The 7 Money Mantras Experts Live By

Even though Washington Post money columnist Michelle Singletary knows she should determine if an item is a need or a want before she buys it (she learned the mantra from her grandmother), she still has to use tricks to help her remember. One is to wait a few days—and it turns out even science supports "sleeping on it": A recent study by psychologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst suggests sleep facilitates and enhances cognitive skills like decision-making.

Next: 9 money lies we tell ourselves