Manage your money and take control of your life
Money management, budget, saving by less spending
I have learned these things through my life experiences.
Spending less overall
You have everything you need and more in abundance.
You have plenty, extra of everything and enough to share.
Focus more on what I need than what I want
Needs are met, wants are fulfilled
Reorder priorities in my daily life
Feeling good is the first and top priority
Take a walk. Move as you desire. Rest when you need it.
Rest is recuperative and regenerates the soul and cells.
Reduce or eliminate costly unnecessary subscriptions to
anything that does not pay off and is purely for entertainment.
EG: books, magazines, radio, movie, television, news, newspapers
tip: media items can be had for cheap at thrift stores, garage sales
use free broadcast tv, watch free videos on the internet (youtube)
I love to read, learn, enjoy media in all forms and it is available
for free (within yourself and watching/observing your environment)
in nature, radio, libraries, television, books, music.
Comparative shopping anywhere and everywhere.
Comparative shopping online more often
Comparative shopping with newspapers/circulars more often
Comparative shopping using my mobile phone more often
Using coupons more often
Shopping for sales more often
Making more gifts for family and friends
Traveling less or not at all
Buying more practical gifts or necessities as gifts
Taking fewer shopping trips
Spending less on apparel
Dining out less frequently
Skip the drink, soda, coffee, tea, juice when dining out.
Order water or water with lemon instead.
I learned this in my twenties: sugary drinks add unwanted calories,
restaurants and businesses make a huge profit off of selling beverages
and less profit for food.
Cutting back on “small luxuries” like high-end cosmetics and trips to coffee shops
Shopping at discount stores more often
Shopping at thrift stores more often
Buying more store brands/generic
Advertised brands spend more to advertise and charge more
for their goods. Some generic brands are really the same product
as advertised brands and sell for much less money.
Become more practical and realistic in my purchases
Shop less at enclosed shopping malls and more at free standing stores
Focus more on experiences than on buying stuff
Focus more on local or small businesses
Eating home cooked meals more often
Be more environmentally responsible
Become more conscious about food safety
Become more budget conscious
Have no clothing that requires dry cleaning, starch or ironing
Hang heavy items to dry (blue jeans, blankets, comforters)
Hang lightweight items to dry (lingerie, undies, delicate items)
This saves a lot in energy usage (electricity, gas) and appliance wear
and tear and puts money back into your pocket for free.
You also gain more energy by exercising to do these things.
You can soften up the jeans after they dry but putting them
into the clothes dryer for a few minutes instead of drying them
in the dryer for an hour and a half.
Teach yourself how to cook at home. Most food dishes are easy to make
and are healthier and more economical when you do it yourself.
How easy is it to make a sandwich, a salad, homemade soup, one pot meals,
roasted meat, baked potatoes in the microwave, eggs, a three or four course meal?
Anything already prepared, chopped, seasoned is going to cost you more money
You will pay at least twice as much for the convenience of processed food and
drinks and "save" the time it would take for you to make it yourself from scratch.
Learn how to use spices and buy individual seasonings instead of
prepackaged containers which often contain more salt, msg or other
cheap flavor enchancers than they do actual spices or natural flavors.
Use real baking soda to brush your teeth instead of commerical tooth paste.
It is natural, cheap (50 to 65 cents or so a pound - 16 ounce box) and
for me personally, does not make me feel like puking when I use it.
Mint flavored flouridated toothpaste makes me gag and nautious.
Cinnamon flavored toothpaste or pepsodent does not.
Add real cinnamon and cloves to your tea or coffee. Tastes great,
freshens breath and is good for you.
Ask yourself if it is really necessary to have a new car, diamonds, jewelry,
furs, mink coats, plastic surgery, the latest fashions and clothes, the newest
electronics, fads, gizmos, trends or fancy appliances with features you
really aren't going to use once the newness wears off.
Beauty is about plain, clean and simple purity much like
that of a child. It's not about fancy adornments and showy, flashy items
that often may call attention to your looks but do not make
one look pretty, cute or beautiful.
My uncle in law used to say that some women spend more money
going out the back door that their husbands don't know about while
he, the man, is out there slaving away at his job working hard and
putting in long hours to pay the bills. All the while he thinks he is
earning plenty of money to take care of things and can save/put back
some money but isn't due to the hole in the boat draining
his finances going on behind his back.
2-5-2020
