The octuplet mom has made big news recently and another large family – the Duggars – were asked about her ability to cope. They handled the question gracefully but there has still been a lot of discussion about how a family of 20 can survive financially. Jim Bob Duggar, the dad, gave the family motto: Buy used and save the difference.

It seems to me that you can get by if you follow half this concept. Buying used is a very good way to save a few dollars. It is saving the difference that throws me. Saving at all can be tough when you are raising a family and trying to meet needs, wants and desires. It takes discipline to begin a life of saving but it is the only way to have a joy filled life.

1. Be consistent with savings. Put something in the bank at the same time every week (or month). Just consider it one of the bills that you have to pay.

2. Buy with cash and then deposit the remaining money (the amount saved from the purchase) into the bank immediately. This will give you less opportunity to find something else to spend it on.

3. Use coupons and discounts and set aside all of the money that would have been spent into a savings account.

4. Open multiple accounts. We have one for emergencies, one for short term savings, one where quarterly payments come out of, and then one for saving for specific items. We are less tempted to take from an account that isn’t designated for where we intended to use the money.

5. Get the family involved. Accountability is a powerful force and if the whole family is working together to save the money it will be an easier process for everyone.

The key to the Duggar’s plan is that you have to save what you don’t spend. It is easier to say “hey, now I can spend the savings on something else that I didn’t plan to buy.” This is the place that we were coming from for much of our lives. Now we are finding new ways to make saving money part of our every day living.