The trick to getting ahead financially is to live on less than what you make. If you can create a lifestyle that costs less than your weekly paycheck, you will find it is easier to save money and live a healthy financial life. Living on less than what you make doesn’t have to be tricky; it just takes a little work. Take a peek below for some helpful tips on how to live on less than you make.
How to Live on Less Than You Make
1. Be honest about your earnings.
The first thing to do is look at how much you bring home each week. Taking a hard and honest look at these numbers lets you know what you are working with. Add these numbers up to see how much you bring home each week, each month, and each year.
2. Set a budget based on a fraction of your earnings.
When creating a budget, the idea isn’t to spend every penny you make. In order to spend less than what you make, create a budget based on ¾ of your earnings. Or, even half if you think you can manage it. Set budgets for all areas of spending including: housing, utilities, food, and miscellaneous.
3. Track your spending.
In order to stay within your budget, be sure to track your spending. This will help you keep an eye on your money and be sure you don't overspend. Anytime you spend money, be sure to write it down in a notebook or ledger.
4. Learn needs from wants.
Many times it is not being able to decipher needs from wants that keep us broke. Any time you are tempted to make a purchase, ask yourself if it is a need or want. Needs should always take priority and wants should be few and far between. Set aside some savings for wants so that in time, the want can become a reality.
5. Re-evaluate your lifestyle.
Sometimes, you just need to ask yourself if your lifestyle matches your income. This can be a hard question to ask but it is necessary. If you love manicures, eating out, concerts, expensive cars, and new clothing, yet you make $15 an hour, it's time to reconsider your spending habits. Think about how many hours you would have to work for that dinner out or new shirt. Is it worth it? While you don’t need to live like a miser on $15 an hour, you do need to make smart decisions to get ahead!
Learning to live on less than you make can offer you some real financial freedom. Give these tips a try and get on the path to financial freedom yourself!
What's the hardest part of living on less than you make? How do you make it work?
Now is the time to grab that winter coat you’ve had your eye on for next winter! You should find winter outerwear to be drastically reduced.
Winter Sports Equipment
In March, stores will have deep discounts on skis, snowboards, snowshoes and sleds. While you may have to put them away as soon as you buy them, March is the best time to buy these items.
Luggage
March is a great time time to buy travel gear like suitcases! Since winter travel is ending and summer travel has yet to start, luggage tends to go on sale during the month of March. Get your suitcases now for your summer vacation. (Or if you have March break travel plans!)
St. Patrick’s Day Stuff
Starting the day after St. Partick’s day, you’ll find at the fun St. Patrick’s day items on clearance. Stock up for next year so you’re prepared.
Cleaning Supplies
Spring cleaning is around the corner so retailers are starting to put their cleaning supplies on sale. Don’t forget to use your coupons for extra savings! Need a spring cleaning checklist? Here you go.
Frozen food
March is National Frozen Food month. Most frozen foods will be on sale during March. Be sure to use those coupons! This is a great time to stock up on frozen vegetables so you can eat nutritious food all year long.
Every Monday in 2015, I’ll be sharing a different idea to help you save money! Add all of these tips to your frugal repertoire and you’ll be able to save a lot of money this year! I hope you’ll gather a few new ideas or at least some inspiration from this series.
One of the ways we like to save money at home is by doing at-home hair cuts for my husband. (I’m not willing to let him have a go at my hair quite yet :)) While I’m not an expert in the least, no one has ever said anything bad about his hair! After all, I simply cut his hair the same length all over, then trim his neck with the trimmer and around his ears with a pair of scissors. Simple! I estimate were saving at least $20 every 6 weeks or so.
I think it also helps that we have a decent hair trimmer to work with! We have the Wahl 3231 22 Piece Home Pro Haircutting Kit which we purchased after reading the reviews on Amazon. So yeah, if it weren’t for this great $18 tool, we’d be spending a lot more on haircuts throughout the year!
While I’m not quite brave enough to cut my own hair at home, I have cut my own bangs. I’ve also trimmed my daughter’s bangs. (Which I’ve now decided to grow out.) Here are a couple of tutorials I found that may me useful for you:
In the recent Simply Frugal survey I did, I received a few answers from readers saying they’d love to know what sort of frugal activities are keeping my daughter occupied. Since I like to read other bloggers posts that give me a peek into their daily lives, I thought I’d oblige!
A little background. My daughter will be three at the end of March 2015 (*sob*) so she’s starting to get more interested in activities that are more structured. Also, since having my daughter, I find I have to get out of the house at least once a day. Even if it’s going for a walk or getting groceries. I go stir crazy if I’m at home too long (says the girl who was a homebody before kids.)
I’m always looking for new frugal things to do with her but currently, these are our favourite things to do:
Crafts
She loves craft time. She pretty much has free reign over the supplies I’ve picked up from the dollar store, Target (I’m going to miss that dollar section!) and various other stores. I have a plastic bin with paints, crayons, googly eyes (her fave), stickers, glue, ribbon and more just for her. She loves to make birthday cards and they’re a hit with the recipients 🙂 We’re going to give this craft kit a try on an upcoming road trip we have.
Dolls/Pretend Play
It’s so fun to watch since her pretend play is really starting to develop! One of her favourite things to play with right now is dolls. She loves to take care of them: bathe, feed, play and dress them (with my help). We also do a lot of pretend shopping trips with her grocery cart and play food. She also loves this Melissa & Doug food set. We have picnics with it and this LeapFrog picnic basket. Another thing she loves is a toy jeep and little people that my mom kept from when we were kids.
I don’t think my daughter has a ton of toys but when I do purchase something I like to invest in good quality with good playability toys. Most of them have been bought off Amazon, bought used (the best!) or given as gifts.
Sensory bins
This is something that I want to play around with more this year. So far the two bins that I’ve set her up with she loves. I can usually get almost 1/2 hour of independent play out of a bin. That is amazing to me! One bin I made holds dried beans and small farm animals. The other is rice with plastic insects and pom poms. She loves to bury them and then dig them up. Pouring from one bin to another is also fun. She’s past the age of putting random things in her mouth, but when she was younger I would keep a very close eye on her. I love this post about Sensory Bins, it’s so thorough.
Involve Her
From a young age, I always tried to involve her in what I was doing around the house. If I was cleaning, I’d hand her a damp cloth or her mini mop and she’d clean right beside me. If I’m baking, I measure out the ingredients then have her pour them into the bowl. When we’re out grocery shopping, I point out things she can put in the grocery cart. She loves to help unload the cart at the end and likes to help me pay by handing over the cash. Sometimes it feels like a lot of work and makes things slower than if I were doing them myself, but I like the idea of what I’m teaching her. I think one day it will really pay off!
Reading
She’s not one to normally sit down by herself and start “reading” a book, but she loves her bedtime stories. Some of her current favourites are:
Throughout the next year, I want to start incorporating some learning activities that go along with the books. This is an example of what I have in mind. Even if I don’t end up doing most of the activities, I like to have something planned for when her boredom strikes.
Walks
While I do go on walks with her, most of her walks happen with her Grandpa. (Such a blessing for me since I get a chunk of time to work!) They have so much fun walking to the park, our small airport to watch the planes and even the grocery store. She’s starting to get really observant of the things that are outside so I want to take her on a nature scavenger hunt using a simple guide I might find on Pinterest.
Gymnastics
Currently this is the only outside activity that I pay for. She goes to a local drop-in so I only pay when she goes. She has so much fun and burns off energy.
Free community programs
We used to attend a Mother Goose program but we’re going to start trying the Strongstart program offered at local schools. I think it will be more her speed and they usually have a variety of fun activities! Story time at the library is also a hit.
Playdates
Mainly this is an excuse for me to get out and visit my friends, but most of my friends have kids close to my daughter’s age that she enjoys playing with. In the summer months we meet once a week at a local beach to hang out and eat lunch. 🙂
So there you have it. A peek at our current favourite activities and toys. I hope I didn’t bore you to death and that at the very least you have gathered some ideas!
I happen to own and love a Keurig machine. What I don't love is how many K-Cups I'm left with for the trash. I've started saving them for craft time with my daughter, but those empty K-cups can really add up! So, why not take a look at some new ways to use them? K-cups can actually be quite practical once they are empty; you just need to get a little creative. Take a peek below at 10 ways to reuse K-cups that you can try, long after the coffee is gone!
10 Ways to Reuse K-Cups
1. Organize office supplies.
Put a few K-cups in office drawers to hold paper clips, pins, stamps, and other small office supplies that tend to get lost in the shuffle.
2. Organize small jewelry pieces.
Tuck a K-cup or two in jewelry boxes or drawers to hold small earrings, earring backings, pin backings, and other small jewelry pieces.
3. Make a matching game for kids.
Place a sticker on the inside of each K-Cup. Make sure each sticker has a match found in another cup. Turn the cups over and let kids play Memory. Talk about a game you can make for just pennies!
4. Start seeds.
K-Cups are the perfect size cup to start seeds in. Just poke a quick hole in the bottom for drainage, add soil, and add your seed. It is a frugal way to get gardening!
5. Scoop out dry goods.
Rinse out a K-cup and keep it in your flour, sugar, and other dry goods to use as a scoop. It is a quick way to get what you need without getting hands or spoons dirty.
6. Add a few to sensory tables.
Toss a few K-cups into sand or water for children to enjoy. They will love scooping with them and can practice pouring as well. Who would have thought that K-cups can strengthen fine motor skills?
7. Craft some little doll cups.
Take sharpie markers and decorate the outside of the K-cup. You can then give them to dolls to use for tea parties. They also make great accessories for dolls as you can make them into trash cans, hats, hair accessory holders, and more.
8. Organize craft supplies.
K-cups are perfect for keeping buttons, stickers, pom poms, and other small craft supplies organized and at your fingertips for when you need them.
9. Freeze herbs.
This is a really cool way to reuse K-cups. Just fill them with water and add your favorite chopped herbs. Freeze them. When you need herbs for a recipe, all you need to do is pop out the herb cube and add it. You could even make flavored ice cubes this way, freezing fruit juices in the cup before using.
10. Make a stamp or stencil.
K-cups are great when you need a circle stencil. You can also dip the K-cup in paint and use it as a stamp! You will get the perfect circle every time.
Did you ever think K-cups could be so practical? Give these tips for using K-cups a try and see how creative you can get.
Do you want a fresh look for your space but don’t want to go broke making it happen? If so, take a look at these ways to decorate with things you already have! I find that once February comes (or once I've had enough of the dreary winter weather), I want to freshen things up inside. Make things brighter if you will. Chances are, with these tips, everything you need is right under your own roof; you just need to get creative with it. Here are some helpful tips to get you started decorating with the things you already have!
How to Decorate with Things You Already Have
1. Get savvy with spray paint.
Just about anything can achieve a fresh new look when you give it a coat of spray paint. Paint vases, lamp bases, small furniture pieces, even glassware knick knacks. Choose a color that goes with your color scheme or opt for fresh white. It's sure to look like a whole new piece!
2. Bring the outside in.
Arrange some long branches in a vase for a pop of rustic charm. Fill bud vases with flowers and fresh cut greenery. You can even paint rocks or pine cones to use as bowl fillers. Nature provides so much beauty, find ways to bring it indoors!
3. Get crafty with fabric.
Take fabric scraps or old clothing pieces to use as the makings for runners, throw pillows, place mats, and more. You only need a little fabric and some simple stitchery to make these items happen, so why not give it a shot?
4. Get creative with picture frames.
Do you have tons of picture frames around your home? Use them to frame photos, artwork, colorful fabric scraps, scrapbook paper and more. You can even use them to frame electrical outlets.
5. Use old things in new ways.
Use that old mason jar as a cotton ball holder in the bathroom, or an old fruit crate for magazines. Using items in ways other than for what they were intended is so fun and functional.
6. Get budget savvy with books.
Books can be stacked up to create some visual interest on end tables and coffee tables. You can even frame old pages of books, make bunting banners, or use them as trinket boxes when you carve out the center of them.
7. Let kids get creative.
Display children’s school and art work in fun and decorative ways. Create banners with it, frame it, or laminate it and use as place mats, runners, and more.
See how simple it can be to decorate your home with things you already own? Give these tips a try and see how budget savvy and beautiful your space can be.
