My family, with the holy wisdom that God has provided for us,Have just started to discover that no matter how much you owe or how much you make, you could save hundreds of dollars a month by taking some drastic measures in your life.
What you need to get started....
- God's help and direction. You could argue, "hey!, you don't need God to have a lot of money" but I tell you, those that don't have God in their lives misuse the money they accumulate and end up losing their money, their lives and their souls.
- You gotta have a motive or a need to get started. My family's personal motive is debt.
- All the members in the family have to be clear on what the whole group is trying to accomplish.
- Track your expenses, no matter how small these are. This will help you identify where all your money goes.
Drastic steps for saving money:
- Stay away from restaurants. My husband and I and our 2 kids would regularly go out to eat at least 5 times a week, we would spend approximately 600 dollars a month eating out in restaurants.
- Cut your cable subscription. Nowadays, a digital cable subscription can cost you from 65 to 100 dollars per month. Cut it, save money and keep your kids away from all the violence and pornography in it.
- Eliminate junk food from your diet. I don't know about you but whenever we went to the supermarket, 40% of our groceries would be junk food. The only way you can eliminate all of these cravings is by eating more fruits, they are cheaper and healthier.
I have just listed some of our personal drastic measures that my family has undertaken. You might have some unique weakneses that are draining your money away. You could be a casual drinker, a smoker or a fashion lover that is why I mentioned God in the beggining. Only Jesus is a specialist on the drastic and on the impossible, believe and God will make you stronger against all your weaknesses. If you think about it, your weaknesses are the ones that take most of your money away.
Some other personal tips:
When grocery shopping....
-Bring a shopping list and don't bring more money than what you plan to spend. Also look for stores that offer price matching bring the other stores flyers for proof.
- Buy family packs. If it's meat, divide meat into portions, you could have enough meat to prepare up to 3 meals depending on the dish you are trying to make (Some simple and economic dishes include Chow mein, Burritos, Pasta)
-Use coupons. Coupons work best when they're combined with another deal or when the item you buy will be cheaper than or equal as the store brand.
When looking for healthy entertainment....
-Don't overspend. Visit your local public library where you can borrow the latest in DVD movies , books , newspapers, magazines. Stay away from movie renting and newspaper/magazine subscriptions.
- Visit local municipal parks
When looking for an item that your family needs.....
- Compare prices : Be sure to shop around.
- Check on the internet. Usually they offer the items at a discount when you shop online. Some stores offer free delivery.
