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Get rid of the credit and debit cards and live off of cash only.

This is really the only way to live within your means. If you budget cash for your spending, then you are truly going to think twice before you purchase anything. It will be like going back to when you were a kid, and you had to figure out what you could spend your allowance on, and how much you might have left over for something else, or how long before you got more allowance.

The problem is, we are all so busy and stressed, we just don't stop and really look at where our money is going. We buy all kinds of coffees, muffins, vending machines and takeouts on the way home to get through our day.

The truth is, if we planned our daily life just a little bit, we could avoid a lot of spending, that really adds up and does nothing for us in the end.

The best way to do this, is to pay yourself an allowance from your household budget, and see what you can do with it. You are going to find out pretty quick when you start forking out actual cash (not credit or debit cards) where it is going. You are going to have to think differently. If you want to go to the movies on the weekend, then you are going to have to cut out something during the week.

If you have a set amount of cash for your personal spending or entertainment, then you will have to take the time and get creative. Try getting a coffee pot with a timer, and set it the night before, so your coffee is ready to go in the morning, while you are at it, make your lunch and snacks. The goal here is to spend as little as possible on daily habits, and keep as much of that cash in your pocket as you can.

It is amazing how your habits will change, when you switch to cash. When the cash is gone, it is gone until the next week. It's the way most of our grandparents had to live, and it wouldn't hurt to go back to that way especially for our daily spending.

Really look at all your bills, and see if there are any changes you could make, such as bundling services together. Make sure and shop in the outter aisles of the grocery store, as that is where the freshest foods and produce are. The center aisles contain mostly packaged goods, the less of them you get the more money you will save.

When you do cook a dinner from scratch, make it in double sized batches and freeze one, for those busy nights. Or take a Sunday afternoon and cook up a storm for the week, to prevent you from getting takeouts because you are so tired.

Don't forget to budget in some entertainment cash, even if its just a movie rental, you have to have something to look forward to when you are making all these changes to your financial life. But you will feel in control again, and that is a great feeling.

Learn more about this author, Diane Palmer.
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