This is advice that I need. Thank you.

We save a LOT of money by brown bagging lunches!
I do treat myself, but no more than once per week and
I use coupons then so it runs about $5.

My job pays me an extra $11 per day for my lunch
because I travel so I get to use that money for
something better!

I use my in-laws saver card from the grocery store. I am able to get some great deals on store brand food and i can use their 10% senior citizen discount, I know..... but you also get savings on gas from using the card and they do not purchase enough to benefit from the card. This way we both save money. Sometimes I can save $30 - $50 a trip.

My husband and I went to drastic measures for our future financial freedom- We stopped paying into hid 401k for one year. We had exhausted everyother course over the last 7 years just trying to make ends meet so this seemed the best option for us. He gets paid once a month so we were watching 2-3 hundred dollars a month got into his 401k which we has borrowed from in the past so we could no longer. We took that money and started the snowball larger interest first, and with every payoff the amount grew bigger for the next pay off, with in 8 months we paid off 16thousand dollars of credit debt off!!!! And once we had paid all but the house off we where in need of a new car, because we paid off all that debt and kept up on our credit reports and scores we got our new car with 0% interest for 6 years so our pmts are low and we pay dbl. payments so we will have it paid off in 3 and we had saved enough to afford to do it! We also saw our credit score go from 530 to over 760 in just 8months to a year. We are saving more money and paying off credit cards as we use them (we use them for purchase tracking- gas, vehicle expences, entertainment, etc.) . We are paying into the 401k again and now we are paying in the maximum allowed. We have also since learned about IRA's and money market accounts, stcoks and so on to build wealth and security for the year that we lost in 401k with draw, but I must say, I have seen lots of neighbors and friends loose their homes from becoming over extended on refinancing over and over again until they found themselves in foreclosure- so know about your money, and if you don't know ask!!!!! AND BEWARE OF PREDITORY LENDING!!!!! You have to be diligent and stay motivated, so everytime you think you need something that you really only want- think about wether it's worth having in exchange for food in the fridge, electricity, home. I know it seems extreme but when you really think about it- most people are not born homeless the spend to get there!!!!
And if you are thinking that stopping money for retirement for a short period is unthinkable, remember that paying only the minimum payment on a debt means you will probubly be spending your retirement paying of the debt you made when you were 30!!!!

For those looking for an alternative to spending on your beauty upkeep, I am a hairdresser
so I will give you some short cuts to salon glam on little cash.

What great ideas! My husband and I are fortunate, I was able to quit my job about 6 months ago. We have been doing very well with not getting into further debt. We do use credit cards, but that's only because we get a cash back reward and our checking account collects almost 5% APR. We usually earn about $20 a month by letting the money stay in the account and then earn another $20 to $30 on our credit card with the cash back. It's really neat. We always pay the full amount when the card is due. Another tip is scheduling credit card payments ahead of time so that when "life happens" you don't have to pay rush fees or late fees because you have it taken care of. Our mortage is the same way.

I was able to pay down much of my divorce debt by using bi-weekly payments on my fixed monthly bills. For example I had to take out a personal loan to pay for my lawyer. It was $10,000.00. I started an automatic (thru my bank) payment every other week when my paycheck comes in (via direct deposit). The normal monthly payment is $229.00. So I split that in 2 (you generally get 2 paychecks per month on a bi-weekly pay scale) so $230/2=$115, so I then pay $115.00 per paycheck. Well, that works out to be $115x26 (26 paychecks per year) = $2990 per year/12 months=$249.17. That ends up being 1 extra payment per year. I have paid off over $2000.00 of that particular loan. That's only 1 of them. I applied the same to my student loans and my credit card bills. I have managed to pay over $5000.00 on the student loan and completely paid off 2 credit cards. All this on my single salary, raising my son (he's 5), and keeping the house. I still get ot put about $500.00 into savings each year (again bi-weekly) and pay 3% into my 401K (I have over $50,000.00 now!). All it took was my divorce and having to live on 1 salary. Boy do you leanr when you have to!

__________________
SESmama

I do better when I wrote down everything I spend money on during the week. You can see very clearly where it all goes and adjust accordingly.

We started following Dave Ramsey's plan a few years ago. I wish we had started sooner! It's amazing how much money you really have when you budget! His plan allowed me to quit my job and stay home with my kids this year!

Nice thread!

curtail your expenditure and try to save the most as it is onlyy money which satnds by you in a rainy day

__________________
Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.