Non-Stressful Budget Tips Anyone Can Follow

Okay, honestly? I read a ton of posts about how these people live extremely frugal and I have got to say, I really stink at managing finances. Yes, I want to be better, but wow, it takes a lot of mental work and preparation and I just don’t have that drive. Fortunately, we have managed to cut our monthly costs in a few simple ways with no stress.

1) Limit your subscriptions

We have three subscriptions, Amazon Prime, Spotify, and this blog (some people are probably like holy crap that’s a lot, or maybe some are like wow! Amazing, you are so frugal….which I’m totally not, but I’m trying). Now, I have thought about getting rid of the first two, and there will come a time when we will need to do so. Amazon Prime does have some nice benefits that I enjoy, and my husband really enjoys Spotify, but those are things we are willing to sacrifice when it comes down to it. Honestly, I think I would save even more money if I didn’t have Amazon because I tend to spend a lot of money there (it is easy to do, am I right?). But really, none of these things are NECESSARY. So really think about that: Do I NEED this? I am terrible at answering that question because just the other day I found some new dishes at Target and I convinced myself I needed them…..so….I need some work on this area.

2) TracFone

You all probably think I’m crazy but we saved A LOT of money switching to TracFone and not upgrading our phones. We went from paying $120 at Verizon to $25 dollars a month. The two things I love about TracFone (and no, I am not getting paid to tell you this), is: it is cheap and we haven’t had any problem with service (we live in a rural area too) and you really get what you pay for. Your minutes, texts, and data roll over every month so it is always adding, it doesn’t expire. It is AWESOME, seriously, I love it. We also do not use our phones often (mine is usually off or on airplane mode which drives my mom crazy ha) so limiting our cell plan was easy.

It is good to put down the phone for a while.

3) Limiting your debt

So being totally transparent here, we are in a lot of debt. With our mortgage payment and student loans (we both went to a private Christian school for half our college career) it really adds up. But, we pay off our credit cards each month, and we don’t spend more money than what we have (in most cases), granted, we could save a lot more money if I was more frugal, but I’m working on that.

4) Set a savings goal

Something that helps me is setting a savings goal, so I decide okay, let’s save up for a milk cow. We will estimate a total of 1200, if we save 100 a month, we could have a milk cow by next year. I NEED a goal or a reward because I NEED motivation to save money, otherwise I would gladly spend it at Target or Amazon. Obviously, it does not need to be a milk cow, or a 100 dollars a month, but you could start with 5 dollars or even 1 dollar, as long as you are trying to build up your account and not spending what you don’t have. I think we could all think of something that we really want, now set a monthly goal, then a time frame, and TADA you are saving money…with the intent that it is going to be spent…but money is meant to be spent right? Wisely, money is meant to be spent or invested wisely. 😉

5) Shop in cash

This is also something I am working on, and just in the grocery department. My budget is $150 a week for groceries and toiletries, now there are times where I have been able to do this, and times where I have not, especially if you buy in bulk, it can get a little tricky, while it does save you money in the long run, it has a larger upfront cost, so that needs to be factored in. There are times where I buy things I don’t need (like a new coffee mug from Hearth and Hand…yes I am obsessed with both, mugs and Chip and Joanna’s brand at Target), or things I do need that are not part of my weekly grocery bill (like new lightbulbs). But overall, I am setting a goal that I think one day, will be possible, and if not, I adjust according to our budget. If I have leftover money, I stash that in my little savings jar, sometimes it can be really exciting seeing a couple dollar bills in the jar, while I am thinking of what I could buy with all the money I’m saving! HA.

A money jar is fun to look at when it has lots of money in it!

6) Buy things used

I recently bought a B.O.B double stroller for 275, to me, that is a score! On top of that I reached out to my community a couple months ago asking if anyone wanted to get rid of some baby clothes since we were expecting, and that alone saved a lot of potential money spent (I still bought some baby clothes because they are stinking adorable). Thrift stores are totally on the "up and up", it is cool to shop there so don't feel embarrassed.

So, yes, I am terrible at saving money, but like I said, I am trying, and here are a couple of things I am testing out. Some are working really well, like the TracFone, others like limiting my shopping at Target, still needs a lot work. Progress, right?

But before I go, I just want to say, that by God’s grace I have been able to stay at home, it is not anything fancy, I am not bringing in any extra income and my husband, while he is an AMAZING provider, is not a millionaire. We decided this is what was best for our family and we made budget, we do have wiggle room, but as I said, I spend it. So, it is important to save money and to know how to live within your means, but do not compare, or be discouraged because we all have different wants and needs, different circumstances, and it is your responsibility to work with what you have and to make the most of it. But our lifestyle is 100% doable because of the grace of Jesus, and yes, there is A LOT of grace.