Over the course of this Transaction Cleanse, I’ve talked about the phenomenon of “stealth transactions” a few times.  You know, you’re going about your day, minding your own business, avoiding transactions, maybe even sleeping.  Then bam! It happens. Through the magic of automation, you’ve purchased something without taking a single action.

Readers who have been on the edge of their seats as my Transaction Cleanse has come into conflict with binge watching “The Good Wife” can breathe a big sigh of relief. As they might say on the show, a legal drama, I’ve been granted a continuance.  (Or maybe that should be “a stay of execution”??)

Back on April Fools Day when I started this Transaction Cleanse, I said I wasn’t a big fan of traditional food-related cleanses because they have the unintended side effect of making the “cleanser” want to binge.  Sure enough, a Transaction Cleanse can also lead to binging, although not in exactly the way I anticipated. 

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon, which may be why– despite my daily writing goal and Transaction Cleanse - I found myself resisting the idea of writing about money.  That is, I resisted until I was struck by the idea to map this piece to song titles from the Motown group The Temptations.  Hopefully, you’re in a similar mood and will indulge me on this one! 

In traditional budgeting, the goal is to identify and track living expenses, reduce where appropriate, and then target future spending to that reduced amount.  This frees up cash for saving or investing on an ongoing basis.  Easier said than done, as many might point out!  But when it does get done, it can be very powerful, especially if done consistently over time.  Why not try something similar with the cash freed up as part of a Transaction Cleanse?