Projo Offbeat Blog

Do you want to know a simple way to get through these tough times as the mortgage company breathes down your neck, your credit-card balance swells and your 401k account shrivels?

Take a bath.

That's right. Newspapers, magazines and Web sites are full of money advice in these tough financial times, and, like a lot of people, I'm always scouring them for gold: a way to get rich or at least save a few dollars without getting off the couch or making any other personal sacrifices.

A lot of the information in these columns seems pretty common -- You know: pack a lunch, use the library, climb out a bathroom window when it's your turn to buy a round -- but this is the first I've heard that you can avoid taking a financial bath by, well, taking a bath.

The idea is to fight off that shopping impulse by ducking into the tub. If the urge to buy a $2,500 high-definition TV or a $500 cashmere sweater gets too strong, you could fill the tub with cold water, which would have the added benefit of saving on your utility bill.

If you really need to save, you could cut out the shampoo, bubbles and rubber duckies.

And if the credit-card company tries reaching you, you'll have a handy excuse for missing the call.

You were in the tub.

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