Try a stealth saving plan

When it comes to building up our savings, many of us Americans seem to loathe the challenge. I believe the problem is not that we don't want to save up money for financial security or for a future major purchase. I think the trouble lies mainly in that most of us have just become so entrenched in our instant gratification, materialist society that we have developed a fundamental aversion to having money "just laying around." If it's not already too late, I think it's high time that we as a nation change our thinking.

Because I have nearly always lived within the circumstances of a budget which had very little slack, I've developed some strategies which I've dubbed "Stealth Saving Plans." These are sometimes goofy, yet effective ways that people who walk a budgetary tightrope can get some money put aside for the long term while still keeping it liquid enough to get at in case of emergency. After reading this selection of ideas, please feel free to add your own tips and strategies in the comment section for all our readers to share.