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Tips to living on a budget

We all know the frustrations of living on a budget and the restraints it brings. It is not easy to balance your income with your expenses and everything in between.

You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you. –Dave Ramsey

I’ve been a single parent and only provider since 1993 and therefore I’ve earned my stripes. I’ve made a couple of money mistakes before I found the middle ground and a good financial balance.

Living on a budget can be stressful at first but once you find the right rhythm, you will certainly succeed in balancing your finances in a healthy way.

My tips for living on a budget:

1. Write down your total income and your total expenses
2. Plan ahead for things like having your car service or similarly your child’s school camp
3. Don’t spend money you don’t have – making debts to go on vacation
4. Pay even more on your monthly debts – it lowers your interest
5. Live according to your real income not the income you wish you had
6. Save wherever you can e.g. electricity, cook at home instead of buying take a ways
7. Don’t drive to the store while it is in rather walking distance.
8. Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s
9. Plan your meals on a weekly basis because it really helps
10. Take good care of the things you have – it cost money to replace
11. Seek out the weekly and monthly specials
12. Live without unnecessary debt – don’t buy a boat just to brag with your friends on weekends
13. Don’t use all of your monthly income – save something – it adds up in the end.
14. Learn to do basic maintenance on your car and home – it will therefore save you a lot of money and you will end up with a new set of skills and who knows – you might even enjoy it.
15. Do your own house cleaning and gardening

Tiny budgets and grand cars

I’m always amazed how some people who have a tight budget buy the grandest cars, expensive gifts for their children and expensive furniture. If you can’t afford to live large then don’t

My post on The pain of rejection deals with hurtful emotions and feelings while my post on A hug a day is a book review about life in single parent lane because single parenting is a tough job.

It is tough when your partner won’t budget so you need all the help you can get.

Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs. –Zig Ziglar