Fool Me Once, Please!

Today, Barrie and I both walked into the office singing songs of welcome to our awaiting paychecks, and while I can't speak for her, I can say this: for me, money's tight. I don't know if it's our economy (maybe yes, maybe no), or just that I have a lot of expenses right now (The shelving I need is on sale now! I have a birthday to attend in Atlanta! Or, more to the point: a tree limb fell on my car! Seriously, it really did), but I haven't felt this strapped for cash in a WHILE. Enter Lifehacker. Every time I forget to check you, you somehow bounce back into my life with just the right top-10 list of tips at the right time. Today it's a top ten of ways to trick yourself into saving money. I'm a sucker for top-tens, and the best thing about this one is that it actually surprised me a few times. The funniest? Literally freeze your credit card. If you freeze it in a block of ice, and you want to use it, you have to pull it out to thaw on the counter. No shortcuts -- the micro will zap it to death. I try not to use my credit cards much, so I found this tip the most useful: write down all the non-essential things you want to buy that cost more than $100 (or $50, or $250 -- whatever threshold means a big purchase for you), then don't look at the list (and don't buy the items!) for 30 days. Come back to it with fresh eyes and you may find you really don't want that dutch oven after all (ok, bad example. I really do want it. It reminds me of lunches and dinners at my favorite place in the world!). It's a tip I think I'll actually try... so, much like the Lifehacker folks, I want to know: what are the ways you fool yourself into saving money?

Sarah Handel

Tags: Lifehacker | fiscal responsibility | money | savings