America Saves Week

The Money Minute is brought to you by Mary Hurlburt, the Director of Community Outreach.

February 25, 2008

Have you ever heard of America Saves Week? This year, America Saves Week runs from February 24-March 2. It serves as a reminder of the importance of saving money.

Last year, during America Saves Week, I talked our youngest son into joining America Saves—an organization dedicated to helping people save money and eliminate debt. He called me last night just to chat and said that making him a “saver” instead of a “spender” was the best thing I’d done for him in a long time. He has an in-law facing divorce, and too much spending is the couple’s biggest issue.

Our son is a young father and homeowner. I asked him what saving meant to him right now, and he replied, “I need new windows. It’s going to cost over $10,000, but because we owe nothing except our mortgage, if we put our minds to it, we’ll be able to pay cash for those windows in less than 10 months.” He then began to enumerate the ways they would be saving for this big expense. They’ll start with their tax return and add his wife’s income until they reach their goal. As they save, the money will be put into a money market account that earns them higher than average interest. This is money that would often be used for vacation or “luxury” items.

It’s easy to become a saver. If you live in the Miami area, go to www.miamisaves.org to sign up. 

If you aren’t in the Miami area, go to www.americasaves.org and register to be a saver. You don’t have to be part of a local campaign, but if you want to be, there are four other local campaigns listed for Florida.

Explore both these websites while you’re there. There are helpful saving tips, motivational articles and profiles of savers. You can also sign up for electronic newsletters that will keep you motivated throughout the year.

And next year, email me at mhurlburt@cccservices.com to tell me what a year’s worth of savings has meant to you. Happy savings!

The Money Minute is brought to you by Mary Hurlburt, the Director of Community Outreach at the Consumer Credit Counseling Service. Do you have a question for Mary? Email her at mhurlburt@cccservices.com.