Any tips on how I can start saving money?

I am 18yrs old. Have 2jobs. My 2nd job is a waitress, and so far I've been saving the tips. I need to finish paying my laptop off, and I need to save money for the 1st month's rent in the apartment we're about to move into (august 1st). I also need to buy furniture for it. And I dont know how much financial aid I will be getting, and might end up needing money to go to school next yr. I'm getting really 'panicky' How/what should I do to start putting away money. I, right now, pay for gas,and my food, and clothes. My mom pays for everything else.
any tips?? help!
Additional Details
Mat G.---- my mom DIDNT go to college, yet she's doing fine. Not saying I'm not going ( I start this coming fall) but people dont necessarly need to go to college to be successful.

Skylar----CONGRATS!! on saving so much money in that amount of time. BF and I are trying too/starting too.

to everyone else_----you all gave me great answers, thank you. I think I will save up all my tip money, and put away 10% of my check (from my 1st job) and hopefully that will add up, in about 4 months.

I bank at Wells Fargo and every month they transfer $25 from my checking to my savings you can request a higher amount but that is one way I am saving my money.

If you're that strapped for cash, one thing you could do to save is avoid spending money on more clothes. I'm sure you have plenty already but you'll feel the need to buy new ones when you start school. There is nothing wrong with wearing clothes more than 2-3 years in a row...it's how you put it together that makes the outfit.

Since you're a waitress, is it possible to take home leftovers from work so you could save money on buying dinner?

Being a waitress, tips are subjective. I usually give bigger tips when the waiter/waitress is really nice and attentive...not just doing his/her job.....I'm not talking about flirting with the customers...although that may work too. I mean maybe start some small talk about the weather or something in the news you just heard or say something nice about the person like you like their tie or the color of their shirt, etc... People love to receive compliments and I'm sure your tips will refelct it.

well save the money that you have
dont buy stuff that is too expensive
buy the cheap brand (it will pay off later)

Yard sales are your best friend
only buy things that are gently used
this will save a lot of money in the future

set up an "allowance" type thing with your mom it will help you pay for stuff and teach you what to do when you start getting more and more money of your own
this will also make your mom feel in control and she will be more leaniant to give you money in the future

Go to www.daveramsey.com and search "budget".

Some general advice: Don't borrow money for anything, especially stuff that goes down in value (like cars and laptops)

Another tip: Buy used furniture from Goodwill. You'll be surprised what you can find. I found a chest-of-drawers that would normally sell new for $600 and got it for $80. It's still good furniture, ten years later.

Well for 2 weeks write down everything, i mean everything you buy. Even a couple dollars.
You will see where you can scrape more money into the savings. Every little bit helps and adds up faster than you think. Eat at home instead of out, go through your clothes and wear stuff that is older that you forgot about instead of just buying new. Dont waste money on gum/coffee/cigarettes/magazines etc. It is all worth it when you see the money pile up and you will have less stress when you move.

Don't buy anything you don't absolutely need brand new. Don't eat out as much, buy cd's. Save all that you can now before you move in because trust me. your gonna need all the $$ you can get.

Damit Mat G. again. you dick head. quit being a moron

Spend less, buy less clothes, less shoes, less makeup.

Pay off the laptop and DON'T get anything else on credit!

Save more from the money you are not spending.

When you buy furniture, get it free from friends or see freecycle.org it will do until you get a better paying job / promotion.

keep your costs down, drive less (buy less gas).

Don't get a loan or credit cards.

Save hard, spend less. good luck!

Do you have a bank accounts? Deposit all your money in a savings account and transfer only as much as you NEED to the checking account to cover your bills. Most checking accounts are linked to a credit card; they are debit cards. It worked for me like a charm. Your mom may hold you back at this point...

just don't buy any entertainment like games or movies because when you egt everything paid up then its time to have some fun and don't spend money on unneccecary things

put all of your extra chaneg at the end of the day iinto a BUG jar

put away 20 dollars a waeek
dont spend ur tip mony

Maybe you need to get a better paying job then waitressing. With all those expenses, how could you save? I'm not 18 yrs old and I have a "decent" job,but I usually save $200 a month. I put it in a saving account and consider it money I don't have (that way you won't spend it). If I have extra to contribute to the savings I do that. Try eliminating any extra spending (eating out, clothes shopping, etc.) That adds up and that could be money put aside. Good luck!

Start saving a small amount, an amount that you won't really miss spending. After a couple of weeks increase that amount. If you still survive financially on the disposable income you have left increase your savings again.
I was taught this habit as a child, it becomes just that, a habit.
You will be surprised just how much you can save and how quickly the pot increases. As you see your savings increase that encourages you to save more and eventually you will reap the benefits.

stop spending money shut off the cell phone it sucks to do but its kinda nice after a while

I agree w/ skylar, if you keep track of what you spend, every red cent. By doing so, you can see where all the money is going. For our household, i saw that more money than neccesary was spent on eating out, SO we cut that back to once a week. Taking that money we would've normally spent on eating out or other frivolous things and putting it aside ought to gain you at least$50+ in a month. I'm also going to start taking all my change and just throwing it in a jar instead of carring it around in my purse. May be a small step, but it's a start. With the price of gas and everything going up, I too am looking to save some money, good luck to the both of us I guess!

Try investing! Before investing, what the most important thing should you look at? Thesedays, people are afraid to do online investment, because they don't feel secure about their investment, what kind of company that will guarantee that the investment will give them the return they expect. Are they really gonna get the return of investment, or their money will just disappear? This kind of spam happens a lot in the internet... that's why you should be really careful to investigate the company profile, in which you will invest your money into.

Honestly, I'm a pesimist and sceptical person, i don't feel secure in doing online investment, that's why, when a friend of mine suggested me to do online investing for generating passive income, i wasn't so sure. after a while, and did a lottt! of browsing and searching through the internet, i found one world-scale international company that offers online investment (fyi, i've been researching this company and they do pay for your investment, lots of ppl have invested their money to this company and got paid, they gave good rates for this company), anyway, they allocate our investment through the stocks in emerging market such as russia, brazil, china and india. the return is unbelieveable!! you could get almost 0.5% daily, which is around 12-15% a month! think about deposit your money in bank, how much return will you get? by the end of the day, your return on investment will be deducted for tax! that's annoying..

I was thinking to myself, i was interested in product they offer, but i don't wanna risk alot of money, so i start my investment with only USD20, using e-gold. after a while, i was excited about the return of my investment! and they did really pay me and credited my e-gold account directly!! now, i've increased my investment and i really enjoyed it, i just can't wait till my money double up while i'm doing nothing 'coz the money will accumulate itself. passive income does really exist!

Don't know where to start? you could just follow the process below:
1. Open new e-gold account, you could register for free at https://www.e-gold.com/newacct/newaccount.asp?cid=5266993
2. Credit your e-gold account by trading your dollar to e-gold using e-gold trading merchant, e.g: http://transxpress.e-forexgold.com/
3. Go to http://www.klikdisini.com/bricsfund and register new account, choose the product 'brics extensive value' to start off, minimum deposit is 20 dollar.
4. Just wait and see, the money will generate profit itself, if you invest more, you could get more profit. well, there's a saying, spend money to make money, rite? ok, try it out and see for yourself, you won't believe your eyes ;)

Here's the proof of payment they already credited my egold account by 12 US dollars:

3/26/2008
19:08 Payment Received 89201964 Gold +0.002189 4737943 2.08 USD 950.30
From: BF Merchant Reference #: 0
Memo: BF
3/31/2008
14:45 Payment Received 89270877 Gold +0.010484 4321738 9.80 USD 934.80
From: BF Merchant Reference #: 0
Memo: BF

stop shopping, and eating out put at least 10% of your check in savings account. You will not believe how much ppl spend on just eating out alone!!

http://www.freewebs.com/moolamania/index.html

put ur money in the bank n then cut ur bank card up then re apply 4 a new card when uv saved enough money lol

When it comes to their financial well-being, one of the biggest problems that many people face is how to save money. While the idea of setting aside a portion of their income for a rainy day is an appealing idea in theory, in reality most people find it hard (if not downright impossible) to develop and stick with a responsible savings plan. Money: It's what everybody wants (Creative Commons photo by Tracy O)From the ever-growing cost of living expenses (food, rent, gas, education, etc) to the recent troubles in the subprime mortgage market, the ability and desire of consumers to save their money is at a historic low. For the first time since The Great Depression, Americans are spending more money than they are making; a situation which has caused an increasing amount of consumers to spiral into dangerous levels of debt and financial instability.
But regardless of the overall trends in personal savings, each one of us has the opportunity (and ability) to create a responsible savings strategy that is practical, effective and lasting. And while it may take a good deal of commitment and sacrifice for you to reach your personal savings goals, the financial and psychological benefits that can come from a robust savings plan far outweigh the short-term cutbacks that you may have to endure. So, if you're ready to start saving money, the tips and suggestions in this guide will help get you started on the path to financial responsibility.
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Why You Should Save
While the benefits of saving money may seem obvious (MORE MONEY!), there are a number of advantages to having a healthy savings plan that you may have not considered:

Emergencies: If there's one certainty in life, it's that unexpected things can happen at any time. Whether it's a natural disaster, an unplanned illness, the loss of a job, or a bad investment, the financial repercussions of an emergency situation can be debilitating if you aren't properly prepared. A well established savings account can help prevent a financial crisis when these situations arise.

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Debt Prevention: The main reason that people go into debt is because they make purchases that they can't afford. In these instances, they usually turn to credit cards (which charge high interest rates and are often hard to pay off). A well-funded savings account can allow you to purchase the items outright and avoid the pitfalls of borrowing money.

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Plan for the Future: Everyone has something that they are striving for. Whether it's money to buy a new car, pay for an education, or fund an early retirement, many of the things that we want can end up costing a good deal of money. An efficient and disciplined savings plan can help you achieve those goals sooner and without the drawbacks of debt.

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Step 1: Make a Budget
The first thing that any good financial expert will advise you to do when setting out on the path to savings is to make a budget. An accurate budget will allow you to identify all of your necessary expenses, which in turn will give you the ability to calculate exactly how much you can afford to set aside for savings. Here are some simple steps for setting up your budget:
Time Frame: Before you start your budget, you will need to decide on the time frame that you will use. Is yours going to be a monthly budget, a quarterly budget or a yearly budget? The most popular time frame is usually monthly (due to the fact that most bills come once a month), so that is what we'll use for this exercise.
Income: The first thing that you'll need to do when coming up with your budget is to figure out exactly how much income you have coming in. This should include your monthly salary (after taxes) and any supplemental income you may have coming in (from additional jobs, investments or other income sources). If you are in a salaried position, simply divide your yearly income by 12.
Expenses: Here is where things get interesting. Now that you've calculated how much money you have coming in each month, you'll need to figure out exactly how much you spend during the same period. While some expenses remain constant and are easy to figure out (Rent, Car Insurance, Car Payments, Phone & Cable Bills), others are not so easy to pin down. Expenses such as utilities, gas, food and entertainment may change from month to month, so the best way to figure them into your budget is to come up with a monthly average for each one. Over a three month period, keep a record of how much you spend on each of these things and then figure out, on average, how much you're spending each month. Add up all of these things to come up with a monthly total of your expenses. Use this handy spending worksheet to keep track of your expenses.
Figure 1: Make yourself a budget (Creative Commons photo by Jamin Gray)
Calculate the Surplus: Now that you've figured out your monthly Income and Expenses, you can start to determine how much you have left over for savings. Simply subtract your monthly expenses from your monthly income to find out how much surplus money you have coming in each month. Fill in the figures on this budgeting worksheet to calculate the surplus. While you don't need to put aside this exact amount for saving each month, this figure can help give you a rough idea of how much you can afford to save. Note: If your monthly expenses turn out to be larger than your income, then it may be a good time to figure out ways to reduce your expenses and keep your spending more in line with your income.
Keep Records: While writing out your budget on a piece of scrap paper once every year or so may seem like the easiest way to go, it is wiser to keep a continuing record of your expenses, income and savings somewhere that is permanent and can be easily updated. While software programs such as Quicken, Microsoft Money and online money management services such as Mint.com can make it easy for you to manage your personal finances on the computer, something as simple as a personal ledger or notebook can be just as effective for keeping tabs of your budget.

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Step 2: Start a Savings Plan
Once you've resolved to start saving money, you'll need to develop a plan. While a good savings plan doesn't need to be an elaborate affair, it should include a basic outline of the methods that you will be using to jump-start your savings. Here are some suggestions for developing a practical savings plan: What are you saving up for? (Creative Commons photo by Ford Motor Company)Set Goals: The best way to figure out how much you want to save is to set specific monetary goals. If there is a specific thing that you are saving up for, start by calculating how much you will need to save in order to pay for it. Next, figure out how much money you will have to set aside each month in order to reach that goal in a reasonable amount of time. If you are saving for something with a less specific monetary value (such as money for an emergency fund, your retirement, or just a healthy nest egg), then you should try and come up with a figure to shoot for (i.e. Financial experts often recommend having enough money in an emergency fund to cover at least 3 to 6 months worth of household expenses).
Keep Track of Your Finances: The best way to make sure that your savings plan is on track is to keep a close eye on your spending. This can include monitoring your ATM withdrawals, keeping a copy of your bank statements, collecting receipts from your entertainment spending and updating your budget to reflect changes in your income or expenses. Not only can this help you identify where your money is going, it can also keep you up to date on how much money you are saving.
Investing: Although most people think of investing as something that is done by people who already have a lot of money, it can also be a way for people with a modest amount of savings to help grow their overall savings. Low-risk investment options, such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), 401(k)s, Certificates of Deposit (CD's) and Annuities can often help people use the money they do have to save even more money. Some banks may even let you set up an Automatic Investment Plan (AIP) which automatically takes a portion of your checking or savings account (as much or as little as you like) and transfers it to an investment fund or retirement account.
Savings Strategies: If your surplus income each month isn't enough to meet your savings goals, you're going to have to figure out some creative ways of saving more money. While you don't need to resort to selling a kidney or donating blood every week, there are a number of basic strategies that you can use to spend less and save more. While each person should come up with their own list of savings strategies, here are a few for you to consider:

What the hell is there left for your mom to pay for?

Step 1. Make money.
Step 2. Put money in bank.
Step 3. Don't spend money.
Step 4. Go to college like your mom.

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