The most magical words in any language...

happen to be...  (sit down)

401K WITH MATCHING.

Yes, it's true.  401K is pretty BEAST (highly descriptive word of the positive variety from my 9 year old) as it is...  you get to throw money into a savings account rather than give it to the IRS in taxes each paycheck.  Matching takes this little bene to a whole new level.  If your company has this perk, you'd be a complete fool to pass it up.  No matter what level/amount/percentage your company offers, you cannot
EVER leave this money on the table- no matter what the economy or your weekly budget says.  Allow me to elaborate....

Let's say you take home "X" amount of dollars per week; that figure is composed of:
1.  Gross Pay
2.  Pre Tax Deductions (Medical, Dental, Life (if offered), retirement, and so on)
3.  Taxes (the money they take based on what's left AFTER #2 above)

SO:  If you contribute to a RETIREMENT FUND, it's taken out BEFORE the IRS comes to visit your paycheck.  You've sheltered money (that you would have LOST TO THE IRS ANYWAY) into an account that you can access after you retire.  The impact to your take home pay is MAYBE a few dollars, because you lowered your taxable income by saving some of your gross.  If your company then MATCHES your deposit into a retirement account with THEIR money, you've just earned cash for saving money you never would have seen anyway.  Between the IRS and your future, someone is going to get that cash...  I know who I'd rather choose...