'When I got my first 'real' job after college, editing horoscopes for an astrological publisher, I got into the habit of paying myself first, a popular savings strategy often touted by personal finance experts'
to see where my money needed to go. At the time, my take-home pay was about $1,800 a month. And as the rent for my studio apartment in West Los Angeles was about $700, that didn't leave a ton of wiggle room for everything else.
I was one of those enthusiastically frugal types who strung LED lights and showered by candlelight to save on electricity. I also rarely went to the movies, checked out DVDs from the local library, and looked for free concerts instead of paying for tickets. I bought the same staples from Trader Joe's or bought only food that was on sale at Ralph's.
After setting my savings on cruise control, I didn't have to toil over whether I could afford to save. I'd be saving without having to give it a fraction of thought or effort. I didn't have to fret over whether I could afford to spend $10 and splurge on that fancy cheese at Trader Joe's or whether that money would be better put toward savings.
While I saved the same amount from each paycheck, the amount I saved each month wasn't always the same. That's because I also squirreled away "extra" checks and money earned from side hustles or cash I received in red envelopes from birthdays or from relatives at Chinese New Year.
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