Bad Economy...Good Tips

I know with this dreadful economy being in the state that it is in has been very stressful for many us. Even people who are more financially secure than others are stressed because they are trying to spare themselves from a worse situation. Irregardless of what your financial circumstances we can all use some money saving tips. Every little bit helps, right?

Here are some tips that you can try out-every family is different so adjust them to your families needs:

1. Binge and Purge: Clean out your home. I mean give your home a good cleaning-not just literally but really decide on what you want to keep or what you can sell. Grab some of those items and sell them on Craigslist, Etsy, Ebay, or even on your own blog. You can even try Yard Sales. Honestly, some things are worth selling online than in a yard sale so just look through your things and make a few bucks!
2. Cable or Netflix?: The cable companies love to suck the money out from our pockets. Depending on how much t.v. your family watches-downsize your cable channels or try another cable company. Or do something a little more extreme like my husband and I did-we no longer have cable-we subscribe to Netflix streamline. That way my children can watch some things and so can we and its about eight dollars a month I believe compared to over fifty dollars with cable.
3. Budget Yourself With Lists: Make lists your bff! Make a list of food you need to buy before you go and buy it, make a list of clothes you and the family may need, basically make lists. Why? Because they you will stick to the budget at hand a lot better and you will less likely get swayed away from what is really important and not fall into the trap of buying another pair of fuzzy green slippers that you really don't need.
4. Land Phone-Bye Bye: Do you really need a land phone? If you don't, save yourself a 40-80 bill every month and stick to a cell phone. If you cannot get a fancy phone with the zillion gadgets on it where you can get on the internet and all that jazz-try a simple cell phone that basically makes phone calls (who would have thought of that?! lol) like Metro PCS-it is $25 dollars a month!
5. Be Creative: Try and be creative whenever and however you can. I know it is time consuming and sometimes it is just not possible to do it. But when it comes to birthday parties, gifts, cards, and holidays try and find creative ways to make those special events extra special. For example, make your cards, buy gifts on sale in advance, or use streamers and balloons for party decor.
6. Swap Til You Drop: If you can't sell your goods and giving it away will make you loss possible money then why not try swapping. Arrange it with people you  know, family members, or simply like minded folks that you give them x,y, and z and send you in return a, b, and c. For example, I just mentioned my free advertising option on my blog for discounts or for any help to obtain dresses for my vintage wardrobe. It wasn't easy for me to ask and I didn't know if people would think I was nutso or not but I had to give it a try! So why don't you give it a try as well-you have nothing to lose-only to gain!
7. More Veggies Please: Okay so this may be hard to swallow for some but try to buy less meat, especially beef since it will be getting more and more expensive as time goes by. Try and buy meat once a week and substitute with pasta, veggies, rice, and salads. Make your meals stretch and get creative. The women during the Great Depression and during WWII did it and now so can we!!

I hope these tips will help a little! If you have more tips I would love to hear them and I know my readers would too! Let me know! I'm all ears!!

xox