For many people, money can be tight. With a general decade long trend of spiraling home-purchase costs, coupled with life and its innumerable changes, the average American finds themselves unable to save when the money is tight.

Research by the US Department of Commerce supports this assertion, showing that for the first time since the great depression of the ’30s, consumer spending exceeds net money. That doesn’t mean that saving is impossible for the millions of individuals who are struggling along on a day-to-day basis.

There is a marked trend in the decline of personal savings of modern Americans. The all time low in money savings crisis has yet to manifest during our generation. Actually, the crash of personal savings is documented twice throughout modern history. In 1932-1933, during the Great Depression, the then generation of Americans had a significant problem saving money. Evidence of that is left in a paper trail showing a negative savings rate.

The savings crisis resulting from a negative savings rate becomes apparent once we properly define the term “negative savings.” Simply put, a negative savings means an individual spends every penny he has to his name, and then some more for good measure.

Budgeting money for yourself may be hard, but wait until two, four, or even more hands start reaching for your wallet. There are many tips for the budgeting and stretching of your hard earned dollars for an individual, but fewer strategies exist for the budgeting of family expenses. Many a man has quipped about giving the paycheck directly to the wife, while having only butterflies, dust, and possibly a receipt for a soft taco from 1983 in their wallet. However, through communication and sound budgeting, a family can avoid financial disaster. As a matter of fact, money is one of the, if not the leading cause cited relating to marital problems resulting in divorce.

Buying a new or used car can be a hair pulling event. After the initial surge of elation passes, and the new car smell fades, you’re left with a large piece of metal in your driveway. Avoiding some of the common pitfalls of car buying can help you save money and maximize the car buying experience.

Before committing to buying your next car, research your particular needs, personal finances, and potential candidate cars. Make preliminary decisions about what you are going to buy before you step outside the door. In fact, a very tech savy user could save thousands on a new car purchase by buying online. The reason? You are LESS LIKELY to get suckered by a slick car salesman.

Money financial planning for college students is the hardest course during an undergraduate degree. It is often overlooked, as there is no classroom cap, and no GPA on your transcripts.

However, unless you want to be asking people to send you your latest eBay purchase using Ramen Noodles as packaging material, budgeting your limited cash flow is essential. College can be an time of extraordinary debt accumulation, thanks to easy-credit, government backed loans, expensive textbooks, and of course, for some partakers, BEER.

The following tips offer college students some practical financial planning advice.