<prompt> Human: Just saw this timeless advice to another redditor and it made me think about why this never motivated me, or even seemed logical. First of all, saving a portion of your income, does not feel remotely like paying yourself. It feels like trying to twist the idea of putting money into savings into instant gratification, when it is really the opposite.Low income people feel they deserve to splurge, just a little on payday. Depriving yourself of a splurge to save money makes life feel like drudgery and there is no joy on payday. How can we make the idea of saving fun, or at least appealing?The other problem is, if you are just getting by and living from paycheck to paycheck, saving even a small portion of your income is not only very difficult, it seems futile. I used to think - Whats the point of saving 5? Ill just wait until I earn more money, then I can start saving.Now I know that there is wisdom in building the habit of saving even a little bit of money at a time and learning, even at a low income, to live on less than you earn.Is there a better way of phrasing Pay Yourself First to really help people take action or change the thinking that we cant afford to save yet?  <response>: Theres nothing about pay yourself first that is supposed to be instant gratification. Its for long-term savings goals. The idea is you put an amount of money into savings, every monthpaycheck, and pretend its not there. This is even easier if you have direct deposit and can direct your deposits to multiple accounts; you can send your savings money to a different account and never even see it at all. You are, in effect, paying yourself first. Low income people feel they deserve to splurge, just a little on payday.It doesnt matter how much you make. If you dont budget and blow money just because you have a bank account balance, you will stay poor in perpetuity. The other problem is, if you are just getting by and living from paycheck to paycheck, saving even a small portion of your income is not only very difficult, it seems futile. I used to think - Whats the point of saving 5? Ill just wait until I earn more money, then I can start saving.People who live paycheck to paycheck often dont outgrow that habit when their income increases. They still just spend it all. How long are you going to wait? You need to save, and betting that a future higher income will solve all financial problems is categorically false.Plus, increasing your income is only part of the equation. The other half is reducing your expenses. How can we make the idea of saving fun, or at least appealing?Why does saving need to be fun? Is fun the only thing that motivates anyone to do anything? I suspect not.There was a thread a while back asking people in this subreddit what kept them motivated. You know what the top answer was?Fear.People were afraid of what could happen if they didnt have a financial safety net. They were afraid of what retirement would look like if they didnt save.People who dont save because its not fun are in for a tough wake up call in the future. 