How to Survive Day-by-Day Without Spending

During times when money is tight, it's all about budgeting your expenses. It is nearly impossible to not spend any money; you have to buy necessities to survive, but smart choices and frugal living can limit day to day costs. Here are some suggestions for how to survive with minimal daily spending.

Instructions

1. Get into the right mind-set. You are going to truly commit to limiting your spending and being as frugal as possible. It doesn't mean you need to sacrifice the quality of your lifestyle. It just means, making smart financial choices and not paying someone else to do something that you can do yourself. It means, if you decide to cut back by not dining out, you cannot dine out. Brew your own coffee in the mornings, don't buy a daily mocha. Survive without unnecessary spending.

2. Plan, plan, plan. Budget first, write out a grocery list and commit to it, plan realistic meals and snacks that you will eat and stop buying foods that end up going to waste. Find a recipe for what would you would order if you were to eat out and try to make it yourself. Have fun with cooking for yourself and your family. The goal is to go shopping only once a week, or every other week, and think ahead so that you don't have to make return shops (which often lead to costly impulse buys). Every day that you don't purchase food cuts back your daily food cost and expenses.

3. Make-do with what you have available to you instead of spending money to occupy your time and hunger. Get creative everyday with foods, things to do and places to go. Have a picnic and enjoy a day at the park, enjoy coffee at home while reading an online newspaper, go for walks, make pizza at home with the kids (a healthier, more fun alternative to ordering pizza). Children are creative by nature, they don't need to be entertained; brainstorm together what you can do and use your imagination.

4. Learn to love where you live. Appreciate your house and spend time in it, it's your biggest investment. Why go out for breakfast when you can make it at home? Why spend a small fortune at the theater when you can rent a movie (or better yet, watch one you already own)? Plan a weekly game night with your family, invite friends over for lunch instead of meeting them out, trade movies with friends. Minimize your costs by enjoying what you have at home.

5. Use "free" sources. Take advantage of your local library and borrow books, take the family to visit museums on days when they are open to the public, plant and grow your own vegetable garden, invest in a gym (a monthly expense). It is okay to invest in items (like vegetables, flowers, gym memberships) that you will use and will bring great reward, though remember paying for a gym is not cost effective if you don't use it.
   A new trend is with families who have joined together with other friends and neighbors and planned nights when they will cook for the entire group. It eliminates not only daily cooking and cleaning, but also daily food costs.

6. Be romantic and make it about each other when it comes to relationships. Have a candlelight dinner at home, light a fire, pop your own popcorn and make it a movie night in. Budget a bottle of wine and cheese into your weekly grocery expenses and have a romantic moment together after you put the children to bed. Cut flowers from your garden and bring a beautiful arrangement inside. You don't have to spend money to spend time together.