Hi Dave,

I never seem to have any money at the end of the month. No matter how much I try to save I am always money poor. It has gotten to the point where I have to borrow from my line of credit to pay for my rent. Do you have any pointers for me?

Sharon

Hey Bella,

You need to change your relationship with the cash. When I was a banker at Merrill Lynch I learned that the richest clients had an ah-mazing relationship with their money and that is what makes the difference between large and small bank accounts.

You can re-finance, borrow, crunch the numbers over and over, but if you have a crappy relationship with money it won’t help.

Start to change your relationship with money by following these simple rules. Small changes can save you a bundle month to month:

1. Always park on side streets so you don't have to pay meters. Learn in the city where the free spots are and search there first.

2. Utilize your change – it’s money, too. Have a jug for your extra change and when it gets full, spend a romantic night rolling it to take to the bank - or take it to a supermarket or bank with an automatic machine.

3. Use cash for your daily purchases. Take $200 or whatever your weekly budget is at the beginning of the week for coffee, lunches, dinners, clothing, etc. When it’s gone, it is gone.

4. If you need to buy something to get validation to save parking fees, buy something that you would need anyway. Get a bottle of water for $0.59 or get some milk. Score.

5. Make the effort to save on ATM fees. I will leave friends in line at a bar and run two or three blocks to hit up my bank to save the fees. At $3 a pop it is totally worth it. I'll also use liquor stores or grocery stores that give cash back to get my cash fee free (watch out, though - some banks now charge for this). There is a grocery store around the corner from me that has a Starbucks and gives cash back. I get my money for the week with my morning coffee and save a trip.

Change your relationship with money and it’ll change your financial situation for the better,

Dave

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Author and Professional Finance Coach David Campbell Lester is a professional financial coach, President of DCL Capital Holdings Inc. and the writer of the iheartmoney.com blog. His book I (Heart) Money is available now.