My Twenty Pennies

I'm a twenty-something who loves to save money.

[mytwentypennies]

For the book worms

I love to read. I also read very very fast, especially when I really get into the books that I am reading (I'm looking at you Game of Thrones). Reading can become a very expensive habit, especially if you like to read the latest and greatest books out there. A new hardcover book can cost upwards of $20. I used to splurge on these items but I would finish the book in a day or two. There are however some great ways to cut the cost of buying books --- even to zero, without compromising reading. There is a place I should re-introduce to you. It's called the library. Remember going there as a kid and being able to take out any book you want --- for FREE? Libraries still do exist and if you have moved out of your hometown, you can still apply for a free membership at your local library. Libraries do get copies of all the latest books out there and what makes most great is that the online accounts are super easy to use. If you are fan of "real" books in your hand, you can put yourself on the new release waitlist. You will have to return the book within a specific time frame (typically 7-14 days), but if you are a fast reader like me that shouldn't be a problem. Another great benefit of the library is the eBook collection. If you already have tablet, or if your phone screen is big enough, you can download an app where you take out eBooks for free from the library. I bought myself a Kindle a year and a half ago to take out eBooks. Although a Kindle was an additional cost outlay, I believed I would get a huge return on my Kindle investment by not buying books anymore. I paid $69 for my Kindle and I have read since then about 130 books (I told you I read a lot!) all of which were free through the library. That boils down to $.53 a book and that number will continue to fall the longer I have and use my Kindle. eBooks have a similar process as taking out "real" books: if there is a wait, you put in for a hold, the library emails you when it's your turn to take out the book, you have a few days to "check" it out and about 14 days to read the book. I have read most of the NYT bestsellers this way. If digital books aren't your thing, no worries. Look for ways to pick up discount books. Many libraries have stores where they sell excess books, some as low as $.25. Check out your local Goodwill or Salvation Army where you may be able to pick up some books for about $1. Finally, a used bookstore may be a good option for you because of the diversity of the available titles. The best thing about a used book store is that you can trade back in your books after you are finished with them for store credit to purchase more books. Although used bookstores have higher prices, the option to re-sell may give your budget some relief. Reading has never been so easy or cost friendly as it is now!

[mytwentypennies]

Here are some great ways to save money across many different areas in life. Many of these many not work for you, but it's still worth the read!

[mytwentypennies]

Lunch-bringers

One of my favorite times of the work day is …. lunch! I swear, I’m like a little kid waiting for recess, I just really look forward to lunch. Lunch is a great excuse to get out of the office, stretch your legs, or catch up on celebrity gossip or the game last night.

One of my coworkers has divided the lunch population into the “lunch-bringers” or the “buyers”. His theory is that the only people who bring lunch are those on a strict budget, which usually is a result of being in a serious relationship. I don’t think his theory is 100% correct, and I certainty brought a lunch when I wasn’t in a serious relationship. The reason I brought a lunch was to, you guessed it, save money!

I was brought up in a family of lunch-bringers. Not only did we bring lunch to school and work, we also brought lunch to other places that would allow it, such as amusement parks and ski resorts. We were also known to sneak a bag or two of popcorn into movie theaters. If you spend $10 a day on lunch, that amounts to about $50 a week, about $200 a month, and about $1,200 year. This an easy expense to cut down, by bringing your own lunch to work. Not to mention, it’s a great way to start down a healthy eating road.

Understandably, if you are surrounded by “buyers”, you could feel a little left out if everyone leaves the office to grab lunch and you are stuck at your desk eating a sad ham sandwich. There is still opportunity to cut lunch costs without losing the camaraderie. For example, bring snacks to eat throughout the day, and you could cut down on the amount of food you buy at lunch. Also never buy a drink at lunch! Fill a water bottle with water before you leave on your lunch expedition, or simply ask for tap water then you get to the restaurant. Also, loyalty can provide rewards. See if any restaurants in your area have a frequent buyer card to get additional discounts or free food down the line.

Happy lunching!

[mytwentypennies]

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2015... the year seems so young, possibilities seem endless, goals seem achievable.... So why not start the new year off right with a new resolution... that being, a BUDGET! I recently read a book by Gretchen Rubin about her Happiness Project. At the end of the book she discusses the difference between a goal and a resolution. A goal, she says, is something we strive to achieve and has a definitive end point. Her example is running a marathon. When you finish the marathon, you complete your goal. The difference between a goal and a resolution is that a resolution is something that you strive to do all the time. There is never an end point because you should continue to do your resolution. Think of a resolution like going to the dentist. You go because you should and you won't stop going (if you want to keep those choppers). Think of your new friend, the budget, the same way and make a resolution in 2015 to build, monitor and reconcile your budget. You, and your bank account, will be happy you did so!

[mytwentypennies]

The big stuff

Ah, we have furnished and decorated our homes. But is there something missing? If you are like me and think you are besties with Olivia Pope, Sarah Manning, Lady Mary Crawley and Ron Swanson, you will need a television. If you are like some of my good friends, you may be wanting some nice kitchen appliances or a washer/dryer. As always, there are some good ways to get big items for less. Starting with televisions, as I mentioned in the holiday shopping post, you can score some great deals with open box or refurbished items. Understand what your needs are, and be realistic about your needs. Do you really need a 65 inch television, or will a 40 inch be just as good? Also, measure the space where you will be placing that television as a 65 inch television would look silly if it didn't fit against the wall. As for home appliances, there are open box equivalents. Many places have what's called "scratch and dent" items and they are sold at discounts. These are cosmetic issues that should not affect the operation of the appliance. If the refrigerator you would like to buy has a scratch on the front, but your fridge is covered with wedding invitations (if it's not yet, it will be), then couldn't you cover the dent? Is anyone ever going to inspect the side of your washer/dryer? Scratches and dents will also inevitably be put on these items from your own usage, no matter how careful you are, so if you can look past the surface, you can save a lot of money.

[mytwentypennies]

Home decor accessories

I don’t believe a home is a home without adding your personal touch. It would be like if you moved into your dorm room the first day of college and brought nothing with you - and kept it that way. I like to be surrounded by stuff, and the amount of stuff you like to be surrounded by varies by person.

"Stuff" to decorate with has a sneaky way of becoming very costly without you even noticing. Maybe it’s because the stuff tends to be small. But imagine buying your coffee table at a yard sale for $10 but adding a decorative display that costs $50? Something doesn’t seem to add up there. Why should your decorations cost more than what you are decorating?

The first thing you should focus on is putting together a list of items you think you need to decorate. It doesn’t have to be super specific (i.e. a bright blue glass vase about a foot high) but it should give you a general idea of what you are looking for and how many items you need. If you have no idea what you can use to fill your space, get inspired by looking at your friends’ homes, checking out HGTV, looking at Pinterest or picking up a home store catalog, like Pottery Barn.

Once you have what you think you will need, you should focus on getting these looks for less. We have talked about shopping at yard sales in previous posts. These are still great places to find decorations and they are typically very well priced. Another great place to find items are your local Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. Finally, check out your local dollars stores.

For anything generic that is made out of glass or ceramic, focus on spending a dollar or less on each item. I say this because dollar stores carry glass bowls, vases and basic ceramic items. Depending on the yard sale or thrift shop, you may be able to get these items for less than that. The dollar store also carries small baskets and picture frames, so those should also max out at one dollar.

Remember to think outside of the box here as well. If you find items that you like but they don’t match your color scheme, use some spray paint! I have done this with mismatched picture frames and have found that painting items a similar color and then grouping them together makes for a great visual effect.

If you are looking for unique items, why not give a flea market a try? Flea markets are a great place to see capitalism in action, as you will have the opportunity to haggle with the vendor. Hopefully the end result is both the buyer and seller leaving happy with a price point satisfactory to each.

If you are looking for artwork for your walls, I think homemade art can go a long way. Do you have an awesome photo of the Grand Canyon, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, your family, your dog, etc that you would love to see blown up and framed? Sites like Groupon frequently have deals for canvas prints. Your own pictures can double as your art! You can also double a fun night out at bar with artwork in the form of a Paint Nite experience. Grab some wine, paint a picture and hang it on your wall. It’s a two for one special.

For those of you up to a crafty challenge, check out Pinterest for more decorative ideas and ways you create your own decorations.

Happy accessorizing!

[mytwentypennies]

Filling up the house

Today I was looking around at a big box furniture store and saw some of the prices for other furniture items, like coffee tables and dining room tables. Boy, they can be a lot! I have actually never furnished my home this way. As I mentioned in the couches post, I furnished my entire apartment for little money. I did get a lot of my furniture like my coffee table, bedroom bureau, and dining room table for free from my parents’ neighbors who were looking to get rid of additional furniture items in their garage, but I picked up a few more items at yard sales.

Yard sales can be a wonderful place to find quality items for your home. End tables, coffee tables, chairs, bureaus, desks, bookshelves, you name it, a yard sale can have it. The trick for yard sale shopping is to do a little bit of homework ahead of time, so you understand what is being sold at the yard sale. You can check out Craiglist or the local newspaper to get an idea of which locations you would like to stop by. I would also recommend looking outside of urban areas for yard sales if you want to buy furniture. To have extra furniture you are willing you sell, you have to have the space to store it, and many urban apartments and condos don’t have the luxury of storage compared to many suburban homes.

The mother of all yard sales (in my personal opinion) is estate sales. What is an estate sale you may ask? It’s basically when the entire house and all of it’s contents are up for sale. Many are because Grandma or Grandpa passed away and the family is looking to clean out the house in the most efficient and economical way possible. But it doesn’t have to be morbid! Estate sales are fantastic because of the depth of items for sale. Odds are, Grandma and Grandpa weren’t shopping at Ikea to furnish their house. You can find many quality pieces at reasonable prices as the family is incentivized to sell.

The trick for buying second hand furniture is to look for quality, real wood pieces. Anything that was originally assembled out of a box, typically lacks that designation. These items are made out of wood composites or particle boards. They are cheap to manufacture (and thus to buy), but there is little you can do to truly change the look of the item and they will not last long. Ever see one of those assembled bookshelves after a few years of holding books (its intended purpose)? They start to sag in the middle, no bueno.

You should also focus on buying what you need, instead of the piece’s immediate appearance. For example, I needed a bureau for my bedroom. I needed it to be tall, and about 1 foot wide. I found a great piece at a yard sale for $10. I didn’t love the color or the handles (straight outta 1970), but it met my basic requirements. I took it home, painted it black and bought new drawer pulls at a discount store and for about $30 total I had a bureau that matched my needs AND my decor. Because the piece was real wood, I had the option to make those changes and now the piece works well in my bedroom and didn’t break my budget. Anything wood can be altered like this, so get creative and you will be able to fill up your space in no time.

[adoredbyadrienne]

If you rent a house or apartment some decorating options are out of the question such as putting nails in the wall to hang your favourite art piece. Well don’t worry there are some great decorating solutions to make your rental feel like home!

1. Removable Wallpaper

No need to stare at...

[mytwentypennies]

Great decoration tips for renters

[mytwentypennies]

Couch potato

One of the best things about your twenties is having a place that you can call your own (if you have moved out of your parents’ house, of course). No shame in still living at home though… it’s a great way to save money! Furnishing your own place can be expensive! The other day I was talking to one of my bosses, and he suggested that you could furnish a condo for approximately $50,000. I’m pretty sure I furnished my current apartment for less than $2,000. My next series of posts will be tricks to furnish your place on the cheap. As the title of this post suggests, I wanted to start off by talking about couches. This is pretty much a staple in any home. I have met quite a few people who pick up couches on the side of the road or in second-hand shops. Where I acknowledge that these methods can save money, I would be a little leery about not knowing which homes these couches come from. For example, if a couch came from a home with pets, there can be pet hair, fleas or pet stains left behind in the fabric. This is not to say I am against second hand couches. Both sets of couches that I have had in my apartment have come from someone I know. The key here is that I knew where the couches came from. Put the word out that you are looking for a new couch among friends and family and you may get lucky that someone has a spare. Be willing to rent a truck from a place like Home Depot, and pick up the couch and you may be doing everyone a favor! I say my thanks with a gift card. Hand-me-down couches may not match your design aesthetic, but don't forget that you can pick up some pretty cheap couch covers at IKEA or discount stores. You can also buy a new couch. If you are still apartment hopping, it might make sense to buy a cheaper couch from a discount store or IKEA. You might not be at the stage where couches need to be built to last, and you can wait until you have a more permanent residence before getting that Pottery Barn couch you covet. Also moving multiple times can put quite a few dings or tears in your couches. Even if the couch you have found is not perfect, you can always make couches more comfortable with throw pillows or blankets which will also help change the look if needed. At this stage, look for functionality and not perfection. If you can take a pretty good nap on it, it's a winner! And while you are napping, you can dream about all the money you saved.... just saying.

[mytwentypennies]

TV = too much money?

One way that I have seen many of my friends save money is through cutting out the television expense from their budget. Given how heavily I rely on my DVR and how much television I watch a week, this really is never an option for me.

Cable television costs a lot of money. There are no two ways around it. Depending on your television habits, the add-ons can be just as pricey as the basic cable (i.e. HBO, NFL Redzone, MLB packages, DVR). How can you save money when it comes to television?

The first option, and most extreme, would be to cut television costs out of your budget, like some of my friends have done. They have chosen to keep the internet which brings their bill down to about half the cost. Because they have “smart” devices, like X-Box, Blue Ray players, smart television or Roku, they were able to get a subscription to a service such as Netflix or Hulu for a fraction of the cost.

This option doesn’t work well if you want to stay current on television shows or are really into watching sports live. The next option you have is to look into which cable providers are in your area. The more options you have, the better, and you could simply opt to select the cable provider that offers you the best deal.

I unfortunately, only have one cable provider in my neighborhood, which limits my overall options. However, don’t let this get you down! Cable television is like buying a car. You don’t have to pay sticker price! Take a step back and understand what your television needs are. Do you only watch television on the basic stations? Would only a couple of stations satisfy your needs? Are you obsessed with Game of Thrones or Homeland, and need to have these premium channels? Knowing what you definitely need, versus what you could live without will help you negotiate. That’s right, it’s negotiation time.

Call up your cable provider and ask to be connected to the sales department. There is a reason why there are no prices for recurring customers listed on their websites. That’s because they are negotiable! You have nothing to lose to call them up to try to lower your cable bill. I have done this numerous times. If you are willing to lock in a rate for multiple years, or bundle more options together (such as cable, internet and phone) you can receive pretty good deals.

If you can’t get enough of HBO, keep an eye out for a subscription based HBO GO that HBO plans to release in the upcoming months. This may give you more options with the cable company if you can buy this separately. We might end up Lannisters after all (from a money perspective, not you know, the whole scheming and murdering perspective).

[mytwentypennies]

Wrapping gifts

Today I looked under my parent’s Christmas tree and thought about the cost of wrapping gifts. Okay, maybe my first reaction was ”PRESENTS!” and then trying to figure out how many were mine, and then somewhere down the line, the cost of wrapping gifts.

Sometimes, depending on the cost of the gifts, the gift wrap can be just as expensive. When you make a budget for buying a gift, you should also factor in the incidental costs, such as buying a card and the gift wrap. If you have fancy gift wrapping skills, you should factor in ribbon and bows.

My coworkers and I recently bought a baby gift for our boss, which cost about $50. We then went to a specialty paper store and picked up a card, gift bag and tissue paper. That cost was approximately $11. That’s over 20% of the cost! I cringed inside knowing that we could have spent a lot less, but also knew it was the most efficient way to complete the trip as the store was across the street. The lone male coworker in our group looked pretty lost inside the baby and paper store, and I also thought it wise not to prolong his agony.

What could we have done to save on the incidental gift costs?

1) My favorite place to buy these items is a dollar store. I could have gotten all three items (card, tissue paper and bag) for $3. That’s an $8 savings over the paper store I went to. When buying for multiple people, that savings can really add up.

2) Consider reusing gift bags and tissue paper given to you. If the attached card isn’t filled out, and the bag is still in good shape, why not use it again?

3) The best bang for your buck is wrapping paper. Consider buying holiday wrapping paper after the holidays are over, to save a considerable amount of money on next year’s wrappings. For this year, you can check out the dollar store. If designer wrapping paper happens to be your signature touch, look for wrapping paper at places such as TJ Maxx. Also consider buying large rolls of wrapping paper to save per present.

4) For the artsy out there, consider making your own wrapping paper, gift bags and cards. Check out Pinterest for some crafty ideas. Focus on projects that use supplies you already have, rather than having to buy new supplies, which in the end may not save you any money.

Good luck wrapping!

[mytwentypennies]

And checking it twice....

In the last post, we talked about making lists. But can you afford your list? Now that you know what you want to buy, double check your budget (no the budget will never go away) to find out if you can afford it, even with coupons. Big electronic items, like iPads and televisions may go on sale around the holidays, but you also may need to wrestle about 30 other people to the ground on Black Friday in order to get that awesome price. Another option is to purchase open box items. Best Buy has a good selection of these items dispersed throughout the store. These are items that have been opened, but returned. They can't be put back on the shelves as new, so they are designated as open box with a discount. Another good option for electronics is to buy refurbished. These items may have been previously used, but there is usually an inspection process prior to resell. Amazon has options like these. Another good option for gifts is to see if there is a substitute item that will cut your cost but still bring the same meaning to the gift. For example, say you want to give your sister a silver necklace with a heart on it. Does it have to be from Tiffany, or can you get a similar necklace on etsy.com for a fraction if the cost? Is there a way to supplement your budget without costing you more money? There sure is! Do you have shopping rewards stocked up at any retailer that you could cash in? Retailers like those in the Gap Inc. family offer $5 back for every $100 you spend when you open a credit card with them. I don't recommend opening a credit card just for a one time reward, if you have too many open already, or if you don't see yourself being able to finance the card. However, for stores that you frequent, it can be additional savings. Maybe now is the time to cash in your credit card points on your regular credit card. Verizon Wireless also has a rewards program that provide discounts on items or gift cards. Check to see if you have employee discounts anywhere. Also, research to see if there are any coupons at retailers that provide for dollars off with minimal or no spend. Victoria's Secret frequently has $10 off any purchase mailed coupons, which means you could get up to a $10 item for free! What if you can afford.... nothing? Ah, well at least you had this realization BEFORE you went on a shopping spree! Time to get creative. And this can be taken literally. If you are able to make something homemade, you should go for it! Try to utilize any craft item you already have on hand (maybe leftovers from a Pinterest fail?). Are you handy? Could you offer your services instead of a gift? Experiences can be cheap - and just as fun as a physical gift. Maybe you do a camping weekend, go on a walking tour of a city, cook part of the holiday meal - better yet teach someone else how to cook! There are plenty of possibilities, just look to leverage what you already have and know and focus spending time, and not money.

[mytwentypennies]

You're making your list...

Now that December is here, many of us are purchasing gifts for loved ones. However this does not mean we have to deplete our savings in order to do so. How can we make sure we buy the right gifts without "breaking the bank"? I would recommend starting off by creating a list. A list can serve various purposes: it can help you to identify where you can buy an item at the lowest price and will prevent impulse buys. Once you identify what you would like to purchase for each person, you should then perform what I like to call, "shopping due diligence". If the item is generic, you should compare prices online first to identify which retailer is carrying that item at the lowest price. Don't forget to check for coupons or promo codes! Websites like retailmenot.com aggregate coupons and codes to each retailer. When all else fails, just google. Sometimes simply signing up for emails (which you could later unsubscribe to) can give you additional discounts. The goal here is to buy the item at the lowest potential price. You can even purchase the item online, however beware of shipping costs! If you can't find a promo for free shipping and there is a location nearby, see if the retailer has a "ship to store" option which is typically free. Wal-Mart and Target have these options. If the item is not generic, perhaps because it is homemade, a la etsy.com, you should still look for discounts. Etsy or the artist may offer discounts. Don't be afraid to ask! Even when going to a craft fair or any type of market, don't be afraid to haggle! There is a reason why items are not individually marked. Sticking to the list will also prevent impulse shopping, a dreaded enemy of the saver. Holiday time in a large retailer can be like grocery shopping on an empty stomach. You will end up with a giant keg of cheese balls, fruits snacks and three half gallons of ice cream when all you really needed was some deli meat. Those sale signs just make buying that much more appealing. Staying focused on the plan will hopefully steer you clear of the impulse buys. But just in case, eat a sandwich before you go.

[mytwentypennies]

Monitor those pennies

Now that we have built a budget are we all done with the money analyses?

The answer here is no. Budgets need to be monitored. Sorry, I’m not sorry.

Monitoring a budget is not the same as it was when our parents were our age. We don’t need to track every spend item through receipts and monitoring our checkbook because technology has pretty much made everything instantaneous. There are also tools that can help monitor for you, such as budgeting software. However, I cannot say enough good things about one free online tool, mint.com.

Simply put, mint.com is awesome. It’s an online tool that can link all your bank and investment accounts, loans and credit cards. It has a budget feature that you can cap your spending on certain items, like clothes, to a certain dollar threshold a month, and will send you an email alert when you exceed that budget. It can warn you when bills are coming due. It can send you a weekly email telling you (in a fancy pie chart, no less) where all your month went. You can also set a savings goal, and it will tell you how much money you must save in order to make your goal in a certain time frame.

I’d recommend everyone to try mint.com for at least a month. Once you set it up, it pretty much runs itself. It’s the best, and easiest way I’ve found to truly understand where your money goes. And it’s also an eye-opener. Did I really just spend $100 a month on manicures or on iced coffee? Did I need to? It’s a great way to move from feeling to knowing. I don’t feel like I spend a lot at the bar each month, to I KNOW I spend approximately $150. Ouch, that is a lot of Bud Lights…..

[mytwentypennies]

Starting with the basics

On a monthly basis, do you know how much you make and do you know how much you spend? I was surprised to learn that many people I've asked these questions of really didn't have a solid answer. This is why I am calling this post "starting with the basics." In your twenties, and if you are lucky, you are probably working full time. If not, maybe you are still in school but you will still have monthly expenses. If you can't answer either of the first two questions, then it's time to put together a budget. What is a budget? It's a mechanism in which you predict how much you will earn and how much you will spend for a set period of time in the future. Yes, I acknowledge that this a) sounds nerdy, b) involves math, and c) may involve some work. But hey, the road to savings needs to start somewhere! How do you put together a budget? The easiest way to put together a budget is to take a look at your past spending. I would start by building a baseline budget, which would take what you earn less your "essential" spending. What you earn should be your net pay, or the amount of cash you receive each month. Spending I would consider "essential" is often fixed costs, meaning they stay the same month to month, like rent or car insurance. These are basic food and shelter type costs. What you earn, less your essential spending, should hopefully be a positive number. Next, you will want to subtract your discretionary costs. These are typically variable in nature and may be seasonal. For example, during the holidays, you may spend more money on gifts. In the summer, you may spend more on pedicures. You get the picture. Try to think of the hidden expenses that you may not realize you have because they are small dollar value but may add up. These could include your daily morning coffee, gym membership fees or tolls. Why do I call these items discretionary? Because you don't need these items to survive. (Okay, okay many of you will argue that yes, you would not survive without your morning coffee. We will come back to this concept later.) Does subtracting your discretionary costs yield a positive number? If yes, way to go, this is money that can be saved. If not, you will need to make some adjustments. If your essential spending or your essential plus discretionary spending yields a negative number, then you are most likely getting cash from an outside source, like a loan, credit cards or your parents (ain't too proud to beg!) or you are not fully paying your bills. Loans and credit cards are not free money because they charge interest. Mom and Dad may be providing free money, but at some point you will want to become more independent and self-sustaining. Essential spending is hard to adjust because these are your basic needs. You could move to an apartment that charges cheaper rent, change car insurance companies, etc. However, these costs are never going to fully go away. Where can you make some lifestyle changes AND have more money to save? You guessed it, by adjusting your discretionary spend. You may have read this and proclaimed "But that's all the fun stuff!" Why yes it is, but who says that saving money and having fun are mutually exclusive? You may be able to make a few tweaks and still do what you love to do, only for less money. If you simply cannot live without your morning coffee, why not home brew or cut back on a different type of discretionary spend to save? The trick here is to recognize what discretionary spend items are important to you, if there is a way to get those same items for less, and what items can be reduced in frequency, or perhaps all together. Hopefully this blog will help you do just that!

[mytwentypennies]

My Twenty Pennies

I’m a twenty-something who loves to save money. I don’t just love it - it is one of my passions. I feel proud knowing that I am fiscally responsible, but more importantly, that I also live a balanced life. What I have learned over the years is that most of my peers do not share my beliefs when it comes to saving. In fact, I frequently hear from others, “How do you have that much money saved?” or “I wish I knew your secrets.” What surprises me the most, is that the people who say these things to me usually make the same amount of money I do (frequently they are my coworkers). This led me to wonder, what am I doing differently? I have started this blog with the hope of demystifying saving, with a particular focus on saving money while in your twenties. I don’t profess to know it all, however, I do believe I have learned some valuable lessons along the way that I would love to share.