Last week, in the first installment of a series on personal finance for new college graduates, I offered guidelines on setting up a first-time budget. Despite your best intentions, and no matter how high your income, you may find that it's tough to follow through. Here are some tricks you can play on yourself to spend less and save more:

• Start an automatic savings or investment program with a bank, mutual fund or your retirement plan at work so that money is taken right off the top of your salary, before you even see it. Have your paycheck deposited directly into your savings account rather than your checking account. Psychologically, it's tougher to take money out of savings.



• Write down your goals, or tell your friends and family members that you are going to start saving for a new car, a vacation, or whatever. If you don't follow through, you'll feel guilty.



• Go to an ATM no more than once a week, and make your cash last until the next time.



• When you make a credit card purchase, subtract the amount immediately from your checking account so that you're not surprised when the bill arrives at the end of the month.



• If credit is a chronic temptation, make a point of paying for purchases with some form of cash -- hard currency, check or debit card -- which limits the trouble you can get into.



• If you can't decide between two items in a store, give yourself a 24-hour cooling-off period before buying either. Chances are you won't go back.



• Do you tend to misplace credit card slips or forget to record debits? Get yourself a couple of storage bins (or even shoeboxes) into which you can toss the receipts.



• Toss your spare change into a glass jar on your dresser, and watch your money grow.



• When you finish paying off a loan or credit card balance, keep writing the check but send it directly to a savings or investment account.



• Once you've saved money by forgoing a purchase or brown-bagging your lunch to work, transfer the money from checking to savings so that you can enjoy an immediate reward for your efforts.

MORE: Kiplinger.com | Your Money | Column

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