If you are just putting a household budget together for the first time, you may go through the process and think that there is no way you can reduce your spending any further than it is currently. While that may be the case in some situations, it’s far from the reality in most. There are plenty of ways to reduce spending. In my series of articles on family budgeting, I’m going to take you through several of them – from housing expenses, food, transportation, utilities, health care, along with several other areas. Sure, some of the ideas will look like they may not be worth the effort, but whey you step back and look at the long term benefits, you’ll quickly realize small adjustments can add up to big time savings over time.
Before I get into specific areas, I thought it would be a good idea to touch on looking for and getting good deals on a global basis first.
There are a few things you want to be aware of when it comes to finding a good deal. First, I strongly recommend that you scope out a web site called yokel dot com. It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a pair of boots, a car, a prom dress, a refrigerator or dryer, you will be able to find the very best deals in your particular area by visiting this site.
Second, some thoughts on advertising in general. Needless to say, you should always be looking to buy things when they are on sale, but you shouldn’t buy an item only because it’s on sale! Buy products because you need them, not simply because you want them. Outside of the grocery fliers in the Sunday paper, stay away from the circulars for the big box stores unless you are looking for a specific item that you need. If you peruse those circulars just for the sake of looking at them, you could end up in trouble and busting your budget. Grocery fliers can save you a bundle – especially when you go to a store that doubles coupons. Paying the $2 or so for a Sunday paper can be very worth while, just for the grocery coupons.
If you are the type of person who simply can’t resist a sale, it could be that you have a spending problem. Folks with spending problems tend to buy just for the sake of buying, buy when the are celebrating an achievement, when they are down or for any number of reasons that make them feel great at the time, but pretty lousy later on. Even though they feel badly later on, they continue on with the practice. If this describes you, you may want to take the step of getting some help. This problem can be just as serious as any other addiction, so there is good reason to admit to the problem and gt help. A great source for assistance is Debtors Anonymous. They have chapters in most areas and would be happy to welcome you to their next meeting. To find the closest D.A. chapter in your area, you can call them at 781-453-2743, or visit them at http://debtorsanonymous.org/.