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Day One
Welcome to my new series, 30 Ways to Cut the Cost of Living!
I’m guessing that, since you’re here, you are interested in exploring real possibilities and solutions for trimming or even slashing your monthly expenses. Great! That’s where our focus will be for the next 30 days! Hang in there with me, and I assure you that it will be worth the 2-3 minutes it takes to read the post each day.
My husband and I made the decision together that I would stay home with our two young sons, so finding ways to cut our own cost of living has been a necessary journey, but also a fun challenge. The only proof I have to offer is that I’ve now been home for 8 months and we are living on my husband’s (ministry) income. Did I mention that, praise be to God, we just finished paying off all our debt (except the mortgage) last week?
I plan to walk you, step by step, through the process we took as we evaluated our monthly expenses and found ways to live more frugally. I won’t be sharing rocket science, by any means, but I hope you will find simple, practical advice that can quickly be applied for immediate results.
I never liked it when my college professors handed out an assignment on the first day of class. Now I realize the urgency that they must have felt; we have a lot to cover in 30 short days! So, let’s get going.
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Assignment One
Print my Monthly Expense List, grab your checkbook register, credit card statement, and bills. List all of your monthly expenses.
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Okay, that’s it; not too bad, right? Let me expound just a bit:
-If you use a credit card, list all the expenses you find on your monthly bill.
-List every expense you face, even if it only hits every other month, quarterly, or annually.
-Head over to your checking account, and list everything you spend money on…even if it’s Starbucks!
-If you get cash out of the ATM, think about how you spend it, and list those expenses, too.
-I want it ALL on your list, so be as thorough as possible.
Got your list? Great! Bring it with you to our next meeting…tomorrow. =)
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This is so neat Andria. I plan on keeping up with your blog regularly.
I’m excited to learn more about frugal living, even if it’s before marriage, family, and post-college debt. Thanks for what you do.
P.S. I MISS YOU!
Aw…thanks, Lydia! I miss you, too! I’m glad you’re going to follow the series, and I hope it does prove to be helpful. Hope all is well with you, my friend!