Review your expenses with the PERK system: determine which costs can be Postponed until a later date, Eliminated from your budget, or Reduced going forward, and which expenses you absolutely have to Keep.

Postpone: Want a new car, but still have one that\’s reliable? Postpone your purchase! Have a deadline for work, but “Words with Friends” is calling? Wait until you\’ve finished your project to play.

Eliminate: Need to watch all those reality shows? Eliminate one and gain some time. Need a land line when you have a cell phone? Eliminate that extra cost.

Reduce: Do you really need to read every sappy story you get in an e-mail? Reduce the time you spend on those time-suckers. Can you stretch out the time between manicures, pedicures, and haircuts by several days? Doing this will save time and money over the course of a year.

Keep: Of course, there are some activities and some financial commitments that we would never and should never give up. Paying our rent/mortgage, time with friends, exercising. These are the Keepers.

These are just a few examples, but you get the idea. By applying PERK to our lives, we can save time and money.