Cheap Living For Today s Economy – Simplify!

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 7:45 am

Cheap Living For Today’s Economy – Simplify!

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.

Have a "no-spending" weekend. Sometimes it is necessary to take a break from our usual routine in order to get our budget back on track. Try making it through an entire weekend without spending any money. It really can be done! For entertainment, you can watch old movies, play at the park, or go for a family bike ride.

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!

By: Samantha Buck

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About the Author:

Samantha Buck is a professional organizer that has made a successful transition from the outside working world as a Business Analyst to a WAHM (work at home mom). She lives with her husband, four kids, and dog Travis.

To get your life organized visit www.lifeorganizeit.com

For more great penny pincher tips, visit www.lifeorganizeit.com/penny-pincher.html