Summarize:

Regardless of your financial goal, saving will be a central component. Whether your objective is to purchase a house, retire early, or pay for a child's education, saving will be the key means by which you accomplish the goal. Refer to your budget for this. Look at your monthly expenses, and find areas of non-essential spending that can be cut. For example, if you eat out three times a month, or buy lunch at work everyday, focus on eating out once a month, or bringing a lunch to work. Look at your budget and decide what is a "want" and what is a "need". Look to the "wants" area for savings. Similarly, look at what you consider "needs", and ask yourself if they are truly needs. For example, your cell-phone may be a need, but you may not need a 3GB data plan, and instead can get by on 1GB. Begin by opening insured account at a reputable bank. Experts recommend the method of "paying yourself first," which means that each pay period, you commit to setting a certain amount aside for savings as part of your budget.You can make an arrangement with many banks to automatically withdraw a set amount of money from your paycheck for this purpose. Save an amount that you are comfortable with, given your needs and expenses. The amount you save can increase (or decrease) as time goes on. The important thing is to save something, even if it is just a small amount. Saving ten percent of your income is a good place to begin, but saving anything is better than nothing. Saving even a small amount in an interest-earning account (checking, savings, CD, etc.) will be beneficial because of the power of compounding. This means that the interest your money (principle) earns becomes added to the principle in time, which then earns more interest, and so oncausing the overall value of the account to grow. Practice makes perfect. By saving a set amount each month, or "paying yourself first", it will become automatic and you will learn to live without the saved money as if it wasn't there to begin with. View the saved money as an essential expense, just like rent or mortgage payments. Experts recommend setting aside enough money to cover your needs for at least three months as an emergency fund in case of job loss, major illness, etc. Keep these funds in an insured bank account so they will be both protected and easily available when you need them. You can also protect yourself against financial problems by being properly insured. If you have questions about homeowner's/renters, health, life, unemployment, disability, or car insurance, talk to your relevant agent. If there are government- or employer-based savings incentives available (such as for education or retirement), consider taking advantage of them. If your government or employer is able to contribute to these savings plans or offer other kinds of benefits (such as tax relief), it may help you get closer to your financial goals. In the United States, for example, you may have access to a 401(k) retirement account through your employer, who may also match a certain amount of your contributions and increase the value of the account. Similarly, anyone can open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), which can have tax benefits.
Find savings. Learn to make saving a habit. Build an emergency fund. Take advantage of any special savings benefits.