With your current spending habits, the total is the amount you could be saving each month.

Americans aren't particularly good at saving money, but with some basic changes, you could save a lot more than you do right now.

• Do you need to reset your priorities? The first thing you can do to improve your savings is to treat your desire to own a home as a monthly obligation at the same level of priority as your rent and your car. In other words, pay yourself first.
• The second important thing you can do right now is to cut your spending. What items can you do without? Don't be too strict with yourself unless it's absolutely necessary. Make sure you keep some money for entertainment in the monthly budget.
• Frequently it is impulse spending that blocks efforts to save money. There are ways to cut your impulse spending. If you use your credit cards for impulse purchases, don't carry them around with you. Instead, make your credit card a tool for planed purchases, like new clothing, or your evening out. The other way to reduce impulse purchases is to give yourself a set amount of cash as "mad money" for each pay period and use it for your entertainment, impulse spending and small luxuries. The idea is to make it last until the next payday. You'll be amazed at how quickly you become frugal. You also may find it helpful not to carry your ATM card.

Tips for increasing your savings

• Set up a special account for your house money. Many banks offer accounts for special savings goals. Money markets and mutual funds may be good choices, too, and many banks offer them as well as regular savings accounts.
• If you have a checking account, you can direct the bank holding your savings account to automatically withdraw a set amount from your checking account each month. Ask the bank to make the day they make the withdrawal shortly after one of your usual paydays.
• If your employer offers direct deposit for your paycheck, you can probably direct that a certain percentage of each paycheck be directly deposited into your special savings account.
• Otherwise, set aside a certain percentage of your income each month for you house money. When you pay your bills, write a check to yourself first and send it to your savings account.
• If you have a pension plan or a 401(k) plan at work and contributions are regularly taken out of your paycheck, pat yourself on the back and then avoid the temptation to stop the contributions! The income and out-go calculations you worked through above are based on your take-home pay and that would not include the automatic contributions to your retirement accounts.
• If you think you can't do both kinds of saving, consider lowering the amount of your contribution by 2% to 3%.