You may feel that saving money is hard to do.

Having savings, money set aside for unplanned expenses, can help reduce financial stress. This type of stress can get in the way of focusing on your academics. With the right financial tools and strategies, you can learn ways to start saving today.

Savings is important so we have a way to pay for those unexpected expenses such as medical bills, car repairs, supplies needed for classes or to fix a broken computer or cell phone. An emergency savings account is needed so you will not have to go into debt to pay for those unexpected expenses. A good rule of thumb is to have three months’ living expenses in your emergency fund. This amount may be difficult for college students to calculate. So, try to have a balance of $300 -$400 in an emergency savings account.

Start the account by building up to a few hundred dollars and continually add to it regularly. Some ways to find money to save are to reconsider costly habits, buy items on sale, put extra earnings or gifts of money in savings, and sign up for automatic deposit. To learn more saving tips go to www.cashcourse.org. CashCourse is an online personal finance website designed for college students. Just complete a simple registration to have access to all the resources.

Throughout the month, you can learn about saving by attending a free Lunch and Learn session on Feb. 20 at noon. The 30-minute program is held at Larson Commons, Room 104 (TRIO). A light lunch is provided. You can also complete a monthly challenge on the CashCourse website to have a chance to win a Jack’s Dining gift card. Contact [email protected] for more information.

For more information about saving go to https://extension.sdstate.edu/tags/family-finances.