When I first moved to NYC, anxiety plagued me when I went out with friends. I hated birthday dinners where the check was ultimately split evenly, despite the fact I didn’t order or partake in the appetizers. I disliked meeting people for drinks because a $7 beer took away from what I had allocated next day’s lunch. At every turn, I saw temptations to spend money and it caused me stress, anxiety and a feeling like I was “less than.” I felt stuck.

Then I changed my approach, I started not only building up a savings account and safety net. And I want to help you do the same with these few tips to save money. 

Build Your Own Emergency Fund. First you want to save up to have a rainy day emergency fund worth equivalently three to six months of expenses. That way if something happens like you get laid off or you have to get emergency surgery, you’ll be able to pay those expenses out of pocket without going into debt. Once you get your safety umbrella of three to six months, it’s time to start thinking about the future.

Give the podcast a listen so you can learn simple ways and easy swaps to be able to start building up your safety net when you’re starting with nothing.