1. I don't do restaraunts very often (I actually love cooking on teh grill so this time of the year it's easy to want to cookout) 2. I don't do coupons as much as others but always look in the paper for cereal and detergent. THere is always coupons for those 2! 3. We have a little deli in the office that I work at that has very cheap food for lunch (sandwich and chips for $3) so I eat there about every time I do eat lunch. 4. I always sneak my own beer on the golf course. I will typically buy a couple at the course just to get the cooler then go to my truck to get my clubs and add anotehr 6 pack. 5. I shop around for high ticket items (vacations, the hot tub I bought, back when I bought my truck a few years back). Small ticket items I don't fret over but the internet makes it so easy to comparision shop. Again I'm not the world's greatest saver (I ate way too much mac and cheese in college to skimp forever) but I don't do extravagent.
Vote republican, so I pay less in taxes. Actually, I spend less then I make...and I don't use credit cards....the only long term debt I have is one car and one house. DD
Dean, People who bring Evian and Perrier to a party, take cabs around Houston, stay at the Four Seasons, and get courtside basketball seats don't shop at Gallery Furniture nor do they care about saving money. You lucky punk. Speaking of horses, how was Lisa Malosky when you met her?
Pay yourself first when you get your pay check. Put the money you want to save into a saving accounts and forget about it. Only use your credit cards in emergencies. Use cash for the rest. This should get you on the right track. If you still have problems, keep a daily log of where you spend your cash. After 1-2 weeks, you should get a real detailed idea of where your money is going. From there, you can create a budget.
I agree with not using credit cards. I stopped using those all together except where I have to with the very rare car rental or online purchases. And even then it's really debit so it's paid for immediately. I try and buy clothes from outlet malls, and thrift stores.
http://www.daveramsey.com Great ideas on how to handle money. You can listen to him on 650AM Mon-Fri 1:00 to 4:00 or you can listen through his website.
I never carry cash. Just use my debit card. This seems to save me from buying stuff I really dont need
