Simple Financial Tip

If you're the kind of person who likes to use your credit cards to charge your gas and coffee and other things all month long, but you don't like getting wacked with a humongous bill when your statement comes (yes, we still receive and pay our bills on paper via snail mail) then I'd like to share this idea with you that my wife came up with a couple of years ago, which we've found really helpful. It won't save you any money, but it will save you the balance shock.

When I charge a tank of gas, I write it in the checkbook as though it were a check.
"$35.00 at SuperAmerica"
Where you would normally write the check number, just write "Visa" (or whatever card you used), and subtract $35 from your balance right now. You'll still spend the same amount that you always do, but now when you get your Visa bill and you write the check for $300 or whatever your balance is, you don't have to suddenly come up with $300 to pay the bill since you were subtracting it all along as you went. Like I said, it won't save you any money, but it's easier to subtract $20 here and $10 there, than to have to find $300 all at once when the bill comes. I hope it helps you like it helps us!

Here's an easy way to save up a few bucks, which I've been doing for about 20 years:
Every time you write a check, round up to the nearest dollar and subtract that amount from your balance. When you make a deposit, round down to the nearest dollar and add that amount to your balance. For example,

Write a check (or charge) for $19.38 and subtract $20 from your balance.
Make a deposit of $106.98, and only add $106 to your balance.

It's not much, but it adds up over time, and it's painless! Plus, you don't have to deal with all the pennies. Before you know it, you'll have a couple hundred bucks without even trying!