Here's post #2 on an article I found at Money Central titled "20 Ways to Save on a Shoestring":
But how can you save a red cent when you just barely live on what you earn? Well, since you asked: Saving is a two-step process. First you retrain your brain, and then you find all kinds of clever ways to live on less (many of which are conveniently located below).
Step 1: Retrain your brain
Saving money is a state of mind. Before you can start, you have to renounce the spending -- and stop believing you actually need all the stuff you’ve been spending money on. Just don’t. Spend, that is. Sure you want it, but that’s no excuse for buying it. The next time you want to buy something, take the $50 or $100 out of your wallet, and stash it somewhere. See? That’s called saving. You don’t end up with stuff; you end up with MONEY. A few other tips for the brainwashing you¹re about to do:
Accept frugality as your savior. Become a closet cheapskate and emulate your frugal friends. Note that they fix the shower curtain instead of buying a new one. Sit down with Depression-era relatives and ask about economizing. That’s what I did. And, yea, did the spirit of saving take hold of me!
Seek inspiration. Get thee onto MSN Search and type in "living cheaply," "frugal living" and "voluntary simplicity." You’ll find a gazillion Web sites devoted to living on less, including thefrugalshopper.com, simpleliving.net and frugaliving.com.
Cry poverty -- with style. Learn handy phrases like, "Let’s eat somewhere cheap." And "Shopping? Blech. Let’s go for a bike ride." It’s less embarrassing than you’d think, because more people are in your shoes than you think -- and they’ll be grateful you spoke up.
This makes saving money sound like a death sentence, which it really isn't. It's simply being satisfied with the simpler things in life.
For instance, here are some of the choices my family has made:
- We do not buy cable TV. Nope, no cable. Instead, we spend time going to the park, riding bikes, and playing games.
- We don't eat out that much and when we do we find that pancakes at McDonald's are just as good as those at a fancy brunch offering -- and a lot cheaper. Better yet, we like to eat for free when we can.
- We check out books at the library rather than buy them.
- We often choose to give gifts from the heart rather than gifts from the pocketbook.
There are lots of easy, simple ways we save, and while none of them account for big money by themselves, when they are added up, they make a very big difference to our bottomline.
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