Sharon Rose is a living example of Ben Franklin’s famous saying, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Or, as her father used to put it, “Pennies make nickels. Nickels make dimes. Dimes make quarters. And quarters turn into dollars.”

     Since signing up as a Saver about a year ago during America Saves Week 2007, she has saved her pennies, quite literally, and turned them into nearly $500. “It has been amazing,” she said. “Last year, I ended up with $30 in pennies just from finding them outside on the ground.”

     She caught the savings bug while attending a luncheon on promoting youth savings offered through her employer and Saves campaign sponsor, Third Federal Savings Association. She read through one of the packets on the Saves campaign and decided to sign up. “I figured what better way to promote it than do it yourself,” she explained.

     What attracted her in particular was the message that small amounts of savings add up over time. “That’s what caught my eye,” she said. “I always thought that you needed a large amount to get started. I said, ‘I could do this.’”

     The goal she set for herself was to save a dollar a day. “I started off picking up every penny that I saw. Add ‘em up and roll ‘em up,” she said. She took some teasing from her friends – “there she goes again with her pennies” – but she kept it up, and every week or two she made her deposit.

     She also used an idea she got through her employer to test for “spending leaks” by writing down everything she spent for a month. She realized she was putting a lot of money in vending machines for snacks and drinks. She determined to cut that amount in half and add the savings to her account.

     The other big change she’s made is to discipline herself to stop raiding her savings. “In the past, I would maybe put $50 or $60 in the account. Then I’d turn around and use it,” she said. “That sometimes is the challenge when you have not been saving before,” she added, “because you can always find something to spend it on.”

     She’s passed on the savings habit to her daughter, a student who was struggling to find the money to save. She encouraged her to start small and build up over time as her income increases.

     Using that same approach, Sharon Rose has already passed her own first-year goal of $365. Her plan for the future is to double the amount she saves each year. “I figure every year, if I can keep doubling it, it will add up and I should be on the road to success.”