Debt reduction & Savings with micropayments

Just wanted to get this on "paper" so to speak.

I think most people, certainly myself, treat debt reduction and savings as a monthly payment system. You save some percentage of your paycheck (or none, assuming you'll just save "what's left over"), or you make 1 payment to your credit card/student loan/mortgage every month.

The downside of this is that we tend to nickle-and-dime ourselves throughout the month, resulting in very little free money at the end of the month to put in savings. It's hard to decide every single day to pack a lunch instead of eating out, or to have water with a dinner instead of a $3 drink, with no reward for your sacrifice.

So, give yourself a reward. If you're not managing your money online by now, you should be. And with online management, comes the ease of making a payment of any size in about 2 minutes.

I propose that every time you are faced with a frivolity purchase, make the decision to instead go log in to your bank or credit card site, and transfer that same dollar amount into savings or a payment.

Think it won't add up? The average month contains roughly 20 work days. I'd say I stop by the vending machine 3 out of every 4 days. That's $15/month I could be saving. $180/year. I don't even want to add up what a $5 fast food lunch costs every day.