change in a giant jar every day. They are saving for a big cushy chair for the little girl’s hard-working mother. Together with patience and diligence, they buy the mother a very comfy chair.

From Overwhelmed to In Control
In 2017 Debi felt overwhelmed. Her credit cards were maxed, and she wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. When asked how her credit issues started, her answer sounded like many Savers that we've spoken to: making too many impulse purchases. “I was driven by feelings like ‘That sounds good,’ or ‘I am too tired to cook.’” Then she attended a university extension program that introduced her to America Saves. That’s where she heard the tip that set her on her savings journey - stop accumulating debt.

Put 20 Percent Away
“I am a single mother, and I make ends meet for me and my daughter, but I wanted to put money away for my daughter for a college fund. So I started saving 20 percent of my paycheck every month to put it away in a savings account with a high Annual Percentage Yield (APY). By the time my daughter is 18, I will have saved nearly $90,000.”