Income Master

Anyone can start a savings account

Last year, I discovered Dave Ramsey and his total money makeover plan. It was revolutionary for someone like me, who has almost always lived hand-to-mouth, to realize I could do his first step, which was to save $1,000 in a Savings Account as an emergency fund.

I didn’t realize it was something I could accomplish. That is because every penny that comes in to my house is accounted for — bills, food, etc. There is no discretionary income to fund a Savings Account. I lived a bare bones existence. I didn’t have cable, call waiting, new vehicles — basically I didn’t have any way to reduce my expenses because they already were as slashed as possible.

An emergency fund seemed impossible until I read other ways people had established theirs. The goal is to the get teh $1,000 saved as quickly as possible. Here is where the magic was — if you are really serious about getting that money, you can do it by selling some of your belongings. We live as minimalists, so I didn’t think we had anything to sell.

But we did. By selling items we had, such as an old beat-up dresser in the basement, a rusty old antique clawfoot bathtub in the garage and used pink girls’ ballet slippers, we funded the Savings Account in less than a month. I am still amazed. All I have to say is that if we can get money for a savings account, so can you.