Painless way to save a little...

**mombottoo** · 01-24-2009, 10:32 AM

A friend of ours mentioned that when he uses his checkbook he always rounds up when subtracting and rounds down when adding in deposits...by the end of one year he had over $500 in his checking account.

So, I started doing this and I have $51.02 saved so far

! I've always been a stickler about having my checkbook figured out to the penny! But, using the rounding up/down method is a painless way to save a little.

**homesteadmamma** · 01-24-2009, 11:52 AM

I do the same thing. Our bank even has a program where they will round it off for you and place it in a savings account. It is a way to save a few dollars and if one has debt, those $$ saved this way could be put towards debt and you wouldn't even notice it.

**momof2joys** · 01-24-2009, 12:07 PM

A lady I used to work with told me about this, she also said that she never wrote a check for less than $10 either, if she had to she always wrote the amount for in her checkbook for $10, even if the check was for $5!!! I have always thought about doing it, but never really have, I think I just might have to now!! Thanks for re-minding me about it!!

**madhen** · 01-24-2009, 12:13 PM

Hmm...that would require the use of a checkbook, wouldn't it?

**lisettelovebug** · 01-24-2009, 12:43 PM

We plan to do this next month. We don't use a lot of checks, but I still have to put the amounts we use on our debit card in MyMoney program. I figured out what we would have for this month if I did it and it was over $20 already. Because I don't want to mess up my checkbook, I will just use Excel and each week transfer the amount to our savings. I am just going to round up to the nearest dollar. I am hoping this will be a painless way to save a little extra money.

**Starlight9803** · 01-24-2009, 03:39 PM

I do this in my checkbook. I just write the exact amount next to who I paid the check to, then round up or down in the debit/credit column. That way I get the savings plus can balance my account correctly when the bank statement comes in.

**Debbie-cat** · 01-24-2009, 07:46 PM

That is a really good idea....but I don't write checks.

**Momto2Boyz** · 01-26-2009, 07:54 AM

Even if you don't write checks you can still do it! If you use a debit card, when you enter it into your check register, just round up! You can do it with any type of auto debit too! It's just a matter of you keep the debit side of your register!

I tried it for a while, but it got confusing. I lost track of how much I was saving, then had to go back and fix everything and it took me forever! It was just a lack of dilligence on my part! It really is a good way to do it!

**BlessedMomof2** · 01-26-2009, 11:31 AM

That is a good idea.

**Grainlady** · 01-26-2009, 02:13 PM

We primarily use cash (budgeted amounts) for everyday purchases - grocery and non-grocery purchases and "blow money". Checks are used for our monthly bills, and a debit card for on-line purchases. Hubby and I manage to save $800-$1000 a year by saving our dollar bills - a tip I leaned from radio talk-show host, Neal Boortz. This is how we fund our Christmas/Emergency Fund and when the fund gets to $2,000, we move $1,000 into another savings fund.

I also budget and pay myself $20 to cut my own hair each month and that's added to the Christmas/Emergency Fund - $240 a year to the fund. I deposit this money once a month. I figure you're not really saving anything if you don't actually budget it and then stick it into the savings account. Otherwise it's just spent on something else....

**Sassyclass** · 01-26-2009, 05:32 PM

I do this in a different way, when I figure bills for the week. If the bill is $56.23 I deposit $57.00. I've been doing this for over a year now and we don't miss the money at all. It's nice to have that extra money right now because I've had medical bills and will be getting more.

Cat