Yep, the thought of budgeting stinks. We all have dreams and saving money just seems to suck the life out of them.
It’s easy to way thing now, waiting is not easy. We have so many household project that were not able to happen over the last 8 years while we paid off $80,000 in debt. The back yard is a mess, the kitchen could use and update, my husband would love a new bike.
All that said and we were recently able to afford some of our flooring (we have concrete floors in our home for 8 years, and not the fancy stained kind if you catch my drift..), we also are able to really start focusing on retirement savings. These are awesome things that I am very grateful for.
Living with in your means does not need to mean suffering within your means. You can do it without all that drama and actually enjoy the ride. Below are over…. tips to help you THRIVE within your means. Not all of them will work for everyone, but I am sure you will find a few that will work for you.
Don’t forget to check out Frugal Living Mom’s very popular article How to Live Within Your Means as well as over 200 ways to live frugally.
Travel
Grocery Shopping
- Using a Price Book To Save Money
- We Bought Half A Cow
- 5 Grocery Savings Tips
- Realistic Tips for Stockpiling
- Stretching Your Grocery Budget
- Feed your family on $50 a week
- Figuring out when to stock up
- 10 Healthy foods that don’t cost a lot
- 10 places to save money on groceries
- 20 tips for saving money on groceries with our coupons
- Saving money with a csa
- Stretching your meat budget
- Tips for shopping at the farmers market
General Household
- How to Stop Wasting Money by Over-Paying for Things
- Auctions as a Source Of Cheap Goods
- Flea Market Shopping
- Saving on greeting cards
- Weird ways to save money
- Go green and save money
Gifts
- 10 Consumable Gift Ideas
- DIY: What To Do With All Those Free Samples!
- How to Get the Best Prices on Year Round Gifts
In the Kitchen
- Vacuum Sealing Tips and Tricks
- Repurpose Jars, Get a Second Life
- Use the free fast food condiments you get with your order, don’t throw them away
Your Home
- Tips For Furnishing an Apartment Cheaply
- How We Saved $240 a Year on Our Internet Bill
- From Satellite to Streaming: We saved $528 a Year!
- How I Fixed My $1000 Sagging Mattress for $9
- Organic Garden on the Cheap: Protect and Feed Your Garden for Pennies!
- Cut that Utility Bill- The Easy Way
Budgeting
- Creating a Budget
- How to Spend Your Tax Refund Wisely
- September Save & February Fast- A Lifestyle Philosophy That Saves!
- 10 ways to save $1 a day
- Stay out of debt with coupons
- How to set your monthly budget
- 6 ways to save money on your bills
- 10 ways to become financially stable
- 9 easy tips to help you stick to your budget
- What those little purchases REALLY cost
Kids
- Teaching Kids About Money and Financial Responsibility
- Commission for Kids
- How do I get my kids to save money?
- Save Money On Kids Clothes
Health and Beauty
Entertainment
- Fun on a Budget: Little or No Money Can Equal a Ton of Family Fun
- Are You a Cheap Date? Frugal Date Ideas
- Save Money at the Movie Theater
Cars