Once I realized that saving money was important and I set goals, I ran into a new problem. I didn't (at the time) have any extra money in my budget to put aside. And then when I got "a little extra" it just didn't seem worth it. Eventually I got over that. Putting away $5 a month is better than nothing, and putting away $10 is better than that.
The next hurdle was to respect those savings as savings. Looking at an "emergency fund" with $40 in it may seem silly. But I finally realized, I'd never have "an extra $3,000" to put in my emergency fund, so it was going to have to build. And I'd never have $3,000 if I never got to $1,000 - and I'd never get the first $1,000 if I didn't make it to $500 etc.
My two main savings projects right now are building an emergency fund, and saving enough money to move out of my place (1st & last month's rent, moving truck, etc.) They're both currently hovering right around $500, which isn't nearly enough, obiviously. But thanks to automated savings, they are growing. So with a little luck and a lot of patience, I'll get there.
