Hi everyone and welcome back to Money Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for a richer life.

I'm your host Laura Adams. This podcast is the second in our five-part series about

taking charge of your finances in 2010. Last week I covered the first pillar of

personal finance setting goals.

This week will address a topic that you simply can't build financial security or wealth without, saving money.

You may not have control over many aspects of your life, like the economy, the stock market, or the price of real estate, but you do have control over how you spend your money.

If you listen to last week's podcast on goal setting,

you know that creating a spending plan is the best way to fund your financial goals.

A spending plan is simply a map of your expected cash flow.

You list all sources of income and decide how that money will be spent long before you receive it.

Many people have difficulty sticking to their spending plans because they just can't get a grip on their everyday

spending or they may view savings as the enemy of having fun and rebel against it.

It's important to realize that when you save, you're actually spending money on something incredibly important and powerful, financial security.

You've probably heard the saying, pay yourself first.

That means you should make saving for your current and future needs a priority over other expenses.

I like buying things as much as everyone else. New shoes make me absolutely giddy, but I also know that they can't pay my bills during retirement.

Vearing away from your spending plan usually means you'll save little or nothing at all.

That takes you further away from reaching your goals rather than moving you closer to achieving them.

It takes a lot of maturity to know that you have money to buy something that you want, but to decide that you really don't need it and would be better off saving the money instead.

The quick and dirty tip for saving is to live below your means with a realistic budget that

balances your current and future financial needs. If you're wondering budget that

if you're current and future financial needs. If you're wondering when you should start saving money,

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