by Lisa Beach

Created on: July 20, 2009   Last Updated: July 21, 2009

Ask anyone forty or older, and s/he will say how hard it is to save, but s/he managed by listening to his/her parents. Ah, but if only that information worked these days! However, I understand saving for what I want and need, and am sharing 7 of the most important prospects here with you for achieving stability in one's finances.

First and foremost, one must set goals. Start at the beginning, and start slowly.

1. Set goals: There are in fact, two types of goals one needs to set: a) Financial, and b) private. Because without planning for fun personal goals, making plans for everyday financial stability becomes a chore. I have never met a person who enjoyed forcing him/herself to do chores.

Why not start with the fun stuff? Saving for a special event of some sort, something one would get pleasure in; If one hasn't had a vacation in years, that is an excellent goal to set - but it has to be doable within one's budget, not just some pie-in-the-sky dream.

Next is setting realistic financial goals. How much money one wants to save, and why, are important. One should set goals s/he wants, not what others say is best. Single or married, the one reaching for stability needs his/her own reasons to go this route. S/he must have trustworthy places to use as pit stops while traveling that road mentioned earlier.

For me, it was to work my way out from under debt, and to slowly improve my credit score. But hubby and I agreed to save up for a cruise as well. From previous experience, we knew what a huge stress relief it was. Being waited on hand-and-foot, and being able to do whatever we wanted when we wanted was relaxing, and very freeing.

2. Devise an action plan: This may seem like setting goals, but it's not. Planning how to realize one's goals means taking action towards getting there. Will one cut back on using credit cards? Eating out, or starting to pay cash for everything? What about saving gas, and the price of groceries?

One will be writing such things down, deciding which is most important, and taking it from there. Following the old saying "If you can't afford to pay for it in cash, you don't need it", diminished impulse buying, and using a credit card.

For example, there was a time when I loved biking, and was in to the newest styles and trends. A week or so after starting my financial stability plan, I impulsively started shopping for a new bike I didn't need.

I fought that impulse, talked to a fellow enthusiast, and agreed to barter his services

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