Analyze your Spending Habits
It can be so helpful to look back at your budget at the end of the month and analyze where your money was spent. It is amazing how fast all the little things add up! We look at our budget at the end of each month to see where we spent the most and where we can cut back. It is a great self check.
Here are a few weaknesses we have found and how we have tried to overcome them:
Eating out
We don’t eat out often, but it can be very tempting at the end of a busy work day. To combat the desire to go out to eat instead of preparing a meal at home, we now create a menu plan at the beginning of every week. This way we know what we plan to eat for dinner & that we have all of the necessary ingredients. This also allows us to coordinate our meals with our schedule for each day.
For special occasions, like our anniversary, we use Restaurant.com to get more for less.
We have also tried to do some Freezer Cooking. We do not planned a whole month of meals, but we try to keep one or two meals in the freezer. If we are in a big hurry, or just don’t feel like cooking, there is a simple option for us.
Activities
We love outdoor activities, and it would be very easy to spend a large part of our budget on some of these activities- either for equipment or park passes. We still budget some money for these activities, but we have found a few ways to save money on the things we enjoy.
First, make a list of things you like to do, then try to find a cheaper way to do it.
Examples:
Renting Movies- Watch for free redbox codes, or rent from your public library. At our current library a library card is free. Other cities we have lived in charge an annual fee, but your first year is free.
National Parks (Yellowstone)- Visit during National Park Week when there is free entrance!
We actually bought a pass last year, and our plan was to split the cost with another couple. We never did it, but that would have been a more cost effective option. You can get a year pass to Yellowstone for $50, and there are 2 spots for signatures. It is $25 for a one week pass, so you would only have to go once to make it worth it!
Camping- In the past, we have gone camping with friends and split the cost of the camp site.
Related posts:
Meet Natasha, founder of Saving a Bundle and mother of four rambunctious boys, and LeaDawn writer and new mother of one boy. Raised in a frugal lifestyle we continue the family tradition by cooking from scratch, using money-smart techniques,
living simply, hunting for good deals, have fun with frugal crafts, and use coupons. Join us on our journey as we, two sisters, learn & share ways to live a more frugal lifestyle to reach our common goal to save our families money.
{ 2 trackbacks }