Mind tricks to help you save more and spend less

    In theory, getting richer is a simple calculation: earn more, spend less.
But in practice, it's harder than it sounds.

    Here are some tricks to curb your spending habit and save more;

1. Think of your savings in terms of how many "weeks of freedom" they buy.

2. Engage the "gas or brake method." Every decision you make either gets you closer to where you want to be (stepping on the gas) or slows you down (leaning on the brake). The next time you go to make a decision, ask yourself: Am I stepping on the gas or the brake?

3. Remember that when you aren't earning, you're spending.

4. Practice the "stranger test."-If what you want to buy is not really important, you might as well keep that money in your pocket.

5. Spend your money where you spend your time.

6. Use the "urgency test" when shopping. If you're wavering on a purchase, ask yourself, "Would I wear this out of the dressing room right now?" If you aren't excited enough to wear it right then, don't bother buying it.

7. Procrastinate on non-essential purchases. When it comes to discretionary spending (except for important moves for financial security, like saving for retirement), putoff your purchase to give yourself time to find better prices and make better decisions.

8. Never spend loose change. Make it a hard-and-fast mental rule,You can easily add up the change on your purchases and move that change to a separate account. Doing the math yourself is a little less magical, but it works."

9. Break down the monetary value of your hour and spend accordingly.

10. Cover your plastic access card(i.e ATM card) to create a mental — and physical — barrier.USE IT ONLY WHEN NECESSARY

11. Don't hesitate to say "NO''  Saying "no" to the things that don't really matter allows us to focus on the things that do.

12. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."  Before spending on something new to supplement or replace something you already own, look at what you currently use with a critical eye: Can you use it up, wear it out, make it work, or simply go without it until you have more cash?