Planning for retirement can be confusing. It can also feel impossible if you are barely making ends meet. A recent survey showed 31 percent of Americans have $5,000 or less saved, with two-thirds of that figure having zero. When the price of just getting by keeps rising, what's a person to do? Here are three tips to get you started.

1. Find Ways To Cut Back

When it feels like there's not enough money to go around, it's normal to feel a bit of resentment at the notion of finding something to cut out. However, it is possible, and it may even be better for you in the long run.

For example, buying lunch each day at work may seem like a small price to pay. After all, you're working hard, so why shouldn't you be able to spend a few dollars on the cafeteria each day? Well, even you just spent $5 each workday, by the end of the year, you'd have spent $1,305. What about sodas, chips, and candy from the vending machine? Those quarters add up.

The daily grind coffee habit is another popular one people tend not to notice. When you consider none of this stuff is likely the healthiest things to be consuming, making healthy lunches and snacks at home for less makes more "cents" in the long run. Put this money into your retirement savings instead.

2. Build Your Emergency Fund

A popular money guru recommends funding a $1,000 emergency account as quickly as possible and then building up to three to six months of living expenses from there. Why do what you can do to get to a grand in the bank? Because $1,000 can get you out of just about any jam that you may find yourself in. If your car breaks down or the water heater goes, how are you going to pay for it? Most people are going to put it on their credit card, which potentially means paying interest, which in turn means less money in your pocket to go into your retirement accounts. An emergency fund provides peace of mind plus more options.

3. Consult With A Retirement Planner

Unless you're extraordinarily financially savvy, figuring out how and where to save doesn't come naturally to most people. Plus, not everyone is working for a major corporation that offers a company-matched 401K retirement program. Some people work for themselves as well. A retirement planning service will be happy to set you on the right track, even if you are currently living paycheck-to-paycheck.

For more information, contact your local retirement planning services.