The majority of us are on a quest to live within our means. We look for the best deals possible or tips to stretch that dollar. At times it can feel like a job in itself. Have your found your efforts to be worthwhile or are you easily frustrated?

I found my efforts to be very worthwhile, especially in the area of spending frivilously. However, I have not had as much luck with the grocery bill. I do get frustrated with that every now and again, but even in this area I have seen results.

I have also become more diligent in the "savings" arena. I now have separate accounts for our next car and also a vacation fund. Our EF is now almost fully funded (the large EF) and we are in better shape with our retirement funds and our diligence there.

Sometimes I do get frustrated and wonder why I even bother and then I remember THIS (saving and attempting to be frugle) is the reason we own a house or have a savings account. That's not to say that our financial circumstances are perfect (they are FAR from it) but we do have a few things going for us!

its actually been so good.
I am no longer stressed out.
I had $$ and spend almost all of it by the end of the month!
I now have a 5 month income EF and will keep going...
GO SAVINGS!
AND COUPONS!!!
my mom and sisters have made sunday "grocery shopping w/coupon day"
we actually all go together, with our coupons, we get awesome deals, bc there is more people on the "lookout" for DEALS.
and we look forward to this every week.
its also our time to hang out, just the girls!

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Thanks,
Bestmommysaver!

I consider it to be my job to save money. I just try to look at it that way. And sometimes when something happens that seems to blow the whole thing (dh picking up extras from the store, a refrigerator breaking, etc.) I think of how much more that would have cost us, if I hadn't been saving already.

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Wendy~Self-proclaimed hippie momma to Bob and Jamie

This is me too!!! But since January we have paid off a few CC's and started a savings account that is our baby EF!! So no matter how frustrated I get I have something to keep me going.

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Want to save some green? Join a coupon train.

Definitely worthwhile, and absolutely necessary too! It's a constant stress for us, as we sometimes go months with no paycheck due to the nature of our business (small business owners/commission based). It's a crazy way to live, but we deal with it.

We've been doing pretty good. I have found that really tracking each and every expense helps a lot - both to curb impulse buying as well as figuring out where our money really goes.

I also started tracking my 'grocery' spending - which for me that means all grocery, hba, detergent, etc. Having a goal amount to stay under is a good motivator.

And coupons - I have always loved using them but to track and see that amount keep going UP is awesome and helps me want to keep on doing it.

I get frustrated sometimes. I look at it as my DH works hard to earn the money so I must work hard to save as much as I can.

I guess I usually find my efforts worthwhile. Particularly when my friends tell me how rich I am.

I have one friend who is buying a house. He and his wife have two kids (we have one) & our incomes are about the same. He can't imagine how we make ends meet (we bought our house 4 yrs ago, it's now worth less than we paid). And we are paying cash for a backyard relandscaping.

"You must be rich". And you know...we're not. But I am frugal, and most people don't realize what that means. It's not just that I forego fancy coffee and soda for the free tea at the office. It's that I have calculated the cost per serving of many of our regular foods, and I purposely repeat the cheap ones. We eat very little meat. We don't shop for toys or clothes. I do like thrift stores. A lot of this is totally unheard of in my "circle".

Of course we have setbacks. Today we borrowed two books from the library but succumbed to $15 worth of pastry next door. And this morning we joined friends for breakfast and ended up getting stiffed by about $5 (one guy "forgot" to leave a tip. This is why I only go out with them about once every three months).

So I came home & tweaked our monthly meal plan again.