I have always had difficulty saving money and am always trying to find creative, painless ways to do so. I heard about this "plan" a couple years ago. I call it the Abe Lincoln Savings Plan. The concept is that everytime you spend money and you get a $5 bill back, you stash it away. So when you go to the corner store and you break a $20, you might get a $5 back. Put it away. Pick up lunch at McDonald's, give a $10...most likely you'll get a $5 back. You get the idea.
Even if it was appropriate to give a 5 dollar bill, after awhile I found myself giving a $10 or $20 purposely so I could get a $5 back. Try it for a month. You will be surprised how quickly it adds up. And how painless it will be.
