5 Quick Ways to Cut Your Budget Down to a Manageable Level
budget (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)
Worrying about money is a pretty common cause of stress and concern. The budget, the hard number a family can spend on things, is often a cause of arguments as well. There are great ways to stretch a budget, however, and even ways to make it more manageable.
Use Coupons for Items You Already Buy
Coupons are a great way to save money and easy to find these days. Look at the items you already regularly buy and go in search of coupons to match. Many websites allow you to search for specific coupons from manufacturers, and you can even request they be sent to your e-mail or mailing address. By doing this, then matching the best price in town with the coupon, you can really strip down your budget without too much fuss. Technology is a great way to stay organized while maximizing your savings potential. The trend of mobile coupons is not only good for the environment but a great way to score on the spot deals.
Cutout the Extra-Spending
Take a hard look at the things you spend money on. Are you drinking coffee from expensive coffee shops? Do you have the premium cable package? Is your cellphone plan the absolutely best and most expensive on the market?
Cutting down on expenditures is one easy way to really help your budget and save some extra money. You can forgo the cable package, and pay $11 for a streaming television or movie service instead, or you can just use the internet to watch your favorite shows. Scale back your cell phone plan to the bare feasible minimum, and be mindful. Start taking your coffee with you in the morning rather than stopping at a coffeehouse on your way to work.
Shop Around for the Best Deal
Don’t simply accept a price and buy a product, do some research and look around. It is possible to get products, especially big ticket items, significantly cheaper if you do a bit of research and wait for the right time to buy. For example, if you are in the market for a new television or computer, consider going online rather than to brick and mortar stores.
The lack of retail locations saves the company money on their overhead, and they, in turn, often pass the savings onto the customer. Also, never shop for a big item without using a coupon or coupon code. They are easy to search for and can really help you stretch your budget for a few fun extras that you rightfully deserve
Cook from Scratch
When you eat a meal out, you can make up to 4 meals for the price of a single one bought at a restaurant. While everyone knows eating out is expensive, most people don’t realize that processed “convenience” food is also much more expensive than the raw ingredients. You can make a pizza for under $5, in most cases, and feed 6 people.
The same pizza would be $15 to have delivered, plus the tip. Soups that you buy for a $2 a can, can be made for mere pennies a serving. Cooking from scratch will save a great deal of money in the long run and can stretch a budget. The best way to go about such cooking, according to experts, is to plan a weeks’ worth of meals and do the shopping for the goods, with coupons of course, early in the week to double up the budget stretching abilities of the plan.
Stock the Freezer
You can cook a lot of meals at once which saves time and money. Buying in bulk can really make a budget more manageable in the long run, but you need the freezer space to do it. Clean out your freezer, then head to a bulk store and buy meats and other perishables in bulk. Separate them into meal size portions, and freeze.
While the initial output will be more, you’ll save money for months to come when you head for your weekly shopping. Freezing meat allows you to buy in bulk quantities for bargain basement prices.
Category: Budget
