Thank you to Julie of The Hallway Initiative for the inspiration for this post which appeared in MoneySavingMom.
“Nothing stimulates creativity like a good crisis.”
Living on a budget has never been a strong point for me. I can remember very short periods of time in my adult life when I was credit card/debt free. Then those addictive traits reared their ugly head and it was back.
Finances were almost always tight as a single mom. As my own boss, my income depends on me which means it is sometimes inconsistent. I have been reading books on personal finance, working on a detailed budget (YKES!), and always on the look out for money-saving ideas. I ran into MoneySavingMom.com awhile ago and am eating up every penny-pinching post. My initial thought is always to go back to work full-time then the realities of health struggles and age (everyone wants young social workers) hit me. I will admit, I am great at managing money for others but when it comes to my own account it is a totally different story.
I don’t know about you but when I used to get a pay raise at work, my spending increased. I mean now I could pay the bills (at least the minimums) and have extra money in my account. The truth was (and still is) despite how much money is in the bank, I need to remember how I budgeted during the lean times.
I love these four strategies to maintain a frugal mindset:
1. Think in terms of stewardship.
I often forget everything I “own” is a gift on loan from God. When I remember it’s all His, no matter how much or little He’s given me, I am challenged to be a better steward with His things. I need to work with my money the same way I manage other people’s money. Even during lean times, I found ways to help others in need. It may not have been in cash but it may have been in groceries or time. It is when I do things like this, the blessings come back in multitudes.
2. Keeping a budget.
This is probably the hardest thing for me. I don’t remember much talk about budgeting when I was growing up. I have tried to stick to a budget off and on for years with limited success. I think I was the most successful with a budget when Elsie managed my money and bills in my early days of recovery. I couldn’t trust myself to have cash laying around so she monitored it all. Bills got paid and money got saved. sticking to a budget is one of the best ways to maintain control of your spending. It helps you keep track of your expenditures and reminds you to be wise with what you have. And, if finances permit, it’s perfectly okay to increase certain budget categories, such as giving, saving, and splurges! Just make sure you’re doing it deliberately rather than on a whim.
3. Keep up with penny-pinching resources
There are a lot of them out there…. I don’t necessarily mean “Extreme Couponing” unless it is something you love to do but I do have a few favorites besides MoneySavingMom.com. I am always scrolling through financial blogs, keeping up with new frugal tips and making sure I am remaining a good steward of my money.
Some of my favorite resources include:
4. Save for the next crunch
This is where I made my mistake years ago. When my finances were Just because your freed up for a moment, I didn’t plan for the next squeeze. I didn’t listen to Dave Ramsey and other financial giants recommend building up 3-6 month’s worth of living expenses. If you’ve never been able to do so before, do it now while you have money left over at the end of the month (even if it is $10).
I haven’t done a perfect job of thinking in terms of stewardship, continuing to keep a budget, keeping up with penny-pinching resources, and saving for the next financial crunch, but those are the four strategies I’m working toward at this time. I tried to keep in mind it is progress not perfection.
What are some of you favorite money saving tips or resources? Share them with us.
Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!
Hope Wissel 