Other
Two posts last week sparked some interesting conversations about budget:
There’s No Shame in Being Cheap & How to Not Go Broke in a Rich World
So let’s take a break from food and talk about budgeting. Being healthy isn’t free.
Anybody who says it’s cheap to eat healthy is full of it. It’s not cheap. But it doesn’t have to break the bank.
I myself say it’s cheap to eat healthy, but really I’m wrong. Eating off the Mickey D’s dollar menu is cheap.
To me it’s not expensive for 2 reasons: I budget for it, and it’s a priority to me. The worth healthy food has to me is more than financial worth.
An easy argument is to say eating healthy now saves you a ton of money down the road- which is completely true. But you still have to come up with funds for health now.
Before we get into saving money on healthy habits, let’s talk budgets in general.
How do you stay on top of the money game?
There are a ton of methods to managing money, and like healthy eating, I believe there is no one perfect fit for everyone.
Some approaches:
– Monthly spending limits
– Piggy bank for spare change
– Online tracking (I love Mint!)
– Wing it & live paycheck to paycheck
– Automatic deposits to savings account
– Save intentionally for “special” items or trips
– Keep whatever’s leftover after paying monthly bills & put it in savings
– Keep whatever’s leftover after paying monthly bills & go on a shopping spree
Things can get even more complicated when your managing money for two: separate accounts, joint accounts, “no questions asked” money….
How do you manage money? What tips can you share with others? Do you spend more on certain areas than others?
Other
As a follow up to yesterday’s post on how to get by without expensive things you see on blogs, here’s some of my don’t-go-broke strategies:
Have the patience of an angel. Wait it out. The price will go down or it’ll go on sale.
Don’t fear individualism. Do you really have to have something just because everyone else does? Go ahead, be different.
Be a coupon-o-holic. Chances are there’s a coupon or discount code out there somewhere. Coupons don’t just come in newspapers anymore- Google whatever you’re looking for plus the word ‘coupon’, or try sites like retailmenot.com or groupon.com.
Exploit your neighbors. Know somebody that works somewhere? Ask if they can help you out. (Don’t be crass about it though.) Maybe they can tell you the best time of year to buy a certain product. Perhaps they’re allowed to share their employee discount, or hand out coupons to friends.
Be a store-whore. Just because you saw it at Place A doesn’t mean it’s not cheaper at Place B, C, or Z. Shop around. Ask about price matching. Some online stores don’t charge tax in certain states- that can add up! (And there’s often free shipping deals.) Try sites like amazon.com, tigerdirect.com, etc.
Get creative. See if there’s something else you can use or do instead. Maybe there’s something you can compromise with while you wait for something to go on sale. (Like putting new tires on a hybrid bike & pretending it’s a road bike.)
Be selective. Some things just don’t go on sale, and maybe you can’t wait. Pick one or two things you absolutely can’t live without and buy them. Save money somewhere else.
I don’t splurge on everything I see. When I do get nice things, you can bet I haven’t paid full price. I stalk sales, coupons, & deals like it’s my job. (Immediate gratification it is not.)
So if you see a dSLR pop up on my blog one day, don’t call me a hypocrite. 😉
Have any strategies to add?
Products
Some people think ‘cheap’ is a dirty word. An insult.
Me? I take pride in it. I’m cheap and not ashamed to admit it.
Although perhaps “selectively cheap” would be a more accurate description…
There’s been quite a stir going on around blog envy. Expensive gadgets and products that leave you dripping in desire and cause your bank account to go down the toilet every month.
If I bought everything that I wanted I would be broker than a goat. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I don’t want any of those things, but to think you need all of them to be healthy, fit, or a good blogger? That’s a joke.
Here’s some alternatives I use to all that fancy schmancy stuff out there.
dSLR: $1,000+ Point & Shoot: $100
Garmin Forerunner: $150 Timex watch: $30
Fancy PB: $6-19 Semi-fancy PB: $2-3
2010 shoes: $100 2009 shoes: $50
Vita mix: $300 Dual wave blender: $25
Lightroom: $300 Picasa: $0
Fancy Total Cheapo Total
$1,856 $207
And now I have $1,649 for race registrations. 🙂 If only it actually worked that way….
Come back tomorrow for my strategies on keeping the budget real & still getting (most of) what I want.
What things do you use as an alternative to expensive items?
