budget talk,  food

Your budget Your Way

Sometimes saving money and giving up those not so good for you snacks and treats can sometimes take the fun out of life.

It’s also not much fun when you have to pinch the pennies to get of debt or fund your retirement. Sometimes it just seems like punishment and you end up asking yourself, why do it?

I’m a big believer in rewards and tailoring things to fit you and your personality and that includes your approach to saving money.

Here are some creative ways you can help take the pain out of sticking to a budget…

It’s Your Budget

Don’t go it alone… get your family or even some friends to budget along with you. Create common goals and brainstorm for fun and creative budgeting ideas.

Cookouts

The great American cookout is a great way to have a fun evening while saving money. Have a cookout food of the week, like chicken drumsticks that are cheaper or even your own gourmet pizza.

Go “Shopping” for What You Don’t Need

When you’re out running errands or at the mall, make a point of pointing out all the useless things you see that you don’t need. Like yet another pair of shoes when you haven’t even worn the ones you brought last week.

It’s fun and teaches you some important lessons about needs versus wants.

Creative Savings – a New Take on the “Swear Jar”

You’ve heard of the swear jar where people put a quarter into a jar each time a bad word slips out of their mouth. Create something like, each time you or someone repeats a bad habit, you put money into a jar.

For example, every day you put off doing something on your to do list, it’s money in the jar.

Every time you fall back on convenience foods, money goes into that jar.

It’s a great way to train yourself to get into better money saving habits.

The added bonus is you’ll have a jar with some extra money to put away for a rainy day.

DIY Videos

Make use of all those online tutorials to fix minor problems around the house. Try typing your problem into your search engine and look for tutorials. I’ve found no end of videos on sites like YouTube that have helped me save money by not having to hire someone to fix something.

If you don't want to miss all the good things coming up on Budget Smart Girl, including special deals, be sure to sign up to become a subscriber.

You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.