How to save money in your 20s on a normal paycheck

Step 1: Find your flexible money

Take your monthly take-home pay. Subtract rent and bills. Subtract whatever is usually left at the end of the month. What remains is your flexible spending, and it's the only part you can change quickly.

With $2,600 in pay, $1,300 in rent and bills and nothing left over, flexible spending is $1,300 a month. That's more than most people guess.

Step 2: Fix three leaks, not your whole life

• Takeout and delivery: cook two more nights a week and skip the fees.
• Shopping: wait 48 hours before anything over $30.
• Subscriptions: cancel the one or two you didn't open last month.

Step 3: Turn it into one weekly number

Monthly goals are too far away to feel. Multiply your monthly savings by 12 and divide by 52, and you've got a weekly target. Move it on payday, before you can spend it.

Step 4: Start with a starter emergency fund

A common first goal is one month of rent and bills, or at least $1,000. It keeps a surprise car repair from going on a credit card. After that, pick a goal you actually want, because wanting it is what keeps you going.

If you can't save anything right now

Start with $5 or $10 a week. The habit matters more than the amount at first, and you can raise it when your income does. If rent takes most of your pay, the fix may be income or housing rather than coffee, and no app will change that.

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