I'm frugal. I love a good deal & bargain too! But, I haven't always been this way. When I was in college and not very money savvy and very uneducated about my money saving was the last thing on my mind.

As I got older and when I was newly married I became more aware of where my money was actually going. These days I'm all about saving your money where and when you can. Shopping clearance racks, and trying not to pay full price for anything! I also believe in having an emergency fund, a regular savings account and saving for the things you want and not going into debt for them.

Today, I wanted to share with you 'Five Ways to Boost Your Savings Account." These are simple, practical and all ways that I've used to save and add money to my family's bank account.

1. Keep a change jar. You can save a lot by throwing all that loose change into a jar and letting it add up. We're currently saving ours and adding it to our kid's savings accounts when it's full.

2. Use Your Tax Return. If you're getting something back this year instead of spending it before you even get it, commit already to add it to your savings account!

3. Save $5 a week. This might not seem like a lot but again it adds up. Skip your weekly latte or drive through eating out trip and save that money instead. When you don't know where to start, start small. I find that everyone usually has an extra $5 they can add to their savings. Over time this adds up, and when you can afford to save more do it!

4. Commit to a 52 Week Savings Plan. You may have seen these before where you save each week for a year. The first week you save $1 for week one, the next you save $2 for week two and so on till you're saving the same amount each week for the week you're on. By the end of a year you could save $1378! You can find more info about that here.

5. Skip eating out once a month. If you're a family who eats out a lot this is a good one for you. Commit to skipping this at least once a month and adding what you would have spent in eating out together put that back into savings. I know my family when we eat out we spend a minimum of $30, that's a lot over a year! Celebrate by cooking a meal at home together instead!

I really love Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover, if you haven't read it yet I highly encourage it. What are some of your favorite money saving tips? Share them in the comments below.

Andrea Worley