How to be a money honey; if managing your dough is as exhilarating as getting a cavity drilled--and much more painful--let Cosmo teach you to stay flush when times are tough. (Life Skills).

* We're living in lean times, and like it or not, we all have to take a long, hard look at our own cash-flow situation. Don't wig out--keeping your wallet fat and your credit bills thin doesn't have to hurt or stir up the kind of anxiety that makes you froth at the mouth. It doesn't even have to entail insane mathematical calculations or knowing the meaning of terms like Roth IRA. Cosmo did a bunch of tedious work and compiled this easy guide to raking it in, stashing, saving, and just being more in the know about your dough.

how to live cheaper without suffering

Order the lunch special. Tons of restaurants--like your local Chinese joint--offer an appetizer, drink, and entree for a puny price. Save bucks by stashing leftovers in the office fridge for the next day.

Personalize your cell plan. Those "anytime minutes" advertised on TV aren't such a sweet deal if you only go wireless on Sunday nights or make your daytime calls from work. Choose a plan that fits your schedule. VoiceStream, for example, recently offered 200 weekday minutes and unlimited weekend minutes for $29.99 a month. That's $20 less than comparable plans that give you 300 more weekday minutes that you might never use. Just beware--VoiceStream charges 35 cents for every extra minute you use.

Check your temperature. Turning down the thermostat two teeny degrees can save you as much as 10 percent on your energy bill. Surely, you can think of more creative ways to heat up your bedroom.

Sale through life. Keep these markdown months in mind: May, when prices on wool clothes and leathers plummet, and August, when bathing-suit tags will be as itty-bitty as your favorite bikini.

Dine chez vous. The average 20something spends as much as $60 a week dining out. If you grab a bite at home and stow the dough you'd otherwise spend on a pre-clubbing restaurant bill, you could rack up an extra $3,120 within a year.