this wasn't in the plan |but life is still pretty good

Last month, I wrote about an idea to actually "save" money now that gas is half the price it was less than a year ago. Essentially, I'd pretend that gas cost $4 a gallon and physically save the difference.  I decided to just calculate the difference and then immediately transfer that amount from our ING checking account to one of our savings accounts.  On our budget spreadsheet, I write down what the cost would have been if gas cost $4, that way it's like the entire amount was spent on gas.

So far, that means almost an extra $100 in our pockets.  One could argue that we'd still have that amount regardless, but accounting for it in this way ensures that it really is saved and not just absorbed elsewhere.  Basically, it's a sneaky way of paying ourselves first.

Has anyone else started doing this?  I'd love to hear your update!