In another thread, where I expressed - as a stupid newbie - some confusion as to how +1 Actions/Buys/Coins work, I received this response [in part]:
Imagine that you represent actions by using beads or tokens. (You could even actually do this for a few games if it helps.) The game gives you one action "token" at the start of your turn. In the action phase, you are allowed to play an action card at the cost of giving up one of your action "tokens." Some action cards say "+1 Action" or "+2 Actions"; when you play those, you take that many action "tokens" back. If you have any action "tokens" left after playing an action card, you may play another one, again handing in one of your action "tokens." When you run out of action "tokens," or when you decide you're done playing action cards, you move on to the buy phase. At the end of the turn (or at least before the beginning of your next turn), you lose any action "tokens" you didn't spend.
I must say, this was a
fantastic idea, and my housemate and I figured out
exactly how to do it, and I thought I'd share to a new thread so it doesn't get buried. Here's what we agreed:
For the +X Actions, that's the use of Blank cards. Blank cards are a sort of place mat on which we play an Action card. (For Throne Room or Procession or - where applicable, say - Cultist or Vassal, we don't lay out a new Blank card.) But for each Action card, we lay it on top of the Blank card, and then when we get +1 Action, we lay out an additional Blank card. If we play a Festival, for instance, that's two more Blank cards. We do this just like drawing cards with a +1 Card, in order.
For right now, we're using Embargo tokens as "Buy markers" and Coin tokens as "Coin markers." Because we've realized from that other thread we need to relearn the game a little bit, we've gone all the way back to the First Game set from the basic game, and now we've played Size Distortion, and so forth and so on, until we've done all the recommended sets and all possible combinations from all four of our "original flavor" and three expansions (Intrigue, Seaside and Dark Ages). Given that we play a game a day on average, there's no doubt we'll be caught up to speed next month, when we plan to get Prosperity. Well before we get to Seaside, though, so as not to confuse ourselves, we intend to find our old Pente set and use the red stones for the Buy markers and the yellow stones for the Coin markers.
(I should say, my housemate got very annoyed at having to pull out Coin markers for Treasure cards she had played and had in front of her, so we compromised by only taking Coin markers for something other than a Treasure card, or for Treasure cards not in play - e.g., gained from a card like Festival, or from, say, Spoils once it was returned to the Spoils pile - but that can be a "house rule" kind of thing.)
We have further agreed that on Duration cards that give us +X Cards, we cross that number of cards across our decks on Clean-Up. That way, even if, say, another player plays a Bandit before our next turn, and we reveal the top two cards of our deck, we do so, but then cross the next two down so as to be sure to remember to draw them at the start of the turn. This way, we don't forget to draw those cards, even if the Wharf is trashed. (Like, say, because we played a Procession on a Wharf.)
So in brief:
Under normal circumstances, at Clean-Up, we return all Blank cards to the Blank card pile except one. We return all Buy markers to the Buy marker pile except one. We return
all Coin markers to the Coin markers pile. In the event of a Duration card having an effect, we lay out additional Blank cards for + Actions, additional Buy markers for + Buys and additional Coin markers for + Coins.
We found, while this slowed game play down a
little bit at the beginning of First Game, by the end, we were doing this so quickly that it was not really an issue. And we intend to keep doing it from now on, because to be honest, my housemate is an older woman who gets confused otherwise, and I like to enjoy some beers while playing and could otherwise get confused. But even sober young people get confused sometimes.
Also, with 20 Blank cards (between the basic set, Intrigue and Seaside), there is little danger they will ever be insufficient, even in a six-player game, which we may have.
Simple, elegant, a
very good suggestion from chipperMDW, and maybe something worth considering for future editions/expansions.
that you get from playing a Silver is no different than the 
that you've gotten, and that's how much you have to spend.