Remember being a kid and getting money from your parents to go to the movies? I bet you paid no attention to the difference between the price of the matinee and the late night showing—much less the difference between the small and large popcorn. Heck, you probably spent every last dollar they gave you on a nice cold soda to go with that popcorn.

And when you got back home and they asked for their change, you said…“Change?”

Ah, but then you got your first job. You went to the movies with YOUR hard-earned cash and you thought to yourself… popcorn is five bucks? Forget that!

The same principle should be applied to expenses at work. Cut needless expenses—like the five-dollar popcorn—as if every penny was your own. If you see a penny spent that doesn’t have a great ROI, suggest saving it. It’s amazing how much you begin to notice when you stop thinking of the company dime like a child sees Mom and Dad’s money—as a bottomless pile.

This isn’t strictly a selfless act. If a company succeeds, its employees succeed, and if it doesn’t do well, its employees don’t do well. The best approach for management is not only to waggle an accusing finger at waste, but also to show how a little cost savings here and there can add up to some benefits for the whole staff.

So take a stand to treat the company’s money as if it was your own money. In a very real way, it is!