Our budget it tight and there is no help from the family.. the wedding is 14 months away. How soon should I wait to send out the save the dates. I am afraid if I start sending things then people will just lose them or throw them out. Any advice?

If your budget is that tight, I wouldnt do save the dates I would just do invites about 2 months before the wedding.

Our wedding is in 13 months - We decided to send them in January 2008 for 2 reasons.
1. Don't want them getting lost in the shuffle of Christmas cards, etc.
2. Don't want people getting confused if they receive a save-the-date for September 2008 prior to September 2007! At least sending it in the same year as the wedding people will be able to put it on their calendar right away.

Good luck!