It would have seemed foolish to care about money at a crisis moment, but looking back there are lessons to learn.

Monday started like any other day until we got the call to evacuate. I consider myself a planner. I planned as best I could for this type of event. I had all of my important documents packed and ready, gas in both cars, and a plan to get us all out... this included 2 cats, 2 dogs, 2 kids and us 2 adults. We grabbed clothes and toiletries and a few cases of water and we were gone. Although we were told to leave we had enough time to get these things. Had it looked worse we would have grabbed the kids and animals and gone.

I soon learned that there were "missing pieces" to my evacuation plan.

#1 If you have pets, include their vaccination records in your important paper box. We ended up staying the first night in a hotel that was pet friendly, however at over $400 a night we only stayed 1 night until we could come up with a better plan. The next morning I secured them a spot at a boarding facility. They were understanding and waived our proof of vaccinations but we ended up having them vaccinated any ways to the tune of over $200 because I wasn't sure if I could find another understanding boarding facility at the next stop and I didn't want to risk having no place to take them. Had I had the record, that $200 would have been saved. For the record, the place we had their shots done at was also evacuated so there was no way to get their records.

#2 Plan your evacuation routes to the east, west, north and south. Imagine a scenario that would have you traveling each way and were you would go. Had I had a list of pet friendly hotels I most likely could have found a cheaper hotel for that first night.

#3 Take whatever help is offered. People have been great around here. I was really worried about a "Katrina" like response to this disaster that we stayed away from any actual evacuation centers. Once we returned I was given a tour of one on the evacuations centers and I was beyond surprised! There were no needs or wants forgotten... Quallcomm stadium even had people giving free hand and arm massages!

The most important lesson I learned is that lives are the most important thing. Money may come and go, but you only get one chance at being alive!

My husband and I have been trading shifts helping the local fire department answer phone calls from residence about re-population and emergency needs assistance... I am so proud of our community! My thoughts are with those that are still in a state of evacuation and loss.

Now I'm no hypnotist, but these two "tricks" work. One of the keys to living on a budget is to not overspend on "wants". It's such a great feeling to make your money work for you... by putting it towards your "needs" and building your savings up for your future.

Trick #1- When you see something you want determine if it is a "need" or a "want". A need is something that you have to have in order to survive. Some peoples "needs" will actually surprise others. One person's view of a need might be strictly basic, like housing and food. Another persons "need" might include housing, food and coffee. You need to determine your "needs" and when presented with a purchase, really evaluate if you need it, or if it would be better to apply that saved money from not buying it towards savings. If you would have to use money that is supposed to be used for another item on your budget, do not spend that money!

Trick #2- Determine how many hours you would have to work in order to pay for the proposed purchase. I was talking to a bank teller once. She really liked having a cafe mocha every morning. After determining that she would have to work 25 min. (after tax's) to pay for her mocha, she decided that flavored regular coffee was a better long term choice for her. She only had to work 3 min. to pay for that!

Today's Question- I'm sure alot of you have tried these tricks or other variations of them... what are/were your favorite tricks to get you into the budget/saving mode?