How to Spend Less than You Earn

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By coachmac4
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Spend Less

Are you trying to cut back on your lifestyle? Every American could do this and not starve or feel deprived. We, as a country, are conspicuous consumers and returning to a simpler lifestyle would reduce our stress and our blood pressure. If you would like a few tips to spending less than you earn, read on.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

FIND OUT WHAT YOU NET EVERY MONTH. This sounds like a no-brainer, but many 20 somethings don't know what they make, and simply spend until they run out of money. Simply, the act of sitting down and figuring out what you make is a big first step.
Step 2

DETERMINE ALL YOUR MONTHLY BILLS. Again, awareness is the key. Figure out the due dates of all your bills and pay those bills at least a day ahead. If possible, pay everything you can online! Having online bill pay saves you money! And if you can go online and check your credit card balances, you always are aware of where you stand and what you owe. Some banks will even give you due date alerts by email. This can save you postage on every bill and between $24 and $30 on each late fee.
Step 3

CLEAN OUT YOUR REFRIGERATOR! Every family can save money by using leftovers instead of letting everything grow mold in the refrigerator. Have a leftover night where little bits of food get eaten and not thrown out. The more you do this, the more your family will look forward to it.
Step 4

ELIMINATE THE CLUTTER. Go through drawers and give away the excess or sell it on craigslist or in a garage sale. Clutter clutters your mind and costs you money. When you can't find any socks, you buy more. If you can't find Windex, paper towels, or that white shirt, you buy more. Simplify your life, by eliminating the excess. Who needs 15 pots and pans, too much silverware or glasses? All it does is fill up your shelves. Simplify.

Comments

vallain said

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on 9/25/2009 Good advice to use up leftover food. Be creative and turn it into a potluck dinner for the family with bits of this and that.
Also use up all the ho-hum shampoo and misc. make-up that got shoved to the back of the drawer in the bathroom.

AnneZ said

on 9/11/2009 We've been eating out of the freezer and selling things like fajita plates. Good tips on saving money! 5*s

gailM said

on 7/29/2009 Great article. #3 is how we got this age of 84, raised 6 kids, sent 4 to college. Of course with that many kids to help we raised a big garden each year. So our leftovers were good stuff too. Gail