Consumerism Commentary wants you to “put your savings in hyperdrive.” Funny, we thought that’s what we already did, which is why our savings raced light years away from our bank account. But Flexo, in his series of posts this week on how to save, uses a more grounded definition of “hyperdrive” and offers suggestions like opening a high yield savings account, saving your spare change (or the contemporary equivalent of spare change if you pay with a debit card), and automating your savings. Yes, these are simple suggestions, but that’s what makes them easy to remember and easy to implement.

We think the spare change idea is a particularly fun way to put aside a bit more money without realizing it—and if you don’t carry change anymore, you can be more creative about it:

On a weekly basis, take a look at all your debit card and credit card transactions. Round each expenditure up to the nearest dollar. Total the excess amounts and transfer the sum from your checking account to a special high-yield savings account earmarked for whichever goal on which you happen to be focusing.

Flexo also points out that some banks and credit card companies offer special “spare change” cards, so you may even be able to find an automated solution.

“Put Your Savings in Hyperdrive, Part 1: Open a High-Yield Account” [Consumerism Commentary]
“Put Your Savings in Hyperdrive, Part 2: Keep Your Change” [Consumerism Commentary]
“Put Your Savings in Hyperdrive, Part 3: Automate Your Savings” [Consumerism Commentary]
(Photo: Getty)

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