How do you conserve and not spend as much money?

I know you don’t want advice on investing but one way is to make it inaccessible by having it automatically invested when money is deposited into your account.

Congratulations on what you have been doing, most people don’t even do what you are doing to save.

That being said, just a few observations. One, it appears that you are planning the days out, which is good, but let’s take it a few steps further and plan each month and eventually the entire year out.

If you have regular monthly payments, then just put how much you owe and on what days they come due down on a calendar. You should also determine what your net pay is per month, and if you are like most people, then you get paid every 2 weeks. If that is the case, then here is another great way of saving. There are 2 months in which you will paid 3 times. However, if you only budget yourself to spend the 2 checks then you have essentially saved 2 checks per year.

To see when and how you could get paid 3 times in a month, you really need a yearly calendar in front of you and then go find the days you get paid and begin writing them down.

I do wish you well!

i went on a field trip about budgeting, maybe the problem you are having is spending money on things you honestly dont need. try it, trust me, most of the people on the field trip went over their spending limits.

Some ideas:
1) If you own a bike use it and avoid using the car if practical.
2) Get a credit card that pays cash back…do not carry a balance..make sure to pay off every month.
3) Reduce insurance coverage to minimums.
4) consolidate if you have a cell phone & a land line.
5) If you have cable TV get rid of it and use antenna if possible..make sure there is a strong signal in your area.
6) get programmable thermostats for heater/ac. Lower temp in winter & raise temp in summer.
7) When eating out get water (not bottled water) instead of a soft drink. Restaurants rip you off for drinks look at next restaurant bill and see amount for drink. Give up cigarettes & alcohol.
9) Do not buy books go to the library.
10) Switch light bulbs to the florescent types.

Plan your dinner meals out for the week.
Buy your clothes Detg, Fabric softener,dish washing detg,toilet tissue,paper towels & ect in this line at a Dallor General if you have one close.
See if you can go on monthly billing with the electric company.
Hope this helps.
If you wish you can e-mail me and I will fiqure you a complete budget…

Okay here goes:
Shower at the Y
Eat at a different friends place each week/day
Car Pool – work/play/shopping
Stop eating out
Wear a sweater instead of turning up heat
Get a fan instead of using an air conditioner
Hand push mower instead of a gas/electric powered one
After you washed your car, use same water to water garden
Turn off lighting you do not NEED
Use energy efficient bulbs for extended use lighting
That’s all I can think of for now

Good Luck

Track your money handling for a week or two and see where you can really cut back.
Look at a budget and see what can be done where, maybe finding a cheaper place to live, cut back on utilities etc.
Think about what you are willing to give up.

One of the most effective ways of saving money is to have it automatically deducted from your pay check and deposited in a retirement account, like a 401(k) account, if your employer offers them, or an IRA. Your employer will take care of payroll deduction for a 401(k). Your bank can arrange for an automatic transfer of funds to an IRA. Saving money in retirement accounts provides for your long term well-being. The webpages listed below tell you more about retirement accounts and automated saving. Good luck.

Get My Sister’s Budget! It separates your paycheck into mini-categories and lets you know where all your money is. You can put money into a savings category and deposit money into it every time you get paid. It’s a great work book. I’ve been using it for years.

Kudos to you! I follow the same frugal laws, just because I don’t want my money to be wasted. I read this site all the time and it give great tips here and there. One good tip–never buy anything you can make yourself.