As odd as it may seem, just the act of writing down a budget can have an adverse or possibly even reverse affect on your attempt to save money. Have you ever decided to go on a diet and immediately began craving something sweet? Or, have you made a personal commitment to reduce your shopping adventures only to suddenly find some really good, seemingly irresistible bargains? A written budget can affect you in the same way. Once you write down your reduced spending plan, you may begin to feel a sense of deprivation that can lead to rebellion.
Possibly, the key to living on less without feeling deprived or rebelling against budget restraints, is to refrain from actually writing down a budget. Instead, focus on making simple, subtle lifestyle changes that will save you money so indiscreetly that you won't even notice you're living on a tighter budget. Strive to replace expensive habits and activities with new, less expensive or possibly free options and activities.
One of the first things people are encouraged to cut from their budget is regular visits to a coffee shop. Reducing your daily coffee shop adventures to once a week or once a month is a good starting point. The way you fill the void on the days you don't stop by for morning coffee is a key factor in how determining how dedicated you remain to your commitment to change. You could replace your regular visit to the coffee shop with an invigorating walk or an indoor exercise routine You could spend that extra time with your spouse, children or pet.
Eating out is expensive. A lifestyle change in this area can certainly ease a strained budget. Experiment with new recipes at home, make meal preparation a family event, decorate your table to make meal time special, or do whatever you can to make meals interesting at home. Develop frugal grocery shopping skills to further reduce your expenses. Instead of dining at a restaurant, enjoy a picnic at a park or possibly in your backyard. Make bag lunches and meals at home part of your regular lifestyle and eating out an infrequent treat.
If you frequently find yourself wandering through the mall in your spare time, change your routine. Instead, go on a nature walk. There is no temptation to spend money while walking in nature like there is when passing by store displays in a mall. If you are a spontaneous buyer, changing that habit alone will have a positive affect on your budget. Become a more patient shopper who waits for bargains and is not lured into spending by eye catching store displays.
Chances are, you will spend less if you pay cash for your purchases. You can develop a savings plan by never paying with exact change. At the end of the day, put your extra change in a "reward jar" Loose change adds up more quickly than you would think.
When choosing entertainment options, look for local events that are free or inexpensive. Concerts in the park, art exhibits, and free education classes could open up new doors of interests for you and your family. When you read about or hear other people discussing money saving changes they've made, take time to see if those changes could be a benefit to you. If you pick up on ideas as time goes by and implement small changes, the end result will make a large impact on your overall budget.
Something as simple as clearing clutter from your home and developing good organizational skills can save you money. You won't find yourself buying duplicate items simply because something got misplaced among the chaos. Make a conscious effort to learn the art of reusing, reinventing, and re-purposing items to reduce spending and avoid adding unnecessary stuff to your home and your life. "Stuff" is often a budget buster that can be avoided.
By VeronicaHB from Asheboro, NC
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I disagree with the words budget=dangerous. We as a family have started a financial plan by a Christian (that's all I'll say about that) and while it's completely foreign to what we've done in the past 14 years, it's also a HUGE eye opener. We both were taught different ways, me SAVE and frugal, him SPEND & credit cards. Both clashed and have gotten us into trouble. We HAD nothing in savings, sometimes our 10 year old had more in the bank!
Little thinking is done when you swipe a card, a LOT is done with you use cash, the money is FINITE when you use cash, INfinite with a card (debit or credit). We can't use cash for our electronic bills but I've used for groceries, our eating out money and we each have a PLAY amount. Right now we are better off then we have been at other times (my husband is in the construction industry in CA) but we'll keep up the PLAY amount (it's a minimal 10 a wk) so that we don't feel deprived and less likely to stray. Some months 100 would be gone out of my husband's account just on fast food (that he's not supposed to be eating). It adds up quick, when you have cash, you know when it's gone. I'll probably end up making money as I don't eat out often and a $20 Starbucks card from Nov of last year, just got used up in May of this year!
As with a diet (which is a stupid word, it equals negative, call it a lifestyle change to make you healthier) you can't take it all away. Pay yourself first, then go down your list of bills, pay the min. on all, bang out the smallest debt first, put all "found" money (garage sales, bonus) towards the debts and you'll be good. But never deprive, because when you do, you will end up breaking, we are human, it happens.
I try to save on everything, all of the time. It's a game, kaching! just saved so much. You can get free Starbucks coffees via freebie sites online, as a treat. (There was just a 2 for 1 at a Barnes & Noble location.)Learn to make your own lattes, etc. it's not hard. I use cosmetic giveaways as an excuse to go to the mail & fit in a mall walk (especially when it's very hot outside). Everything is so expensive I am usually not tempted by anything other than deeply discounted Barnes & Nobles books! Because hubby has been out of work, I have cut down my thriftshop visits, tho. Because there I am tempted! But I have been unearthing stuff out of my closet which all seems new to me!
Writing a detailed budget allows you to see exactly what your bills are and where you have money leaks. Changing your attitude will allow you to feel like less of a victim and much more in control. Once you make necessary changes that allow you to pay off debt and build a savings, you will feel much more powerful.
Once the savings start, it is often like a rolling ball, you want to make more and more changes just to watch the savings build. When things happen, and they will, it feels so good knowing that the money is there. A responsible, mature person knows that no debt and money in the bank gives choices to a person, and that in itself is the reason most of us are frugal. Even if you get a handle on your finances and choose to not live by a budget, it is a critical tool when assessing one's finances. You have lots of good ideas on ways to save money. I just don't think that trying to trick yourself is the best way to do it.
It seems that most Americans, in order to live frugally, say, cut down on eating out so much. In England, I don't know anyone who eats out several times a week - we go out for family birthdays a few times a YEAR and that's it (probably about 6 times). You can rustle up a meal in less than half an hour at home. I do it every day.
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