Simple Ways to Save
January 12th, 2009 12:00 pm
As 2009 gets underway, one thing is becoming more certain: the financial woes of the last year are probably not healing overnight, and things may still get worse before they get better.
While I don’t have a plan or strategy to fix everything, I do have some suggestions to help in your day-to-day money management during tough times. In a nutshell, they are all variations on a single theme: live within your means.
- Simplify: It is all too easy to be wasteful in our consumerist, materialistic society. Now is a very good time to explore ways to live more simply in order to keep your expenses down. Purchase raw fruits and vegetables, and eat more raw foods (it’s better for you anyway). Keep your meals simple… big meals lead to waste, both in your body and in the trashcan. Stop trying to do everything and instead spend more time on fewer activities… you’ll enjoy them more and you’ll spend less money on them.
- Consolidate: Save gas by running all your errands together, perhaps on Saturday morning, rather than scattered throughout the week. Do your shopping for the week (or even the month!) all at once instead of stopping by the store every time you think of something you want. Planning ahead in these ways keeps you focused on the task at hand and reduces impulse-buying. Share books with family members and friends instead of rushing out to buy your own copy of everything you’d like to read.
- Focus: Only buy the things you actually need. Avoid impulse-buying (especially at the grocery store). There are several ways to do this. My favorite is to make a list of the things I need in advance, and only buy the things on the list. If it’s truly important, I will think of it before I ever step out the door.
- Monitor: Have some system in place to keep track of how your money is being spent: a budget, allocation accounts, self-auditing… which method you use isn’t as important as that you have a method. Know what you have available and know how you spend, and you’ll find many ways to spend more wisely.
If you do these simple things, you’ll find that you spend less and have more free time to enjoy your family or hobbies. And, after all, that’s the important part of life anyway.
In the news
- The next wave of challenges has begun: Diabetes Epidemic Now Poses Challenges for Nursing Homes
- Technical solutions never solve social problems… they’ll just find a way around it: Car Key Device Jams Teens’ Cell Phones
- Single moms being a notable exception: Females ‘less physically active’
Quote for the week
The best things in life are free. – American Proverb
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
