What do you think of the economy right now? Are you better off or struggling? Are you always on the lookout for more money, so that you can buy what you need? Is your family growing and in need off a decent living? Are your children bursting out of their clothes and in need of a change in wardrobe? Expenses, expenses! It seems like they’re always popping up and that our income isn’t enough. So, what can we do to cope? How can we manage what little we have?
The first step to reduce your expenses is to be able to identify your needs from your wants. The real needs are food, clothing, and shelter; education is not even in the top 3. Obviously, it would be great to graduate from a reputable schools, but is that really a dire need?
Let’s talk about you food costs – everyone’s top need. What can you do to spend as little as possible on food, yet be able to eat three square meals a day? Again, identify the needs from the wants. You need to eat but does it have to be chicken or beef? Can you live without dessert? Do you need to have all the ingredients in a particular recipe? One can actually live with an egg mixed with hot rice and a dash of salt.
Vegetables can be expensive, so why not plant your own so you can harvest instead of buying on a regular basis? Or what about building a coop in your backyard witha few chickens? If your space cannot allow such adjustments, then at least you can start using voucher codes to help with food shopping. I’ve used websites like Net Voucher Codes to save tons of money on my weekly grocery shopping. One thing to be careful about though is buying things you don’t need or want, just because you have a voucher. It goes back to the same point about identifying your need from your wants and if you’re needlessy buying things you don’t need because they’re on sale, you’re going to end up spending way too much.
I know it’s tough, but in times like this, we need to tighten our belts and we should be listening to our head more than our heart….
great post! very timely too. Expenses are endless. We really have to spend within our means and allot budget for things you need to buy. One of the biggest factor why most people overspend is because they are not working on a budget or they are impulsive buyer.
I used to have a mindset about income and saving. Mainly I used to harp about not being able to save enough even though y income was increasing. Good thing my mom talked me out of my slump and told me that it was all a matter of perspectives. My salary was enough only problem was I was spending more because of it. So I decided to pay myself first by immediately placing a portion of my salary aside for savings. Then the rest for my everydays bills and expenses. It worked and I was able to save a substantial amount that came in really handy in emergencies.
Often times we feel our salaries are not enough. We just need to change our mindset and stop spending too much!