Purchasing a home of any size is an expensive exercise, especially when taking into consideration the fact that you will require a down payment of sorts before most banks or other lending institutions will consider granting you a mortgage. Below are a few hints and tips that will not only help you gather those nickels and pennies, but that will help convert them to dollars so that you can save as much as possible for your down payment as quickly as possible.

Have a Budget in Place

To save a down payment successfully, you will need to have a strict budget in place – after all, you will need to know where your money is going to each month before being able to see how much of it you will be able to save. Your budget should include your income from all sources as well as all of the expenses you pay out each month. Once all of these have been listed, you will be able to see how much money you have left over that can be allocated to saving the required down payment. If you find that you have little to no funds left after paying out your expenses or that you are paying out more than you earn, you will either need to cut expenses or find a way to increase your income. read more