Has this ever happened to you? A bill goes unpaid. An important appointment is missed. You meant to do your taxes or go to the bank or make an IRA deposit or...whatever. It was on your list. You planned to do it, but life got in the way.

There are a million or more reasons you can give yourself for not doing something—indeed for not doing anything—to make certain you'll really save some money this time around. You can tell yourself that you'll be just fine without savings, that someone will come along and take care of you. You can tell yourself that there are more important things you need to be doing now. You can push it off until next month or next year. Or you can simply own up to the fact that you need savings and resources to back you up. (And that once you have them, you'll feel a lot safer going to sleep each night and a lot more comfortable waking up each morning.)

The truth is: Saving money doesn't have to be difficult. It only takes $100 a week or $400 to $500 a month to reach your goal of saving $5,000 in a year.

Yes, it's that simple. And yes, you can do it—no matter how strapped you feel trying to make ends meet each month. I know, I know. You're reading this thinking that you can barely get the mortgage paid, sneakers bought, dance lessons signed up for, and (heaven forbid) a manicure or something fun to wear for yourself. I'm convinced, however, that anyone who wants to save more will save more with only a little extra effort. And I don't care if you start with $5, $50 or $100 a week. Whatever the amount, you've got to put your hard-earned cash to work for you in more ways than paying the bills.