All idea's welcome
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All idea's welcome
| Mon, 11-01-2004 - 12:37pm |
Ok I have tried it all Mundis, Hunt, Burkett...does anyone have other Budget idea's? I think I am so in the red that I will need something hard core! As for that light at the end of the tunnel I am looking for it as well.

Once you know what you really, truly spend (and on what), you can compare it to how much you are bringing in and make adjustments as necessary--some spending categories may go up; others down.
My main piece of advice is...don't use the b-word (budget)...try to think "spending plan" instead.
Also, a food budget is often a great place to cut, and often easy to do with some planning. Look for salvage stores in your area. I get all kinds of meat, and all different cuts (rack of lamb on a recent trip; boneless, skinless, diced chicken breast on another, to name a few), and never pay over a dollar a pound for it at our salvage store. Today I bought six 32-ounce containers of Dannon yogurt for a dollar. And so on. You can also cut your grocery bills by shopping several chain stores for their loss leaders sales and stocking up. Again, you can easily buy all your meat for a dollar or less a pound using this method. Try a farmer's market for produce, and if there's a super walmart near you, try it for the rest of your groceries. Compare prices ruthlessly--I keep a price book with the cheapest price for any given item listed, and I bring a calculator and compare, so I know for sure when I'm getting a good deal, and can stock up on it. We spend $45 a week for our family of four, including toothpaste, detergents, etc., and could probably do it on considerably less if we gave up some of our indulgences (like the chocolate cake I got at the salvage store today for a dollar! LOL).
Gasoline can be cut by combining shopping trips and completely cutting out impulse trips. With oil prices what they are, this alone can save you a bundle.
I could go on, but The Tightwad Gazette covers all this in detail and is a great source of inspiration, too. Look for it at your library. It's not a budgeting or debt management book, it's a book about a lifestyle--a rich lifestyle based on frugal living designed to help you meet your goals.
Good luck and blessings,
Heather
http://www.daveramsey.com/
here's a link to his website-you can join on a free guest pass, but for now, scroll down the page until you see "Useful Tools". You're looking for the "Quickie Budget" link.
Once you click on it, another page will open up, and it'll show up in Adobe Acrobat. This is a 'beginner's budget'-it's very rough, but helpful to get started. He also has "Cash Flow Planning" sheets as a free resource.
One of the things I've learned from this is to GIVE EVERY DOLLAR A NAME before it gets to you. We really can tell the difference when we don't follow that!
Good luck-hope this will help you-
Lisa
Saving my money and paying off my debt is more important to me than eating my favorite meal or using my favorite shampoo.