Playing a bit of a mind game with yourself can help to keep you from spending money. By having some of your paycheck deposited into a separate savings account before it hits your checking account, you can start to save without even thinking about it.

“Pay yourself first” is a popular catch phrase in the personal finance world that encourages you to save money before you spend it. An easy way to save with ease is to have your employer divide your paycheck into multiple accounts via split deposit. The idea is that if you don’t see your money in your bank account, you can’t spend it.

Before squirrelling your paycheck away into a savings account, you’ll first need to have set a budget. A good rule of thumb is to split your after-tax income into three categories of spending. Use the 50/30/20 rule – 50% of net pay for essentials: groceries, bills, housing, paying down debt, and insurance, 30% for spending on wants and 20% for personal savings and investment goals.

By setting up a split direct deposit, you can direct money that you are comfortable setting aside into a high-yield savings account where it can earn more interest to help you build your savings faster. Think of it as a savings account on steroids.

Even if you think that you can only afford to set aside a small amount from each paycheck, you’ll surprise yourself as those dollars add up.

This savings account can be used to eventually pay off debt, create a retirement plan or save for a once in a lifetime family vacation. The little sacrifices of paying yourself first over the years is your present to yourself in the future.

Part of my mind game is making savings a game.

·       Think about where you can cut corners – can you buy generic items that your family doesn’t notice; can you clip coupons on brand name items that your family can’t live without, and perhaps seek out kids eat free meal deals when you must eat out.

·       Don’t forget to treat yourself – give yourself a slush fund for a special treat now and again whether it’s a coffee on a Monday or a date night with your spouse. To keep to a budget, you need to reward yourself.

·       Know it’s not all or nothing – if Friday night is pizza night, grab a few frozen pizzas (or better yet try your hand at making your own) and heat them up instead of ordering delivery. You’ll even save on delivery fees.

Tweaking how your paycheck gets divvied up will allow you a little more savings in the future, meanwhile making little changes in your daily routine will help you “keep the change” in your wallet. Your spending adjustments will become second nature, and eventually you will not even notice how money savvy you’ve become.