27 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Saving Money

(This article previously appeared on Grandparents.com.)

Think you can't save? Think again. Sure, it seems like there's not much wiggle room in your budget, due to the rising costs of basic necessities — but that's all the more reason to have a slush fund. Fortunately, there are plenty of painless ways to siphon cash from even a fixed income.

Start slowly, but do start; those money seeds will blossom into an extra layer of financial security.

Start small with these basic tips:

The old standby of saving all your change in a jar? It works. Sure, it might be only $10 a month, but that's $120 a year that might otherwise have ended up in vending machines or those "take a penny, leave a penny" dishes.

Many stores print "You saved X dollars" on the receipts. But it's not savings unless you save it, so transfer that amount — immediately — into your bank account.

If you work and were lucky enough to get a pay increase, pretend you didn't. Bank it instead.

Once you've started taking little steps, you'll be ready for more advanced strategies, like these:

When you get home from work or running errands, put all the $1 bills from your wallet in a jar. (Some people do this with $5 bills, but that's too rich for my blood.)

Pick a number, then check your wallet nightly for bills whose serial numbers end in the digit you've chosen. When you find them, put the bills into the jar.

Actually a monthly challenge: You put aside $1 the first week of the month, $2 the second week, and so on. You'll end up with $10 to $15 per month. Not bad!

Put aside $52 in the first week of January. The next week, $51; the week after that, $50. And so on. This smarts at first, but keep your eyes on the prize: the $1,378 you'll have amassed by the end of the year.

Use your bank's services to turn hard-earned cash into even more money:

The easiest thing ever: Set up an automatic transfer from your checking to savings that'll happen each month.

Some banks let you set up sub-accounts and give them specific names. Yours might be "Slush Fund" but it could also be more goal-specific, such as "New Car" or "Reunion Trip."

This Bank of America program rounds debit-card purchase up to the next dollar and then transfers that amount from checking into savings. For example, if you pay $37.03 for groceries, 97 cents would go into savings. Easy, huh?

Turn your PINs into reminders. For example, when you sign on to your favorite shopping sites, maybe having to type "jan92015" — the due date of your first grandchild — would remind you that setting up a college plan would be more rewarding than a new blouse or shirt.

The internet is full of programs designed to help you save:

Use it to pay for everything you can — groceries, utilities, gym membership — and bank the cash rebates. Look for the best cards at sites like NerdWallet or CardRatings.com.

Tempted by an unnecessary purchase? Talk yourself down, then enter the amount of money you might have spent into a free app called ImpulseSave. That money will be transferred into savings.

SonyaAnn, who blogs at A Mom, Money and More, belongs to a few online opinion sites. Last year she earned $123, and also got some products to test. She does it waiting for the laundry to finish or watching TV with her husband.

Buy discounted gift cards on the secondary market for items you need most often. Suppose you buy a $50 Walgreens card for $44 and a $100 PetSmart card for $87. Immediately transfer the $19 into savings and use the cards like cash. Discounted gift cards are available for just about anything you need; check GiftCardGranny for the best deals.

Break behaviors by fooling yourself:

You meet your monthly obligations on schedule, right? Make "savings" a bill, then pay it. Tip: Use the "bill reminder" feature of a budgeting software site like Mint.com or PowerWallet.

Suggest that a friend or relative join you in the slush-fund goal, then chat or e-mail each week about your progress. You might even make it a challenge, i.e., whoever saves the most has to buy lunch.

Suppose you or a spouse will retire in 2016. Transfer $20.16 cents into savings every month (or every week). If that class reunion will take place in June 2017, set aside $23 (six plus 17) every month or week to help defray the cost of attending.

Set up your slush fund as an online account; the few days it takes to transfer money becomes a built-in cooling-off period. (Do you really need that whatever-it-is?) Or, open it at a bank way across town and don't get a debit card there. Having to drive and fill out a withdrawal slip should help you re-think purchases.

Take a look at those little, repeated behaviors that could actually be costing you a ton:

Do you smoke? Quit! Then set aside the money that once went for tobacco. In the habit of driving three blocks to pick up a prescription or a quart of milk? Walk instead — you'll save money (gas, wear-and-tear) and get a little exercise to boot.

Do you meet friends at Starbucks a few times a week? Replace those meetings with pleasant strolls or at-home kaffeeklatschs. (Take turns hosting.) Do you and your spouse give in to the "early bird special" too often? Instead, look for new recipes and prepare them together. You don't have to give up good times; you just have to re-imagine them.

A penny saved is a penny earned. These tricks make the most of your change:

Still use a checkbook or a paper register to balance your online account? Record that $72.19 electric company payment as "$73" and turn the $35.27 supermarket bill into "$36." Do this all month with both checks and debit purchases, then transfer the differences into your savings.

The day before payday or Social Security deposit day, check your checking-account balance. If there's $139.95 in the account, send $9 (or $39) into savings.

Any unexpected cash (rebate checks, the quarter you found in a parking lot, etc.) goes into savings.

And if you really need a boost...

Every time you do a load of wash, put $2 in a jar. (I do this, and it really adds up.) Oh, and let your family know that any money found in their pockets is now your money. Or, rather, the fund's money.

Finally made the last car payment? Transfer the amount you would've paid into your savings each month. Not possible? Transfer half the amount.

Some people have a "swear jar," putting in a quarter every time they let a choice word fly. But why not a "Yay you!" jar instead? If you decided not to buy an ice-cream cone at the mall, put a quarter in the jar. (Better yet, put in the cost of the cone.) Chose to wait until "Senior Monday" to see the latest blockbuster movie? Made dinner instead of going out? Yay you! Now: Pay you!

Donna Freedman writes about midlife and money at DonnaFreedman.com.