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The Best Healthy Food on a Budget

Most of us are familiar with the Ramen every night diet. It isn’t a plan to lose weight, rather a plan to actually afford food, and it has been made famous by college students or anyone just starting out with only a limited budget. But the Ramen Noodle diet isn’t exactly a healthy one. The “meal” contains high levels of sodium and carbs and pretty much zero nutrients. Yes, it will fill you up for less, but it isn’t something you can use to feed a family and keep them all healthy. Another source of cheap food that people often … Continue reading →

Frugal Month in Review: November 2008

November to be is the beginning of two things. The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, and then there is winter. Despite the fact that winter doesn’t officially start until next month, the fall seems to give way to the winter in November anyway. We had a day of snow already. Here is looking ahead to December and the end of the year! November 1st Frugal Month in Review: October 2008 “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot. November 2 … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: November 17th Through November 23rd

There has certainly been some good news about gas prices going down, but I don’t think that we are out of the woods just yet. Being good stewards of our resources is a necessity. Take a look at last week’s articles about Frugal Living. November 17th Frugal Living Week in Review: November 10th Through November 16th Job losses seem to be increasing to the point where I am hearing about more and more people that I know being laid off. But I am hopeful that things will turn around. Look for some future posts on dealing with some of these … Continue reading →

Budgeting on a Limited Income

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Whether you are a single parent, a student, retired or have other income situations, learning to live on a limited income can take some serious hard work. We should all have a budget, but if your income is tight… it is even more of an urgent need. When budgeting on a limited income, the key is to prioritize first. You simply might not have enough money to pay for all the standard budgeting categories. The first step will be to make a short list of your top necessities. Good examples are housing, food, utilities and transportation. There may be more, … Continue reading →

Determine the Best Route

Money dreams and goals are not always simple. Sometimes you have more than one. How do you decide what to do and when? Should you try to follow all your dreams, but plan them at different times or should you just pick a few realistic ones? A great process is to create a money dream notebook. For each page, title it with the dream. Then start to keep track of both your feelings and research. The details you include will be dependent on the dream, but they can help you to plan and also compare your money goals. This notebook … Continue reading →

Budgeting Strategies: Variable Expenses

Do you know the difference between your variable and set expenses? When it comes to budgeting it is important to identify your variable expenses, because they are the ones that you can change. Your set expenses are not going to change; they will remain the same from month to month. Your variable expenses change from month to month. Often it is best to average these expenses over a twelve-month period, and then budget that amount each month. Here are variable expenses that you may consider set expenses, because they are bills that you have to pay each month. One is … Continue reading →

Budget Strategies: Budgeting a Variable Income

If you have a variable income, it can be tricky to set up a budget. You may have difficulty knowing what you can afford each month. If you work solely on commission it can be even more difficult to plan a budget. Here are some basic tips to get you started. 1) If you receive a base salary plus commission, construct your budget entirely on your base salary. This should cover your basic necessities (mortgage/rent, utilities, and food), and then from there you can prioritize your other obligations. 2) If you have a paycheck that varies from week to week … Continue reading →

Budget Strategies: The Zero Dollar Budget

You may have heard of a zero dollar budget, but are not sure what that means. A zero dollar budget means that you spend every dollar on paper before the month begins. This way you have assigned an amount to each of your expenses. Once you have reached the limit you stop spending in that category. This budget works well with the envelope system. It is important to realize that you can adjust the amounts that you spend during the month. For example if your entire family ends up with strep throat you may overspend in the medical category. You … Continue reading →

My Secret Stash of Fun Money

There’s a small secret I want to share with you. I’ve found a way to come up with extra spending money for just me and my daughter without taking it from the budget. Sprinkled around the house I’ve left out small plastic cups seeded with a few coins. I have one in every closet, and on several counters throughout the house. Within a day after I did this, Hubby started dropping all his spare change in the cups. He saw my seed change, and viola! In went his change. Like most men, he empties his pockets at the end of … Continue reading →

The Little Things Do Affect Your Budget

The little things add up. If you are looking for extra money in your budget, or if you are wondering where all of your extra money goes after you pay your bills, it is time to take a look at the little items that you and your family purchase on a regular basis. This may be something that you do not even consider large enough to budget for, or take the time to factor in the long-term effects of these little expenses. You may justify that you can spend the extra dollar or two for candy bar or snack when … Continue reading →