Living on Less

Economy got you pinching your pennies? Well you're not alone. I'm the first one to admit that I never paid attention to prices. I use to get my daily 3 pm non-fat cafe mocha pick me up, until one day I sat down and added up my coffee trips for a month. I was spending over $50 a month on coffee. I didn't even dare add up how much I was spending on eating out for lunch. I'm sure that figure would have made me cry. Since then, I have been evaluating my spending habits and coming up with ways to cut costs yet still have fun.

I've listed a few of my ideas below. I hope they help you too!

• Cut Out the Coffee - Try brewing your own and bringing it to work. Otherwise cut down on your trips to the coffee house to at least two times a week. You'll be amaze at how much you save.
• Brown Bag It - Bring your lunch from home as often as you can. Those $5-$10 lunches can sure add up.
• Eat In - Make dinner instead of going out or ordering in. This is also a chance to bring the family closer as each person can help prepare the meal.
• Nix the Movie Theaters - Your couch is way more comfortable than a theater seat and homemade snack and a rented video is much cheaper.
• Family Game Night - Bust out the boardgames or play charades. That's a cheap way to entertain the kiddos.
• Homemade Crafts - Puppet theater is a good way to keeps the children entertain at home. Make inexpensive puppets out of brown paper lunch bags, old shirts and socks and felt.

Every little bit you do goes a long way. Leave me a comment if you have more suggestions on how to save money.