Pre kid (of course) We lived the easy life, we had checks for weeks waiting to be cashed. We frequently went as much as a month in between trips to the bank, and still spent plenty..though plenty less than most of our peers.

I remember one persons shock when my husband told him about the backlog of checks waiting to be deposited, he couldn't understand how anyone could survive without constant cash in. We couldn't understand why not....

I also worked with a few people who were in love with the 'extra check months' (paid weekly) I thought they were nice, but never really had an effect on my budget. (extra then went to pay off my husbands loans)

Now my shock is not that many live paycheck to paycheck (went thru that phase, when the money out is that close to the money in..hard to balance, but we have)

No I am shocked that we wasted all that interest! We could have paid off the loans faster, paid less interest each month, saved it in a high interest account...a CD or simply savings, anything. But no, we were too lazy to make an extra trip (or three) to the bank!

Now there is direct deposit, love that, no trip to the bank! But now that we are back on track, we have a 'cushion' for 'mini emergencies' and a roll over, to pay bills that come in before the check does (first check is first friday nowadays, first bill is mortgage on the first..) That cushion and roll over are not earning interest in ING nor are they reducing the car loan. This has to change!

Of course you know I am lazy, so change has to be easy, and painless, and no work for me. which is why we looked into ING checking, direct deposit, no delay in transfer from checking to saving..I so hope it all works out.

And I so hope that I can teach my kids painless lazy ways to save/reduce interest earlier than I learned them! I also hope I can pass on easy painless budgeting, and a sense of how to rearange when kids come.