Outlook provides no such setting. What you can do is stop clicking Save and Close and instead use FIle | Move to Folder.

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Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx
> How do I set my outlook settings so that my contacts are saved by defult in
> the public folder in stead of constantly having to drag them from my contact
> folder to the public folder I am using?