At the moment, I am re-adjusting my budget. I have recently moved to the big city, after being away for decades. So I have to make changes to my budget. Things cost so much more in the city.
I've found that by shopping at discount warehouses such as Sam's Club I can get my groceries for a full month for a family of five for just over $400 per month and this includes all my toiletries, cleaning supplies, and soaps, toothpastes, etc. Groceries have gotten so expensive over the years. I can barely afford to buy veggies/fruits so I grow my own from home.
I am just like you myself. I always pay my bills and what ever is left I can save or treat myself. It doesn't take all that much for me to live because I was taught that way years ago. If a person stays on a budget they can live of off the very minimal. They would be surprised about the money they would have left. You don't need to treat yourself by spending money every week because there are so many things you can do that will cost you and your family nothing but what you already have at home.
It's tough to budget money because I love buying things and eating in new restaurants. I can't help it so my remedy fir this is that whenever I have money, I put it in an investment program so that I could not have the money in my hand. BY this way, I am not just saving, I am also profiting in the long run.
I budget each week. I pay bills and then buy any necessary needs, then I work on the wants. I don't care how great your plans are life just happens and you have to learn to roll with it.
I have entered a time in my live where a necessary living adjustment was called for. The recession hit us double hard. I changed everything. No more weekly trips to the hair, beauty, and nail salon, I changed my shopping habits to buy generic brands. I started eliminating the unnecessary purchases, just as buying that blouse, or new shoes, and new clothes. No more going out for dinner, going to the cinema, and unnecessary trips in the car. My income was cut in half as my husband was no longer employed. Believe it or not I cut my spending to half and I am doing okay. There are many ways to save the money. Mostly cut down on the luxury purchases and the special perks you buy yourself.
I have been living on a very tight budget for a very long time now. As a single mom of two kids I have learned a great deal about stretching a dollar. Some of the major things I do to make my money go further, and to stick to my budget are; shop thrift whenever possible, buy food in bulk and freeze what I can, utilize community programs, and cook so there are always leftovers.
I pay my bills, shop at the goodwill for clothes and don't spend money on anything that does not need to be purchased. It does get a little tight sometimes but I am making it work.
I usually only buy things that I LOVE and can't imagine being without. I also like to use programs such as ebates when I shop for essentials because it gives you cash back on things that you buy. This has actually saved me a lot of money when I shop online. As for going shopping in actual stores I always make myself a budget that I want to stay in because I would hate to go over. I am pretty satisfied with how I shop and how my lifestyle is.
Financial management is very vital for happy life.Increasing income and decreasing expenses are very vital for happy life style.
I cut back on buying clothes and things like that I don't really need I try to save as much as I can buy shopping sales and using coupons
Proper budgeting is needed these times. Start with determining our needs and wants. of course needs should come first.
I don't spend a ton of money so my budget is fine. When I was younger I spent more. Mostly on pay-per-view boxing, wrestling, and ball games. But now, wrestling sucks, boxing sucks, and the Knicks are full of false hopes and the Yankees are old men now. So....this has saved me a lot of cash lol!
Most of the times people do not really bother it but yeah for a fact we gotta be talking for all these things because if we see we get to have ideas of understanding every needed thing but with the decent budget that goes according to the income.
I live a very simple life and don't really go out. My $50 a month cable TV is my entertainment. We have movie nights at home instead of going to movies or buying DVDs. I only buy clothes when my clothes wear out. I cook at home instead of dining out. We have picnics in the park and go for walks. There's really not a lot of extras in my life right now because I'm trying to pay off a creditor and get them off my back.