Survey Says (1)

We’re not the disciplined money-savers we think we are. And part of the solution may be scaling back those lifestyle “essentials” that aren’t so essential. A recent KeyCorp survey discovered 55 percent of the 1,000 people polled considered themselves “disciplined savers,” while 80 percent reported socking away less than 5 percent of their annual income. The good news is the spike in gas prices has caused the majority of those surveyed to get serious about squirreling cash away (68 percent). And all the technology that has infiltrated our lives may be the place to start slicing. What did people polled consider among their lifestyle essentials? Cell phones (46 percent), high-speed Internet access (44 percent) and big-screen televisions (6 percent) all made the list. Also of note, 70 percent of people surveyed say saving money is harder than losing weight, finding love or raising children.