Cheap Living for Todays Economy - Simplify!
Posted: Saturday, November 08, 2008
by Samantha Buck
Life Organize It
With the cost of everything from gas to groceries fluctuating so unpredictably, money management attempts to plan the family budget can become a confusing guessing game. Instead of trying to figure out what particular item is going to skyrocket next, it's best to make specific changes to your overall money management habits. This will free up some of your spending money, so you'll have it when the next surprise pops up. Becoming a penny pincher can be both easy and satisfying.
Just follow these three easy tips for cheap living and you're on your way to becoming a penny pincher.
- Curb Unnecessary Spending
- Trim Your Grocery Bill
- Save Gas
Curb Unnecessary Spending:
Don't carry credit cards with you. When shopping, take the specific amount you plan to spend, and stick to it. Doing this will get you in the habit of saying no to things, such as clearance items that you really don't need, but that you may have rationalized and purchased anyway.
Brown bag your lunch. Buy items you can eat at work, such as cup-a-soups, snacks, and frozen meals. Bring your own drinks instead of feeding the soda machine. You can easily save $40-$60 per month, just by bringing items with you.
One of my personal favorites for both clothes and furniture, visit consignment shops. You will be pleasantly surprised at the huge cuts to your family's wardrobe budget that can be made by shopping at consignment shops. Designer clothes in excellent condition can be purchased for about 20% of their original cost. If second hand clothes are not for you, at least make it a point to shop from the clearance rack. It can make a huge difference. Trim Your Grocery Bill:
Eat less meat. It is a proven fact that it takes longer for your body to digest meat than any other food. Give your body and your budget a healthy break by having one or two meatless meals per week. Spaghetti, beans and rice, soup, stuffed baked potatoes, macaroni, or omelets are easy perfect meatless entrees.
Drink tap water. Besides being expensive, those sodas you are drinking aren't good for you anyway. If you can't see yourself going cold turkey on the caffeine, try making a couple of pitchers of iced tea per week instead of reaching for a can of soda. Making drinks by the pitcher is much more cost effective than buying soda in cans or bottles.
Stock up on meat specials. If you only buy meat when it is on sale, you will reduce your grocery spending by an incredible amount. Some meats, such as chicken breast, can actually be up to three dollars less per pound when on sale. Sounds crazy, but it's true!
Compare sale ads. Most weekly specials can be checked online, so it's fairly easy to plan out your grocery shopping trip. Don't just stick to shopping at the same grocery store every week out of habit. It could be the most expensive store in the area. Comparing sales may take a bit of time, but if it saves you $25-$50 with each weekly shopping trip, it is certainly worth the effort.
Buy the store brand. Yes, it's true that sometimes the generic brand is really the name brand just labeled as the store brand.
Buy your produce from the farmer's market. Most towns have one, even if they only set up one day per week. During the fall season is usually when the farmers market is around. Check your local paper to find one in your area.
Save Gas:
Gas prices have come down in the past few weeks. Now is the perfect time to learn some gas saving tips so you'll be prepared for a hike before it arrives.
Remove roof racks and extra cargo from the trunk. Your trunk is not a storage unit. Extra weight causes reduced fuel efficiency. Unused roof racks can cost you a whopping 2-4 miles per gallon because of the wind resistance they cause.
Slow down! You can do a lot to extend that tank of gas by making a conscious effort to reduce your speed. Every 5mph that you drive over 60mph can reduce gas mileage by 10%. Leaving the house ten or fifteen minutes earlier can curb your temptation to speed, especially when you are driving to work.
Each change that you make will save a small amount. When you add all of the savings together, it becomes a pretty impressive amount. Once these tips become habits that are a part of your daily or weekly routine, make a game out of finding one or two new "cheap living" tricks each week that you can add to the list. Before you know it, you'll be a penny pincher and your addiction will be saving instead of spending!
For more great penny pincher tips, visit http://www.lifeorganizeit.com/penny-pincher.html
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing these tips!! Welcome to Searchwarp, have a blessed day!Thanks so much for the comment and welcome. Have a great day, Sam.
Thnaks for the great tips. This article was well written and inspirationa.Thanks so much for the nice comment. Have a great day, Sam.
I feel that you have just written my life story. My wife and I have been living these principles since we were married 37 years ago. The only thing that differs now is the brown bagging thing. With my particular job, I don't always know if I am going to have time to get lunch; sometimes I do and most times I just work through the day without lunch, so when I do get a chance to eat, I usually go out and buy a salad or sandwich.Good article, though. I know there are a lot of people that don't do the things you suggest and maybe now they will.
Thanks for taking the time to write me!I know, brown bagging is hard and my husband can't do it either because he has a lot of business lunches to attend. When I worked outside the home I'd keep almonds, protein bars, and apples in my desk because I'd always get stuck in back-to-back meetings and like you, didn't have time to get lunch.I'm so happy you enjoyed my article. Thanks again, Sam.
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