Everyone wants to be able to live comfortably and not worry about finances. If you are already at that level, that's awesome! If you aren't, first, welcome to the club! Second, here are some tips you can use to get to where you want to be!

1. Spend Less Than You Make

This should be obvious, but I have to address it first. You need to spend less than you make if you plan on growing financially. I know it doesn’t sound fun, especially if you aren’t making much at the moment, but we’re trying to ball on a budget right now so we can ball out in the future. I know many people that empty their checking account paying for food or shopping online the day they get their direct deposit from work. This isn’t smart, especially if you do not have a strong safety net. If an emergency arises you have no money. Also you will have no money to invest with if it is being spent each week. Stay disciplined and remind yourself your reward will be in the future when you’re saving your money!

2. Work Hard

Get on that grind!!! Don’t have a job yet? Pound the pavement, send out those resumes, interview like a boss, and get that job! If you already have a job, make sure you are always on time and perform well. Be the reliable one. When coworkers call out, your manager will call you more if you are dependable and work hard. Try your best to take shifts your friends want to give away. Go after those hours, and the money will follow.

3. Get a Savings Account with a High Interest Rate

You will need a place to put all the money leftover from spending less than you make. What better than an account that pays you to do it! It doesn’t seem like much at first but once you have a large sum in a savings account, the interest at the end of the month is noticeable. Even if it is not noticeable at first, receiving interest is the best because it is your money working for you. At the end of this year I’ll have made upwards of $35 just in interest for 2017. Putting money in a savings account also encourages you not to touch it, since it is not as easily accessible. My opinion of an excellent interest rate for a savings account is about 0.75% annually.

4. Steer Clear of Credit Card Use

Whenever you hear the word credit, I want you to think of interest rates, but not the good kind! Using a credit card, especially irresponsibly, is the opposite of putting money in savings. You owe the credit card company money, and they will be using that as leverage to make you owe more. It might be helpful to have one in case of emergency or if you really find yourself in a pickle, but overall I would avoid credit card use. It just adds to the number of bills you have to pay and gives more stress than it’s worth. If you mess up on a payment, it lowers your credit card score, and that increases your interest rates even more in the future.

5. Pick up the Pennies

It might sound lame but coins really add up! I made $17.50 this past week by wrapping up coins that I had accumulated and giving it to the bank. Pick up loose change and make a stash of it; you might thank yourself later if you’re scrambling for a few dollars. Also if you have some extra time on your hands, check your coins to see if you have any rare ones. Just search “rare quarters,” or whatever type of coin you’re looking at, and you’ll see a list on Google. My dad looks through the pennies he has and sometimes finds wheat pennies or other pennies that are worth more than one cent. I have a couple rare coins that I’ve found that are worth more than their original amount.

6. Look into Low Risk Investments

Buying stock is a great way to make your money work for you, as long as you know what you’re doing. Stocks for stable companies are awesome low risk investments you can make fairly easily online. Try and go for industries that are on the up and up, and also never invest more than you are willing to lose. An example of this is that my dad and I bought two shares each of iRobot last December and it turned into a win for us. We bought it at $59 and ended up selling at $92 earlier this summer. The robotic industry is on the up and up, iRobot was steadily increasing in worth, and we did not invest enough to stress us out.

7. Anticipate Future Costs

This is simple, just plan ahead! One example is that if you know you are going to want to buy a new car in the near future (just a side note: I advise you buy used cars) then buy during the end of the model year so that it is cheaper. I knew I needed a laptop for this coming school year, and then I saw an email around the fourth of July that advertised a sales event for HP. I ended up getting a brand new laptop and quality printer for less than $400. Keep your eyes open so you can jump on deals and save money!

8. Find Reasonable People to Perform the Services You Need

If you can make contacts with people who do home and car repair you can save yourself a ton of money and hassle. My dad is a pro at this! He is a real estate agent and has made contacts with so many people that he knows a person for everything! When you know the people doing work for you, you don’t pay the inflated prices like you would at your car dealership or from a group of contractors. You can trust them with your belongings and being inside your home. You also do not have to worry about being scammed. If you don’t know anyone at the moment, ask some close friends or family members and I am sure they will know a few people that can help you out.