On some of my recent trips to Europe, I haven’t been able to use my credit card at some train stations, subway stations and on some toll roads. Fortunately, there are some ways to get around the inconvenience factor.

Keep cash handy

While you’ll probably still be able to use your magnetic strip credit cards at most places overseas, you should still keep some cash handy. Just make sure to find a decent currency conversion rate when withdrawing. You won’t have any problems withdrawing money from an ATM with your debit card. If your plastic is rejected, just hop on over to the nearest ATM or pay with cash you already have.

Get a chip and PIN card

The U.S. hasn’t been as quick as Europe in adopting the new technology. But more vendors are now starting to carry the cards. If you don’t want to be inconvenienced, find a chip and PIN card before you start your travels. Chase and Wells Fargo offer the cards, but they may come with a large annual fee. Travelex also offers the technology, and Visa and MasterCard plan to have one out by 2013. As always, make sure to do your shopping before you grab a card. It may be cheaper to just carry some money.

If that sounds like you, cheer up. Anyone can get grip on their finances and get on the right track toward retirement planning. It’s not about huge sacrifices but it is about making choices — right now, today — that put you on an irreversible course toward savings and security

I ran into a great study by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, part of the independent regulatory group that helps oversee Wall Street. They did a huge national study, calling up 28,000 people all over the country. Here some things they found out:

> More than half of us live paycheck-to-paycheck. Fifty-five percent said their spending was basically equal to their income. Uh-oh.

> Six in 10 Americans did not have money to cover three months of living costs. This is huge, and it’s the reason why medical problems trigger financial problems, even bankruptcy.

> Almost a quarter of us have borrowed money from places other than banks, like taking a payday loan or a loan from a tax preparer in anticipation of a refund from the IRS. Interest rates on those things are just nuts!

Okay, so what can you do about this situation right now? Take it calmly, for one. Then set some simple goals and, crucially, decide how you will achieve them. For me, that meant a careful inventory of where the money was going — spending on food out, clothing, travel, plus my normal gotta-pay-it things like rent and taxes and so on.

Turns out, my wallet was like a sieve! Seriously, I couldn’t even remember spending half the money I spent in a month. Whatever I bought must not have been so important if I couldn’t even remember spending the money, right?

Set simple goals at first

Next step was to set a very short-term savings goal. Could be, like, I will have three month’s rent saved up. Or I will have I one less credit card open in six months. Don’t worry about a grand plan. Just set that goal and knock it out.

Then, get aggressive. You will find that the short-term goals can be met without a lot of tears. A small success will embolden you to set a more challenging test of your personal resolve.

My personal favorite is to always make windfalls disappear. No, not that way! I hide them from myself. If I get a raise, I up my 401(k) to match. If I get a tax refund, I dump it into an IRA. Out of pocket, out of mind. What are your favorite savings tricks?