Many of us work minimum-wage jobs and simply don’t make enough money to pay for our everyday needs, let alone save. Having a significant savings account is incredibly important in case of emergencies.

You never know when you might need to make a trip to the hospital or get your car checked out, and either of these things can leave you in debt if you don’t have any savings to fall back on. What do you do when you just don’t have enough money to save?

Advice like putting 10% of your monthly income into your emergency savings is useless when you can’t afford to put away a whole 10% of your income that would otherwise be used for food, fuel, and other essential things. Don’t worry, we’ve outlined 3 ways to start saving money without cutting into your monthly budget.

1.Work Towards Getting A Raise

If you can get a raise at work and increase your monthly income, that increased income can start going toward your savings fund. However, asking for a raise needs to be preplanned and prepared for, and you need to know how to negotiate the raise with your employer properly.

Take a couple of months first to sort out how you appear at work and to your employer. Start working harder and putting in the hours so your effort is noticeable. Then, ask for a raise and make a case for everything you contribute to your job to show your employer that you deserve that raise.

2. Switch Jobs For A Higher-Paying Job

Many of us get comfortable with our jobs and don’t consider switching. But did you know that you can likely get paid for the exact same job you’re doing right now at a different company? When switching jobs, you also can negotiate a higher salary. This higher salary would make a great addition to your savings account.

3. Start A Side Hustle

If you’re working a 9 to 5 job, you can likely squeeze out another five or so hours per week to work on a side hustle. If you have Saturdays off from your main job, you can work full days on the weekends.

Consider doing different things like maybe some freelance work, babysitting, driving for Uber, or signing up for an app like TaskRabbit. If you have any talents like painting or knitting, you could set up an Etsy store and start selling some of your work.

We know that it can be difficult to save any money when you’re essentially living paycheck to paycheck. The key to saving in such a case is to start making more money that can go toward your saving fund. Keep in mind the 3 strategies we have mentioned, and hopefully, you’ll have some more money to start saving.