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A Fresh Start on a Budget

Helping working moms get more done

saving money on a tight budget: how it can easily be accomplished

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We are still fighting to get our finances under control. With loans to pay off and us wanting to build up some savings we are having to really stretch our already tight budget even further. One area we are really trying to focus on is dealing with the debt we have. We have a couple personal loans and some medical debt that all need to be paid off. I found this great article on how to get out of debt. Every bit of information I can get on debt payment is helpful to me.  That involved me taking a real close look at where our money was going and where we could be saving money. I think that every budget has somewhere that extra money is being spent and could be cut back. So I examined ours and looked for where we could be saving money so we could start doing just that. I found a few things to start cutting back on and this is how we are saving money on a tight budget.

 

Saving Money on a tight budget

1. Go food shopping less.

Going grocery shopping once a week for the majority of the week’s food. We had gotten in a bad habit of not keeping enough food in our house which led to us picking up take out too often. Which was not only bad for our finances but also bad for our health. Going shopping and getting what we need may be expensive that one day but having food at home saves us money in the long run.

2. Make going out a rarity.

Start making going out to eat, getting an ice cream, Starbucks a special treat and not a regular occurrence. Through looking at where we were spending money I noticed way too much was going to “treats” such as these things and without realizing it they were really adding up. So now we are really making an effort to cut back on going out for food and special drinks. This is also why I put #1 about keeping food at home.

3. I recently started making my own cleaning supplies for around the house.

It doesn’t save me a lot of money at one time but over time I think it will really add up and I feel better using more natural ingredients to clean with instead of chemicals. There are lots f places you can get recipes for homemade cleaners. I use Melissa Maker’s from Clean my Space.

 

4. Have less stuff.

We are going to have a yard sale to get rid of some of our extra clutter and things we don’t need which will give us some more money. We also sold video games and movies to get some extra money. In addition to getting rid of thing we also have made a real effort to buy less stuff. I buy too many books and my husband buys video game things and collectibles. These purchases add up and for the last month, we haven’t bought any of these things so that is a good step.

5. Watch the automatic charges.

I have a lot of stuff I’ve signed up for my blog that pulls out of our account automatically. So I went through our bank statement and looked at all the charges and re-evaluated if I really used everything. Some things I used a lot and really need so I kept those. There were a few things I didn’t use enough to justify the expense so I  canceled them. I ended up canceling almost $40 a month in things. I didn’t even realize that much was being spent on things I didn’t need. I make enough with my blog that I can spend money on it. but I don’t want to be wasting it on things I don’t need.

 

When you are on a tight budget like we are you have to make sure that every dollar you are spending counts. When it comes to money you have two choices make more or spend less. My husband and I are working on increasing our income but that can be tough. It is a working progress though so I’m hopeful. So in the mean time, it’s all about spending less. So we are trying to spend less and stretch our dollars where we can. We don’t have extra to spend so we need to spend them wisely. These are some of the ways I’ve been doing that. I’m going to keep doing these while at the same time learning more ways to stretch a dollar. I think that saving money is a good habit to learn and even as we up our income I still want to learn what I can about saving money on a tight budget. 

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Comments

  4. Stefanie (@LexieLooDylan2) says

    Great tips! With my 4 year old starting preschool next month (lots of $$$) and Christmas coming up, our budget will be tighter than usual for the next 4 months. I took a look at our bank statement and noticed how much money was being spent on drinks while we were out and about. OUCH!

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  6. Jasmine Eclipse says

    This is a great post! As a young adult and college grad, it’s so important for me to keep financial things in check. I’ve found that my “treats” (aka, daily Starbucks) really does take a toll on my bank account! And going grocery shopping once a week is a great tip. I find myself going to the store 3-4 times a week because I forgot something, but then I end up buying so many other things there as well.

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  12. stacey says

    Great tips! It really is so much about stoping and looking to see if what we are spending money on is a need or a want. I know it is easier said than done – but it is what I try to do a lot. I love to travel – so I try to cut back on everything else so I can budget for the travel. I ran a four week grocery budget and was really successful. The series is on my blog. But I also wrote a recap of what I learned for a guest blog on Feeding Big. If you are interested it is at: http://feedingbig.com/2015/07/guest-post.html Again – you are doing a great job with your budget! It is hard stuff!
    stacey recently posted…A Dozen (Mostly) Free Summer Boredom BustersMy Profile

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  14. Stacey @ Stacey Homemaker says

    Making your own cleaning supplies is a great idea! I just started doing that too. It was a little expensive at first to buy essential oils but it’s so worth it in the long run. I also don’t worry about eating food off the kitchen counters now since I don’t clean with chemicals. It’s a win-win!
    Stacey @ Stacey Homemaker recently posted…Disney’s DescendantsMy Profile

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  15. Shelly says

    Admittedly, we can get pretty frivolous with our spending in this household. I know it’s because we’re fairly comfortable, but I certainly don’t discount the fact that life happens and it could all be taken away in a flash (loss of job or illness and the like).

    The one tip I do make huge effort to employ is the weekly meal planning 🙂 I love planning and cooking, so that one comes pretty easy.

    Thank you for sharing!
    Shelly recently posted…Write or Die Wednesday |35| EmpathyMy Profile

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  19. Michelle James says

    Hi! Your situation sounds exactly like mine…except my blog isn’t making any money yet. I am trying to get there so it can help with paying things down and saving and hopefully it will kick into gear sooner than later. I get caught in the grocery game as well. I need to go once per week and stop the unnecessary trips that are costing me. I also need to watch the sales better.

    Thanks so much for these tips. I definitely pinned so I can refer back over and over!
    Michelle James recently posted…Coffee Graphic PrintableMy Profile

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