Get Together and Online

• Pick a time for getting together. The first meeting and then once a month or every other month to answer your shared challenges.

• Keep each other motivated and remain connected in between your meetings by communicating online with your group. Have regular conversations with each other - offer support and advice. Tell each other about savings and places to find deals. Questions or ideas can come up at any time - by going online you won't need to wait to share those with your group.

• Keep your Purse Strings group private. That way, the only people who enter your conversations are people who request it and people you agree to. Perfect. You're already in charge.

• Agree in your first meeting to what you'll talk about and what you want to keep private from each other. Most of us are shy about discussing money. That's how we were raised. And that's okay - only discuss what you're comfortable with. The key is to agree to it first.

• Have a schedule for each meeting. That's the only way to accomplish good stuff.

• Start a savings club inside your group. Do it the first night. Help each other save more, find deals and generally get ahead together.

• Assign a different host for each meeting. That's the easiest way to share the costs.

• Refreshments, snacks and other goodies are always good to have at each meeting. And go ahead and celebrate milestones, birthdays and other special occasions with your group. Have fun!