Budgeting

Content by Sol Rosales
My husband has really gotten into budgeting over the last handful of months. He has gotten our family on a cash budget, and it has really helped us manage our finances better as a family. I grew up in a fairly wealthy family, and I never worried much about managing money. It was not a skill I needed until after college. At first I did not think using a cash budget was going to work, but it has helped us keep much better track of our spending. We allot a certain amount each month for all of our spending needs, and we simply do not spend more than we allow ourselves for a given month. Using this method we have been able to cut into our credit card debt and are beginning to save for the future. My husband works hard, and I work part-time as a nurse, but we are still a middle-income family. One thing that has helped us figure out how much we are spending every month on energy is to switch to a fixed-rate energy system through http://www.texaselectricityproviders.com/. This allows us to know exactly how much we will be spending every month on energy for our home. We also have switched to less expensive internet and cable providers in an attempt to save money. Probably the single biggest thing we have done to save money is to eat out less. I used to dread cooking, but over the last few months I have actually learned to like it as I become more comfortable in the kitchen. It feels so good to feel control over our finances again.

Saving Money Online

I am very focused on trying to save money and looking for new ways to do so. I am wanting to use more coupons, so am trying out electronic coupons as well as paying more attention to the tried and true paper ones. But I have to be careful not to use a coupon to buy something I normally wouldn't buy. That would defeat my purpose. So far, I haven't done much of that. I just need to find more coupons to save real money on groceries and other items of use. And then actually upload the electronic ones or take the paper ones to the store. So much to think about!

Another goal is to try to find deals on online auction and coupon sites. Again, not to spend money on things I don't need, but on things I do. I have used ebay, half.com, groupon, and living social. I am reading some dealfun.com reviews to see what that is about. Mindfulness about not spending money is what I need. I am getting better at being mindful about not spending some of the time, but not all of the time. I need to be mindful all of the time.

I have come to realize that I will always need to keep vigil about not overspending and keeping a budget. It doesn't come easy for me. I am beginning to think I need to start every day with a little meditation or mental reminder to keep my wallet shut. I just don't have the genes to do it otherwise. I am beginning to think that.