When you spend money, how do you do it usually? Cash, or debit card? I'm assuming you're not using a credit card.

I used to have problems spending money on my debit card all the time. It got to the point where I went to fill up with gas... and didn't have enough to pay for it. I had to borrow money from a friend who was in the passenger seat. I was beyond embarrassed. From that moment on I decided I needed to buckle down and control my spending, and this is what I did:

I switched banks and I created a chequing account and a savings account. I made sure the savings account was not tied to my debit card. I then made sure my direct deposits from my job were being deposited into my savings account. Everytime I wanted to transfer money into my chequing account it would take 24 hours to clear. Basically, I avoided spending money by not having any on hand. I also hate cash. Cash is so 20th century.

Just... don't spend it. You don't have to be cheap or anything, just truly evaluate what you're going to buy. Do you really want it? Do you really need it?

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"Think of the concept of the flamethrower, because we have them. Well, we don't have them, the army has them. That's right. We don't have any flamethrowers. I'd say we're fucked if we had to go up against the army, wouldn't you?"
- George Carlin