How to save money without sacrifice

I write on another site helium.com. One of the titles they had was How to save money without sacrifice and I thought you might enjoy this posting also. Here is the link to the site

http://www.helium.com/items/1352465-dairy-free-gluten-free-coupons-restaurant-eating-frugal-lifestyle-layoffs

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Commitment

Commitment according to Webster's dictionary is an agreement or pledge to do something in the future esp an engagement to assume a financial obligation in the future, something pledged and the state or instance of being obligated or emotionally compelled. Commitment, future, agreement, obligation, pledged...all the same words in my book. When you make a commitment to something or someone it's your word. With everything that happens in your life, your word and reputation are the one things you control. What you say and how you do things are solely based on decisions you make. What have you committed to lately?

My commitment is to take one day at a time to work out my finances and somehow in the process enjoy life. Frugality doesn't mean dull or inactive. Commitment doesn't mean dread. What both of these words together mean are good decisions based upon knowledge and prayer. My husband and I have committed to being frugal while I'm laid off. We have committed to finding ways to make life happen while keeping our spending to a bare minimum. We are committed to each other and a plan.

What we have found is laughter and love together in frugality. We have gone square dancing, to movies, to the library. We have found joy in cooking dinner and sharing a meal. We have found love in every aspect of life and laughter everyday. We are moving back to the basics of life, a simplier life that involves getting to know each other on a new level.

Commitment and Frugality together have unleased a new way of living that is truly enjoyable. Try it, you may like it!

Second Week

Well, we did much better in this second week of the pay period. We started the week with $28.00 to last until Friday. One movie and a breakfast out and we are down to $19.00. I think we should be able to end the week with $15.00 left in the bank to put towards credit card debt. Now I know that you think, why do you even bother, what is the point in paying an additional $10 - $15 every two weeks. Well, this is exactly how I got out of my first credit card debt. It's baby steps that grow into children steps that grow into teen steps that grow into adult steps. What that means is this $10-$15 will grow and eventually become $20 - $30, then $40 - $60, then $80 - $120. You see as you pay off, even minimal amounts, of your debt you stop paying interest to the bank which gives every dollar you pay more leverage. It may take awhile for my big debt but by my next paycheck I will have one debt paid off and will start working on the next one. Every time one debt is paid off, there is a sense of relief and excitement that you can do it even on the little salary we make. Try it, you may find financial freedom in the little dollars you add to paying off your debt.

Two Lists

I was just reading this wonderful article on my obsession lately, the recession. It was talking about doing a flip flop in your thinking. Taking the negative of forced furloughs or being laid off and turning the situation into a positive. I have to admit, this was a stretch for me. I mean really, I get laid off and I'm supposed to be happy about it. But then I read the last paragraph. It suggested we make two lists one that lets all our worry come out, shows us our ruminations about this economic situation and gets it off our chest. The second list is a list of all our blessings in life, what we hold most near and dear to our hearts. Go ahead, take a few minutes to do this. I'll wait.

Do you have your two lists? I found that it was really easy to write these lists. I'm worried about paying the bills, never getting work again, being on government subsidies. I'm absolutely thankful for my God, my Husband, the friends I have, the family who supports me no matter what I try, the church I go to, the laughter and joy surrounding me, health to run marathons. Now would I trade anything on my thankful list to take away my worry list. Absolutely NOT! These are the joy in my life, the most important things to me. I can't imagine saying see you Robb, I need to have a job. That is insanity.

So as I go through a little bump in the road, I realize that I am blessed. I have so much more than money could ever buy and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I hope this exercise gives you a moment of pause, something to say thank you for as you are stressing out. A list that you should post where you can see it. When stress hits, a simple thank you prayer for the blessings will get you back on track.

God Bless.

Friday can't come soon enough

So this frugal living is kind of hard right now. We are in forced frugal instead of chosen frugal. You see Christmas did a small number on us and now we are paying the piper. It's too hard for me to go to someone's home for the holiday without a gift and there were a lot of gifts that needed to be brought. We did regift some of the gifts however, there were many we purchased which was definitely difficult.

Trying to pay off these debts before February 19th (possible layoff date) has been challenging in that we are strapped to the maximum. This week we have $17 to last until Friday payday. If we make it to Friday that $17 goes towards paying off a bill. My thought is that we will have about $7 to put towards bills but I do know that whatever the dollar is it will all go towards the credit card bill and we will struggle again in two weeks.

There is a bright spot to this. We had a lovely dinner last night of shrimp, broccoli, baked potato and wine and the entire dinner cost us $9.00 for both of us. We even had enough shrimp left overs that my husband can eat lunch on it today. So I'm learning that even in the frugality of the times, we can have wonderful dinners and show our love for each other.

I'm also finding that taking my lunch everyday isn't that bad. A little planning and a lot of will power creates an atmosphere where taking my lunch everyday is quite uplifting. With the frugality of bringing my lunch, I find my confidence level increasing. I know it sounds wierd but when I eat the lunch I brought and know I'm saving money, it gives me financial confidence which then translates to work confidence. I'm in control of something and it's working all right. That brings confidence.

So even during frugal times, there are lessons to be learned, confidence to be learned and control to establish. In the end, when the dust settles from all this, he who has adjusted their lifestyle and created wealth will thrive!