Saving money does not have to be problematic. You can actually learn to enjoy saving money if you have a playful attitude about it.

Prosperity is a state of mind.

If the bills are piling up and your income is slipping down, while you are trying to reconcile your checking account, you should also find ways to reconcile your attitudes about money, and more importantly reconcile your perspectives about the "stuff" money buys.

For instance: Do you need a $95 sweater from Nordstrom's or could you be just as happy with a $16 sweater from Mervyns's? This may seem like a question of little consequence, but your answer to it has vast implications that run throughout all areas of your life.

Spending money can be fun, for sure, but is your sense of peace of mind dependent on purchasing the most expensive item? Is your sense of status enhanced when you buy something that is deemed more valuable by our society? What causes your sense of status in the first place? Is your sense of status (or success or failure) independent of the possessions you own, or is it tied up with the possessions you own?

When you derive your sense of worth, success, failure, or status indirectly from money and possessions, you will find that saving money is really hard work, and not a lot of fun. However, if you derive your sense of worth, character and so on from non-material goods, saving money can become a fun habit.

Saving money can become a way to "invest in yourself." With fewer possessions, or less focus on possessions, your mind has more room to see your own value and worth.

One of the best ways to save money and to enjoy it is to give things away. Yes, it is counter intuitive. But it works. Doing the opposite of what you think you "should" do often creates a powerful shift into enjoyment of your circumstances.

Try it. It worked for me. In one of my darkest hours about three years ago, I was extremely worried about saving money. In a sudden moment of rule-breaking inspiration, I decided to tackle me fear and give some money away on the Internet!

Crazy? A little. Life-changing? A lot!

I gave money to five random people in a local chat room.

The decision to give money away melted all my money concerns within two hours. It was amazing. I punctured a hole in my fear. It was like a light came on: Money does not need to make me worry. I can give it freely and joyfully.

So remember this: if saving money has become hard, it is your attitude that makes it so. Shift your attitude and your money solution may just present itself.