Keep a budget. It's easy to commit to ambitious savings goals, but if you don't have any way to keep track of your expenses, you'll find that it's difficult to achieve them. To keep your financial progress on-track, try budgeting out your income at the beginning of each month. Assigning a set portion of your income to all of your major expenses ahead of time can help ensure that you don't waste money, especially if you actually divide each paycheck according to your budget as soon as you get it.
For instance, on an income of $3,000 per month, we might budget as follows:
Housing/utilities: $1,000
Student loans: $300
Food: $500
Internet: $70
Gasoline: $150
Savings: $500
Misc.: $200
Luxuries: $280