Hear hear. I can't repeat this point enough. You have to force yourself to save, first. If you spend on everything else first and figure you'll save "the rest",

Hear hear. I can't repeat this point enough. You have to force yourself to save, first. If you spend on everything else first and figure you'll save "the rest", something will always come up. If you set it aside before other categories, it will ... be set aside! As a corollary, just writing (and following) a basic budget does wonders. I've talked to a lot of people who said it was like getting a raise. You have regular expenses, so just plan out a basic month and then follow it. Something magic happens next: by being more conscious and deliberate about your spending, you spend less on un-necessary "wants" (if it's truly a need you'll spend it no matter what). Plus, a written budget is like looking in the mirror: it's a reflection of your priorities, good bad or indifferent. If you see you're spending $300 / month on restaurants and $0 / month saving for retirement ... well, that shows what appears to be important to you. And, if you've got two brain cells to rub together, it shows an easy place to make some adjustments. Not that I have anything against restaurants ... even $200 and $100 would be far more reasonable.