It’s interesting the odds and ends you find around every corner of the Internet. You could be googling a specific word or looking for images and it’s strange to see just what the results are some time. Yesterday I infringed on someone’s site in search of an image to go along with my post, Eat on $3 a Day. Not really sure what I was looking for, but something catchy. I stumbled upon the three $1 bills clothes pinned to a line.

This piece is not so much about that image, even though I used it without consent, but it’s about the site it came from. The site belongs to Beth Kobliner and the image I “borrowed” was from a post she shared on December 29, 2011 titled, Introducing my motto for 2011: Save $3 Day!

I’ll be honest as a kid I was never good at saving money. I did my fair share, but more often then not I would run out and buy what I could, with what I had. My wife and I are working on getting our son in the habit of saving money. Soon the chores will start and he will see the “fruits of his labors!”

As for the story, Beth touts start the year “fresh” and while not setting a resolution to lose weight or learn a language, she wanted to help people save money. Admirable, really. I know I could use some tips on saving money for the future, be an emergency or vacation, but in her story it was for retirement. As it stands now I am 42 years old that leaves me with maybe 18 years left to work, which means when I leave BART I will be 60 years old with 22 years of service.

While I have not paid much attention to my retirement figures, this idea of saving $3 a day intrigues me. It seems a very simple and inexpensive way to put away money without really thinking about it. At the end of each year, she suggests investing it in an IRA. The example she uses, “If you start at age 35 and follow this plan every year, by age 70 you’ll have $129,342 waiting for you in retirement (assuming you earned an average 6% annual return).” Not a bad way to help supplement a retirement.

While it would have made a great resolution, it’s never too late to start saving. I am going to give it a shot and see just how easy $3 a day is to pocket and saving and invest at the end of the year. You can read more about Beth Kobliner at her web site.